Pontiac Grand Am

I took this from another answer to the Grand AM 2002 GT and added text, because there were some missing items. I just performed this, so it is a tested procedure... Changing A Headlight Bulb On A 2002 Pontiac Grand Am 2002 Things Needed: � Hammer with a nail puller and pliers � Patience and A Good Sense of Humor Things To Know: � The Plastic Parts Are Cheap And Break Easily � Buy the replacement plastic retaining clips � you will probably break them when you remove them 1) First step is to pull out the 3 cheap plastic retainer clips from the plastic retainer sheet. Example for the DRIVER�s side The first one is the right-most black plastic pin The second one is to the right of the Notice sign (not to lift the car by the oil pan) The 3rd one is left of the left headlight adjuster (it is also the right-most pin that holds the grill in place) Use the nail puller end of the hammer the grip and pull them out. They don't come out easily. (You might need to work them up a little by hand so you can get a good grip with the hammer.) After you remove these you can pull up the long black plastic piece. Underneath of this you will find the 2 metal clips which retain the headlamp assembly in place. 2) Next you have to pull up the TWO metal clips which retain the headlamp assembly in place. BOTH of these clips MUST be pulled up completely or you will damage the headlight housing which costs almost $170 retail to replace!!!!! The nail puller on the hammer will also come in handy. Actually, we ended up using a wrench the grab and pull it up. BE PATIENT! This is a pain. I spent about 45 minutes of gentle nudging to get these things to lift. 3) Once the TWO clips have been pulled up, the entire headlamp can be removed. This is done by pulling the headlamp forward away from the body of the car. It actually lifts out fairly easily, but be warned: there are little plastic parts that can break when you pull it out. Do this gently! 4) Once you pull the assembly out, you will see the place where the bulb fits in. To release the bulb, there is a wide black plastic (of course) ring which you must turn counterclockwise (to the right) 1/6th of the way around. After turning it, gently pull the bulb out. It comes out easier if you lift up the little blue tabs (holding it into the socket) as you pull it free. 5) Now, with gloves on your hand, put the new bulb in. (You have to keep Halogen Bulbs from coming into contact with any oils which might be on your skin.) Once the bulb is replaced, slide it back into the headlamp assembly. After this, turn the thick black plastic ring clockwise back to rest in its' original position. This locks the bulb securely into place. Now, just put everything back together. If you need to use duct tape, it's ok. It comes in handy when working with cheap plastic parts that break. The only problem that we found was getting that darn metal clip to go back down all of the way. We couldn't figure it out on the left side and we still couldn't get it to work on the right. Just push/hammer it down as best as you can and push the big black piece of plastic back down over it.

For no. 2 when you are pulling the metal clips out if you grab the top with pliers and push the clip away from you with a screwdriver in your other hand it comes right out. The right most clip didn't come all the way out but it doesn't need to in order to pull the light assembly forward.

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My guess is that it's because smoke is hot. Hot air rises, just as cold air sinks. When a fire ensues, smoke (the product of carbon combustion) rises with the hot air.

unplug the 12v batt for at least 30's

It's never a good idea to just replace parts in hopes that a problem will go away. You have to find out which part isn't working. It could be someting as simple as the neutral lock-out switch, the keyswitch, a bad connector or wire or who knows what. Get a volt meter. Check voltage at the starter. The BIG wire should always have 12 VDC. Depending on how many small wires go to the starter, one should be from the keyswitch, sending a signal to the solenoid that engages the starter. Have someone try to start the engine while you test for the presence of voltage. If you get nothing when you turn the keyswitch, check the neutral lockout. Get out from under the car, (it might start while you try this, and it could cause problems if it is in gear) Hold the keyswitch to start while you move the gear shift lever. If you get a point where the starter kicks in, you have an alignment problem with the neutral switch. Track down the points where you still get keyswitch voltage to the starter. Find out where it isn't working and repair or replace the appropriate parts.

Answer Two: I spent most of the day trying to bypass the GM Passlock in my '96 Grand Am. Reason: it would not start for me about one out of 10 times and the Theft Sys light would come on. After waiting 10 minutes, it usually would start, but obviously a hassle. I followed instructions to the "T" on the web to bypass the system, but after placing a new resistor between two leads in the steering column, the engine would start, run for 2 seconds and stall.

I finally retreated to taking the resistor out, and the engine did the same thing! I had a car that would start for two seconds and die, with the Theft Sys light blinking.

The manual was no help. But thank God for the internet where I found a passing comment by someone that made it work. If this is your problem:

1. Attempt to start the car, let it stall, but DO NOT turn the key off! Leave it in RUN.

2. Wait 10 minutes or until the Theft Sys light glows steady instead of blinking.

3. Do not turn the key off, but start it immediately.

4. This should reset your Passlock system.

I would have given big $$ to have read this column this morning. Would have saved many hours

It is to the left of your hazard lights button on the center of the console.

I am far from being an expert or quasi expert but I do own a 96 Q45 and experienced a similar problem. I was helped or given advice free of charge by my local Infiniti Service Adviser. The problem had to do with the anti-lock braking system and its electrical components. There are two fairly inexpensive relays under the hood that you should try replacing first. My cost for both relays was $48.50 from Infiniti of Scottsdale, Az. (1-800-955-9181). The relays are called the ABS relay assy-valve and the relay assy-actuator. I live in Florida but I order most parts I need from Scottsdale because they are usually much cheaper. The mechanism of concern should be located under the hood at the right rear corner near the fire wall. You should see a little black plastic box mounted to the rear of a silver aluminum mechanism with a number of small metal tubes coming out of it. But you are only concerned with the black plastic box. Remove the cover and you will see the two relays I am talking about. The relays pull right out by pulling up on them. This is what I replaced and solved my problem. Calvin Bryant

I am not familiar with this hose but it probably has metric fittings and would be difficult to substitute. Check an auto parts store for an after market hose. If not try an auto wrecker for a used one. A self serve auto wrecker might be your best bet.

that's a hard one, ive tried a few searches but no joy as yet.

i run a MPG information site in the UK called www.WhatMPG.co.UK but don't

list US car info. I am however wanting to set up a US site , and need a to

get official data figures so may improve this situation soon. if you get the answer

pls let me know...

thx tomo

There are several warning lights on a 1997 Grand Am. Some of the warning lights are the ABS system, oil lights, and the check engine light.

my trac off light comes on in my 2002 cavalier then the car cuts off, but will start back up minutes later then the check engine light will come on and they both stay on

You know the starter is going bad when you have a dragging starter.

Yes you can. Open the trunk. There are two tabs on the back of the seat inside the trunk. One on each side. Pull them and push the seat forward and push it down or pull it from in side the car. I have a 2004. Occassionally it's hard to find the tabs, but it's usually pretty easy.

Have a Pontiac dealer's mechanic look it over and tell you.

Either the coolant level is low in the recovery tank or the sensor is defective or has a loose connection.

actually most of the time it's the floating magnet in the tank. the magnet goes up and down with the coolant level. If your coolant level is where it should be and it's not overheating then it's something to do with a sensor. but before you run out and buy a new one there a little trick you can do. loosen the tank (it's only one screw that holds it in) and give it a good shake for about 10 seconds. what happens is the floating magnet will get stuck making contact with the sensor and trick it into thinking the coolant is low. 90% of the time this is the problem!!

If you are sitting in the driver's seat, it is on the left-hand side of the steering column., right behind the dash panel that wraps around the bottom half of the steering column.

Your transmission is probably getting ready to take a dump on you and you will have to get a new transmission sooner then you want if you hot rod it. I'v done it so try and take it easy and make it last. I had a similar issue with a 99 Grand AM. It turned out to be a deteriorated vacuum hose to the air flow sensor on the front of the engine. It cleared the problem of the hard shift as well as an occasional stall at low speeds.

The IAT sensor is built into the mass air flow sensor. You can find it in the air duct between the engine inlet and air filter.

it should be up near your raditator. your local auto zone can tell you where it is. should be easy from there. just pop ouot the old and in with the new.

pull down on both sides there is a clip on both lf and rt side I did this a week ago to change my bulbs, yes no one could answer this for me also.

i had a 99 grand am and i had to remove the drum by banging it with a hammer, sometimes you can get to the star adjuster but for me it was just easier to pound it off

If you have replaced or unplugged any antitheft component, the computer in the car has to relearn the identity of the part. To do this simply attempt to start the car (some times it will start then shut down instantly) then just leave the key in the running possision. The theft system light will be flashing on the dash for about 10 minutes, when it stops flashing the computer has finished learning the new code. Try starting again, it should run fine now.

find where the area of moisture build up is when the car is started then go from there, check the connections around the heater core also find where the area of moisture build up is when the car is started then go from there, check the connections around the heater core also ***The water pump is driven by the drive belt. The water pump has a "weep" hole that will start leaking when the water pump has reached the end of its useable life. Find the water pump (Has a large radiator hose going up into it, and a large black pulley in front of it) and look for coolant leaking out from underneath that pulley. Don't use any sort of "Leak-Fix" product, once a water pump seal has gone bad, it is not going to get better. Also, leak-fix products can do serious damage to your cooling system and heater core.

your fuse is blown. car manufacturerers make the dash lights go off when the tail light fuse blows so you know it is blown.

how to fix the light for the clock radio in a 2003 Pontiac grand am