1996 Pontiac Grand Am engine and engine cooling problems

“WATER GETTING INTO VEHICLE SOMEWHERE BEHIND FIREWALL. STARTED APPROXIMATELY 1YR. AGO. CAUSED ALL LIGHTS ON DASH TO LIGHT UP, NOW VEHICLE WILL NOT START, COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE PONTIAC FIX, ALTHOUGH THEY DID ISSUE A WARNING REGARDING ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT HELP WITH REMEDY. *TR”

“I HAVE TWO PONTIAC GRAND AM 1995, 1996 BOTH CARS HAS THE SAME PROBLEM THE INTAKE AND HEAD GASKET NEEDS REPLACE THEY SENT ME A PAPER IN THE MAIL AND SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY CARS BUT NEVER HEARD ANY THING ABOUT IT MY CAR IT ABOUT TO STOP RUNNING AND MY 1995 WON'T RUN WITH OUT OVER HEATING IF SOMEONE COULD GET ME ANY INFO PLEASE DO AND PASS IT MY WAY I COULD REALLY USE THE HELP. *TR”

“I WENT TO A CAR SERVICE PLACE TO HAVE AN OIL CHANGE AND I HAD THEM CHECK MY COOLANT TO SEE IF IT WAS LEAKING; SURE ENOUGH IT WAS. THEY HAD TOLD ME MY CAR IS LEAKING COOLANT FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND IT WOULD COST ME $700.00 + TO REPAIR IN WHICH I DON'T HAVE. *NM”

“AS MY HUSBAND WAS PUTTING GAS INTO MY 1996 GRAND AM HE NOTICED ORANGE COOLENT ( DEX COOL) LEAKING FROM THE CAR. THE NEXT MORNING ON HIS WAY TO WORK THE CAR MOTOR TEMPERATURE INCREASED TO A POINT WERE HE HAD TO PULL OVER AND LET THE CAR COOL DOWN. AFTER WORK HE TOOK THE CAR TO GATEWAY TIRE AND SERVICE FOR THE PROBLEM. GATEWAY SERVICE STATED THAT THE FOLLOWING FAILURES OCCURED -THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND TIMING COVER GASKET FAILED. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM? -REPLACE MANIFOLD GASKET (B) -REPLACE UPPER AND LOWER MANIFOLD GASKET -REPLACE SEAL KIT LUBE OIL AND FILTER -REPLACE TIMING COVER GASKET -REPLACE COVER GASKET -REPLACE TIMING COVER GASKET IF DONE WITH LOWER INTAKE CURRENTLY CAR AT GATEWAY TIRE SERVICE (10-18-04). *AK”

“THE CHECK OIL LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE STALLED AND SHUT DOWN. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DRIVER REQUESTED THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TO LOOK AT VEHICLE BECAUSE IT WAS ON RECALL A YEAR AGO. *AK”

“I HAVE A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM WITH A QUAD 4 ENGINE IN IT. THE ENGINE HAS 100,050 MILES ON IT, I TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT, OIL CHANGES ON TIME DID ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE ON IT REQUIRED IN THE BOOK, ETC, ETC. I STARTED THE CAR THE OTHER DAY AND THE WHOLE THING JERKED FORWARD, MADE A LOUD BANG THEN WOULD NOT DO ANY THING BUT TURN OVER REALLY FAST. I HAD IT TOWED IN TO MY MECHANIC AND FOUND OUT THAT MY ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE EXHAUST VALVES SMASHED INTO THE PISTONS AND DID A LOT OF DAMAGE. FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THREE DIFFERENT MECHANICS IS THAT THE QUAD 4 ENGINE MADE BY GM IS THE WORST ENGINE EVER DESIGNED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT ON THE MARKET. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT ON THIS TYPE OF CAR OVER 100,000 MILES WAS LUCKY AND THAT KIND OF MILES ON THIS ENGINE IS CONSIDERED HIGH MILEAGE. I WAS TOLD ONE OF TWO THINGS COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS AND THAT BOTH PROBLEMS ARE COMMON IN THIS CAR. THE FIRST CAUSE COULD HAVE BEEN THE HYDRAULIC FLUID THAT CAUSES THE MANIFOLD GASKET TO OPEN WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT OFF SLUDGED UP AND THIS CAUSED THE TIMING TO MIS ALIGN AT START UP AND CAUSED THE VALVES AND PISTONS TO SMASH TOGETHER. THE SECOND COMMON CAUSE FOR THIS…”