27
votes
Accepted
Car won't start after sitting for 2 years even with a jump. Is it a starter or alternator issue?
If the battery is completely dead, especially after sitting for two years, it most likely won't take a charge. Without the battery getting charged, you most likely don't have enough juice coming ...
- 162k
13
votes
Car won't start after sitting for 2 years even with a jump. Is it a starter or alternator issue?
It's the battery
Starting an engine takes a much larger energy impulse than jumper cables can deliver directly through their typically-thin wires and the small surface area of their alligator clamps. ...
13
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to remove a rear door handle from the outside?
No. You have to remove the panel to get to the bolt. It is completely within the door structure.
Realistically, don't be so afraid of the weather sheathing. I think most people's problem with it is ...
- 162k
11
votes
Is it possible to remove a rear door handle from the outside?
No, you cannot change that bolt without taking the panel off, you'll have to bite the bullet on that one. Don't worry about the plastic, go slow and use a paint scraper or butter knife to help pry it ...
- 17.7k
10
votes
Car won't start after sitting for 2 years even with a jump. Is it a starter or alternator issue?
Others have already told you the battery is a goner, I'll go into why:
When a battery discharges lead sulfate builds up on the plates. It is deposited in very tiny crystals that will covert back to ...
- 311
7
votes
Solstice! Car starts to run rough after hitting the gas, intermittently.
Regarding the tangent, yes, an ill-fitting dipstick can be the cause of a vacuum leak.
Pulling out the dipstick is a way mechanics can figure out if the car is suffering from unmetered air/vacuum ...
- 39.2k
6
votes
Accepted
THAT Solstice - What causes an exhaust back-fire?
The most common cause of backfiring in MAF driven cars is an air leak in the intake system. This causes the engine to misread how much air is entering the engine, and too much or too little fuel is ...
- 4,149
6
votes
Resting a radiator on metal brackets
The vibration from the engine and driving will cause fretting which will wear away at the metal of the radiator. The softer metal will wear faster and will eventually make a hole in the base, most ...
- 34.7k
5
votes
Trying to bleed brakes, but getting no fluid out
Is the car on the floor? Many vehicles, I'm not sure if yours does for certain, feature a brake bias apportioning valve which is essentially a "tap" which opens or closes depending on the position of ...
- 23.4k
5
votes
What is the source of water soaking the passenger side carpet and floor panels on my Pontiac?
As @Paulster2 indicated, you likely have a clogged drain, you can use some wire or I prefer metal pipe cleaners.
In addition, you should remove a plug that was installed by the factory incorrectly ...
- 661
4
votes
2008 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP electricity cutting in and out
Still a loose battery cable. If connections at the battery are good, start following the cable down. Sometimes the cables wear out or break inside the insulation near the battery. Sometimes, one of ...
- 671
4
votes
Is it safe replace 225/65R17 tires with 215/60R16?
For optimum performance they should be the same diameter, regardless of the rim size. For example 195 50 15 tyres have the same diameter as a 175 70 13 tyre. Though they differ in size, they make up ...
- 159
4
votes
Accepted
Why would headlights stop working after turning over
Turns out what went wrong was my car was turning on the brights (highs) when I would go to unlock it, and the regular (lows) headlights were never working. I thought the car was turning on the lows ...
- 315
4
votes
Car shutdown / won't restart after driving through puddle (2006 Pontiac G6)
How deep was the water? It is most likely an electrical problem with waterlogged or even shorted out electronics. However, if the water was pulled into the engine, you could have significant ...
- 23.4k
4
votes
2006 Pontiac Grand Prix suspension problem
The alignment is the lion's share of the expense here, so why wait til the outer side goes up to redo the alignment? Ideally, he should also replace on both driver and passenger sides while he's there ...
- 1,742
4
votes
Car won't start after sitting for 2 years even with a jump. Is it a starter or alternator issue?
It's the fuel (as well as the battery).
After 2 years, the fuel in the tank has almost certainly gone bad. It's most probably also gummed up your fuel injectors.
Try spraying some starter fluid ...
- 278
3
votes
Accepted
Removing head while maintaining timing chain tension & position
I would use wire (welding rod is a good candidate) or small springs to "hook" the chain either side - obviously the top part stays loose but the bottom part around the lower sprocket stays firmly in ...
- 34.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Solstice! Car starts to run rough after hitting the gas, intermittently.
So, here's the difference between the Solstice and Malibu dipsticks (both 2.4L LE5)
The shorter one with the larger diameter, bright yellow handle is from the Solstice. Fortunately it was still in ...
- 3,159
3
votes
High RPM's at highway speeds
Based on your replies to comments, here's the diagnosis:
Most likely, you tripped the overdrive. Most modern cars have this, and most people don't know about it.
Look at 2 things:
look at your ...
- 12.2k
3
votes
Accepted
2007 Pontiac g6 keeps blowing fuse
The only fuse in the under hood box that may affect this is #19 (the Run Relay, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Blower).
If this is the one that keeps blowing, there is likely something wrong ...
- 9,005
3
votes
Pontiac Grand Prix Rpm dropping to soon
I may be missing something here but this sounds very much like the normal process of an automatic gearbox shifting up through the gears while you accelerate.
For engine revs to drop while roadspeed ...
- 10.5k
3
votes
Accepted
Torn metal found beneath oil filler cap, need help identifying part and severity
Update: reddit nailed the problem.
I like @blacksmith37's way of thinking, but @Ben was closer.
What probably happened was, back when I paid other people to do my oil changes, some underpaid ...
- 91
3
votes
My 99 Grand Prix 3.8 . The starter engages but doesn't turn the flywheel.can anyone tell me what wires go where?
If you look at the back of the starter:
The main wire from the battery (and probably two others with large eyelets) go to the top post on the solenoid (the black part on the top). The main starter ...
- 162k
2
votes
Is it safe replace 225/65R17 tires with 215/60R16?
The tire sizes you posted are not the same size, obviously. The big difference it one is a 16" rim while the other is a 17" rim. Fitment will be the big issue. The rims may not fit correctly over the ...
- 9,005
2
votes
Overheating issue - 2000 Grand Am GT
I think you may have two issues here. Obviously there's a leak. You'll have to figure out where that is, but I'd suggest it's either the radiator, a hose, or a freeze plug in the side of the engine. ...
- 162k
2
votes
Accepted
Non-blown blown head gasket
To answer the question - moot at this point for you I'm sure, but this is a Question and Answer site after all - What looks and acts like a blown head gasket, resulting in coolant in the cylinder, ...
- 300
2
votes
Accepted
ECM voltage, spark spike
To get this off the unanswered question list:
There was an intermittent break in the wiring harness near the MAP sensor. I removed the damaged section and lineman-spliced it, and this particular ...
- 3,159
2
votes
ECM voltage, spark spike
That is a lot of spark advance. It looks like its sitting at 5-7ish degrees, then pulls up to almost 30 suddenly. Thats way higher than any normal adjustment I've seen.
I added my own line onto ...
- 1,646
2
votes
AC slow leak - accumulator 1 year old replace or keep using to find leak?
You'd have to weigh the cost(s) and make your own decision.
New compressor rules out shaft seal, which was my first guess. But technically, a new compressor always commands a new receiver-dryer. ...
- 12.4k
2
votes
coolant in oil of 2008 Pontiac G-6
If you haven't started the car, just drain the oil - no flush needed ... the coolant should come out first, considering the oil is lighter. Basically you want to give your car an oil change. If it's ...
- 162k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible