10th Oct 2007, 18:51

I posted earlier that my 2000 Grand Prix GT was having issues with the "Trac Off" light coming on, my Tachometer dropping to 0 when the engine felt like it quit and then pick right back up. I have fixed the issue. It is the Crankshaft Position Sensor. I bought it at Auto Zone for $31.00 and replaced it myself. It is a challenge to change because you have to pull the Crankshaft pulley from the bottom of the engine. You can get to it through the passenger front wheel well. Remove the wheel, the two panels, and you have access to the pulley. If you do not have mechanical skills, I do not recommend doing this yourself. Because these engines do not have a distributor, the plates with U-shaped notches on the inside of this pulley rotates between the gaps in the Crankshaft Position Sensor sending a signal to let the plugs know when to fire. Since replacing the sensor a month ago, I have no issues with the sputter, the tachometer dropping to 0 and the 'Trac-Off' light coming on.

16th Oct 2007, 10:33

I had driven a 1997 Grand Prix GTP for 3 years. Last year my daughter turned 16 and I passed the car on to her. Yesterday morning I got a phone call from a co-worker informing me that my daughter's car was on fire. She had driven to her morning class at college, parked the car, and within 10 minutes was notified that her car was on fire. The car has been running fine, as I had just driven it over the weekend. No warning lights came on, and students who got to class after her said the car was fine when they got there. I have been doing some net searching and found this is a somewhat widespread problem. All the damage was contained to under the hood, although the car will be totaled. According the the fire department, it started on the passenger side, near the coil/fuse block area. This is really the only trouble we've ever had with this car. It's been a great car prior to this.

25th Dec 2007, 22:17

I have a 98 GTP and all 4 door panels (stapled) top trim along the window have cracked and fallen off. any suggestions how to replace those without buying complete door panels??

7th Feb 2008, 22:50

I am in the market for a new car. I currently own a 98 Mustang GT, but it's killing me on gas, the rims are cop magnets ,and I keep crashing it.

I was looking at Chrysler 300m, Nissan Maximas, and a 98 Pontiac GTP. The GTP has 75,000 miles and ample horse power, but I fear I am going to buy another problematic car. Any suggestions? Do cops pull you over often? Maintenance? What should I look for in a test drive? Is the juice worth the squeeze?

It gives me hope for humanity that people are using the internet like this to actually help each other out. Thank you.

22nd Feb 2008, 11:02

I have a 2001 GTP and love the car. Looks great, drives nice and love the supercharger whine and power. I have owned it for about a year and a half putting 42K on it. It now has 130K miles on it. I would buy another one in a heart beat, hope it lasts me a long time.

22nd Feb 2008, 23:17

I purchased a 1998 GTP in 2002. It has been a great car. I have 136,000 miles have only been really doing any regular work on in the last 1 1/2 years. My issues are small. I'm looking for replacement parts (center console cupholders broke and weather stripping needs replacement). Could someone let me know where I could find an aftermarket supplier for dash/console stuff. Pontiac Lady... ;)

29th Feb 2008, 12:07

To the February 7th poster, the noise on the passenger side under the hood is your supercharger; it needs to be replaced.

I have a 1998 GTP with 106k miles for 3 years now, and I had that noise since day 1. Bought a rebuilt ported supercharger from American Superchargers by way of eBay for $500, Midas replaced for me for $250, no problems since.

Also had 3 major oil leaks 3 days after I bought the car (at 84k miles). Turns out the previous owner used the cheapest gas she could find, which is a HUGE no-no with a supercharged engine; use 90+ octane gas ONLY unless you like fixing leaks.

Also purchased a Performance Package 3 from intense-racing.com along with a new exhaust system, and I now have 346 horsepower and 288 lb torque, which is about as far as I can go without an inter-cooler and a beefed up transmission.

I have had the intake manifold problem, which was a $1400 fix... other than that, nothing major so far.

LOVE this car, and its future includes a new crate engine, new body paint, and new leather/suede interior.

3rd Mar 2008, 21:24

I have a 2001 GTP 4 door, and at 76,000 miles, we are having a stubborn problem with what appears to be the ABS system. It makes a groaning noise in the left front, then shudders as you apply the brakes at slow speed.

A shop we trust encountered the problem, but since it isn't throwing codes and only happens intermittently (but more and more often) they couldn't verify its cause or verify it was fixed after servicing. It disappeared for a few days, but it's back again. Anyone got any ideas?

If I know what to tell the mechanic, I can probably get a mechanic friend who works at the pontiac dealer make sure it gets done right.

Other than the ABS problem, which can be alarming, the car has been very dependable, and has had great performance. We got it with 13k in 2002, and it's been a great car if you overlook the occasional minor glitch.

Over 5 years, the passenger side window regulator was replaced, as well as a plastic trim piece on the back window (one the exterior) which had discolored. 2 years later, the replacement is just as bad... not sure why either, it's only one side it happens on.

One of the speeds on the AC/heat fan stopped working, but was fairly cheap to fix.

6th Mar 2008, 11:09

The superchargers don't need to be replaced because of noise of any kind. It will either be the coupler or a bearing in the snout or main case. zzperformance.com has all the bearings and the coupler. You can order a supercharger from them install it, and return yours for the core charge. Or you can just order the rebuild kit ($20) + (45,coupler) and have a local machine shop press in the the new bearings.

DO NOT go to the dealer for these issues; they will rape you. The supercharger is easy to remove. I was less irritated with it than replacing the battery.

7th Mar 2008, 16:19

I have a 1998 Grand Prix GTP. It has been running good until today when it came to a stop and would not continue on. The car will start and then the gas pressure drops and the car shuts off, but then immediately the pressure jumps right back up. I can start it again and the pressure drops back down. What's the deal; anybody know?