1998 Pontiac Sunfire engine and engine cooling problems

“COOLANT HAD BEEN LEAKING FOR OVER 3 MONTHS OFF AND ON. PUT IN STOP LEAK FOR A TEMP FIX. HOWEVER DEXCOOL CONTINUED TO EAT AWAY AT MY COOLANT SYSTEM. CAR HAS OVERHEATED ON MANY OCCASIONS. FINALLY ABLE TO USE JB WELD TO FIX LEAK . *TR”

“I OWN A 98 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX,BLACK,FOUR DOOR AUTOMATIC.I HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR THIS CAR FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS.I WENT TO START MY CAR AND IT WAS DEAD SO WE HOOKED IT UP TO A POWER SAVE JUMPER CABLE BOX(THE ONE THAT DOESNT NEED ANOTHER CAR TO CHARGE THE BATTERY) IT STILL WOULDNT START SO MY STEP FATHER (WHO IS A MECHANIC) CAME OVER TO HELP, WE HOOKED IT BACK UP TO THE JUMPER CABLES AND HE TRYED TO TURN IT OVER, NOTHING.... I LEANED IN TO TRY AND TURN IT OVER AND MY FUEL INJECTOR MANIFOLD EXPLODED. THE PLASTIC CASING BLEW ABOUT 20 FT DOWN THE ROAD AND THE WHOLE TOP OF MY ENGINE WAS ON FIRE.THE FIRE BLEW MY MANIFOLD APART,MY FUEL INJECTOR IS COMPLETELY MISSING THE WHOLE PART WHERE MY SPARK PLUGS ARE IS BURNED AND SO ON THERE IS ALOT OF DAMAGE!!!I HEARD FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY THAT THERE IS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO THE PONTIAC GRAND PRIX.I HAVE TRYED TO RECEIVE ANY INFORMATION THAT WOULD HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE CONTACTED GM PERSONALLY AND AM HAVING IT LOOKED AT BY A GM SPECIALIST(SUPPOSEDLY).IM JUST VERY THANKFUL THAT MINE NOR MY STEPFATHERS FACE WAS UNDER THAT HOOD OR ONE OF US WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY BADLY INJURED.”

“IN MY 98 SUNFIRE GT I HAVE SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH YET I STILL OWN THE CAR. A LITTLE BIT AGO IT SEEMS LIKE MY EXHAUST PIPE FALLS OFF FROM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD FROM THE FLANGE. WITH CAUSING YOUR CAR TO SOUND LIKE IT WAS A DRAG RACER. WELL I WENT TO PONTIAC AND FIGURED OUT THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST ME A PRETTY PENNY $500 SOME ODD DOLLARS. AND THE FUNNY THING IS THAT THIS HAS NOT JUST HAPPENED TO ME. IT HAS HAPPENED TO A FEW OF MY FRIENDS AS WELL. I DON'T HOW KNOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE GOTTEN LETTERS ABOUT THE FAULTY EXHAUST FLANGES. *JB”

“WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN OCTOBER OF 2000 IT HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK TO THE DEALER FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS BECAUSE THE ENGINE IN THE CAR KEPT CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING AROUND 55-60 MPH. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. FINALLY AFTER THE 3RD MONTH THEY FOUND THE MAIN COMPUTER WAS BAD. THAT WAS REPLACED. IT RAN FINE UNTIL THE NEXT WINTER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON & CAR KEPT STALLING WHEN AT STOP SIGNS/LIGHTS. TOOK TO DEALER HAD DIAGNOSTIC RAN WHICH READ FAULTY GAS CAP, TPS SENSOR.... I REPLACED THEM MYSELF. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT TILL THE NEXT DAY. TOOK CAR BACK IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC WHICH READ FAULTY GAS CAP, TPS SENSOR,EGR ,COIL PACKS,GAS TANK SENSOR.....HAD DEALER WORK ON IT.... THEY COULD NOT SEE WHY ALL THIS STUFF WAS POPPING UP ....HAD IT ALL REPLACED. REPLACING IT DID NOT WORK. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN ABOUT 2 DAYS LATER!!! I CHECKED CAR OVER & FOUND IF YOU WIGGLED THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS CONNECTIONS THE CAR RAN FINE & ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT! TOOK TO DEALER TO HAVE WIRING FIXED. THEY TOOK ALL THE WIRING APART & CLEANED EVERYTHING. THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM IN THE WIRING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON NEXT DAY.TOOK TO DEALER AGAIN FINALLY THEY…”

“THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE FLUTTERS FROM TIME TO TIME. THEN IT WILL GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 0.WHEN IT STARTS TO FLUTTER AGAIN THE ENGINE SEEMS TO BE RACING. THE TACH. GUAGE WILL BOUNCE ABOUT 200-300 PRM. I ALSO NOTICED THAT WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK AND YOU IDLE THE ENGINE UP TO ABOUT 3000 RPM, IT ACTS LIKE THERE IS A REV LIMITER. IT HAS NEVER DONE THAT UNTILL A FEW MONTHS AGO. THE CHECK ENGIN LIGHT HAS NEVER COME ON UNTIL TODAY. I CHANGED PLUGS AND PLUG WIRES AND IT DIDNT HELP AT ALL. *AK”

“NOTICED ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. OWNERS MANUAL SAID CHECK COOLANT TANK AND IF EMPTY SERVICE AND SEE IF THAT FIXES THE PROBLEM. SERVICED COOLANT TANK AND WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT THREE MINUTES RUNNING THE THERMOSTAT OPENED UP AND THE CAR STARTED TO SPUTTER AND RUN ROUGH. I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART IT FOR THE MECHANIC IT HYDRO-LOCKED AND BROKE THE STARTER WHICH ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. COOLANT HAD ENTERED THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. MECHANIC FOUND INTAKE PLENUM WARPED. HE SAID THEY CHANGE THESE ALL THE TIME.”