newbie,97 grand prix st

[spider4]

found this site and seems to have alot of useful information.i know very little about cars.i just purchased my grand prix 97 from a friend.sad to say it needs alot of work,quite a few issues.hopefully i can get some thoughts and answers here.by the way the car has 210k miles on it but the engine is real clean and seems to shift real smoove.it just has cosmetic,general maintainance,and seems some electrical issues.anyway hope there are still some active members and hey if any members are in my area and have availability and want to do some restoring please dont hesitate to contact me.

[machinegunsquid]

Welcome welcome!

If it's made it 210k miles, and looks clean, then chances are it's been taken care of (mechanically anyways.)

What sort of problems are you havhing with the car?? Let us know and we can try and point you in the right direction.

Also, I'm assuming its a 1997 Grand Prix GT, non supercharged, correct?

[spider4]

hey man thanks for the reply.and yes i am definately new.it is a GT lol.not supercharged.well lets see some issues.the low coolant light has come on,i checked the radiator and overflow seem to be full.ive read a few post and might possible need a flush and air release.the main thing ive noticed so far is the electric seems a bit screwy.the instrument panel is not reliable.so im wondering what its gonna cost to replace the cluster.and that little readout over the radio(the one with the diagram of the car and it gives the fuel consumption and oil data.well that bounces around on its numbers like crazy and sometimes just doesnt even come on.another thing is the locks and the interior lights.if you dont lock the doors the interior lights will stay on,and in order to lock the doors you have to turn the knob on dash with the headlights/parking light symbol back and forth and hit the lock until it gets the right combination.ive kinda gotten the hang of that.oh yeah the headlights sometimes come on even when its in off position.its gonna need some things like alignment,maybe some new struts and shock.and a slew of cosmetic fixs need to be done,but hey that should be fun.

[98GPGT2D]

Welcome.

Call the Ghost Busters :|


That thing over the radio that you speak of, is the DIC (Driver Information Center)

You wont find shocks on your car, but you will find Struts, which is a shock and spring intigrated into one.

As for your coolant light...I have a 97 also (and a 98) but the coolant light on the 97 will come on time to time. Pop the hood, and give the sensor on the coolant overflow tank a smack, the light goes out. Its likely that your coolant level sensor in the recovery (or overflow as sometimes called) is bad.


Jay

[spider4]

the srs airbag light is on.so what do you do about that.does it require some kind of check up?the check engine light is on,but might be because of the other issues.

[spider4]

thanks 98gpg.sounds reasonable and easy check.

[98GPGT2D]

Check engine light is an easy one....buy a code reader, or take it to a parts store and have the codes checked. Find out what the codes are, and post them back up so we can help you in more detail.

As for the Airbag light...well...they may or may not be able to check airbag codes. If the light is on, there is a malfunction in the SRS (safety restraint system). It may be a seatbelt pre-tensioner issue, a bag issue, or a sensor issue. Again, codes will help identify the problem.


Sounds like your dash is lit up in time for christmas...lol

Jay

[spider4]

haha thats the same thing i said jay.

[98GPGT2D]

lol. Get the parts store to pull up the codes...take a pad of paper and pen with ya, write them all down... They will be a Letter, then a 4 digit number, like "P0440" which is an EVAP Emissions code if your interested...one that my 2005 GMC Jimmy likes to throw..

Jay

[spider4]

hey jay,whats the deal with the engine coolant.the label on my engine says to only use the special dexcool coolant.so i picked some up just in case.but now im reading so many up here say to use the green coolant,that the dexcool causes sludging.and if not the dexcool,should i dilute the other coolant or put in straight.this is if i have to down the road.

[98GPGT2D]

If you still have the orangy looking coolant in it, its dexcool, and I would dump it and flush. The car has likely had the upper intake replaced already. They had issues back in the day with the Dex Cool eating the plastic upper intake plenum, and gaskets. Im not a fan of it. My Dexcool is long gone, in all 3 of my dexcool equipped vehicles.

So, in short...flush it..put fresh coolant in it..that way, you know where you are maintenance wise..

[spider4]

so you are saying do not replace with dexcool,just regular coolant?undiluted?

[98GPGT2D]

Dump the Dex, flush it real well, and replace with regular coolant. Either pre-mix, or mix your own. I never buy pre-mix...your paying for half the amount of coolant, and water. Buy the concentrate stuff and mix your own up 50/50