13th May 2008, 21:11
I have a 1998 Sunfire GT with 170,000 km. Found out that my leaking water pump will cost $1000 to fix. The shop guy said that if it had been the 2.2l instead of the 2.4l it would only cost $250. Likewise, I had to replace the manual transmission - again they said "too bad you didn't go for the 2.2l engine - much more reliable". Overall bad engineering in so many respects. The 2.2l engine apparently has much less problems - don't buy the GT.
10th Jul 2008, 09:53
I have a 2003 Sunfire GT, and have had a few problems, mostly with the power windows. I've had the motor replaced for each window 3-4 times since I've owned the car. The last time I went with an after market motor, and so far, it seems to be working better.
7th Aug 2008, 18:15
Hi! I own a 98 Pontiac Sunfire GT.
My oil pressure light came on. Before it did, it flashed off and on, then went solid a week after I changed the oil! I also tried to reset it by turning the car power on and pushed on the gas pedal down 3 times to reset it, but no luck and now it sounds like a military Humvee, and has a loss of power.
Any answers would be appreciated!
11th Dec 2008, 09:47
I own a Pontiac 1998 and the engine light goes on once in a while. I checked all the fluids and all are fine. What should I do next? I'm all bummed out.
18th May 2009, 13:49
I'm looking to buy my friends 1998 Sunfire and the engine has 130000 miles on it, but the trannie has 200000 so I'm worried about that how long do transmissions last?? Other than that, there are no other problems.
3rd Oct 2009, 18:29
We have a 1999 Pontiac Sunfire with the big engine (2.2 I think), and after 106,000 miles the rear brakes are locking up and it looks like the front brakes are not working 100%... Any ideas what can it be?
I did the pads and rotor change about 6 months ago. Other than that, the usual; power windows do not work, a small leak some where on the head and the fuel gauge works from the full line to half a tank; after that it goes back to full.
When it rains it also runs rough for a while. We turn it off for a while and then it's fine. No error code, but last week only for a minute the ABS light came on.
I most say that the car has been in a front head collision and a rear end collision, so this car is a good one. We only changed the alternator once, battery 3 times and regular maintenance. The little sensor connected to the intake rubber arm as well was changed...
5th Nov 2009, 21:44
Damn, I think I got hacked like you guys. I bought a 1998 Sunfire GT for 700 bucks. It has 185000KM on it. It does look pretty good though, it was repainted and it has double exhausts worth close to $1000. It does have a lot of power. But the first night I bought it, I was already experiencing problems. Let me start down the list.
I started leaking coolant everywhere when I got home. It all emptied itself out. It seems to be the hose, but who knows. I doubt it.
The gas line seems to be leaking. It was leaking all over the place when I bought. I paid a mechanic $50 to replace a part of the gas line. It seemed to fix the problem, but when I got home, it started to leak again. So I probably need to change the gas lines.
The driver's window doesn't go up anymore, it takes a lot of time. I'm having trouble with the key.
So these are the problems I'm experiencing. I'm really starting to wonder if I should put any more money into this, or if I should sell this for 400 or something, and get some small safe car. Any advice would be much appreciated.
18th Feb 2010, 04:07
99 Sunfire GT 2.4L 4-spd automatic with overdrive -- I bought mine two months ago and I think this is a strong, sexy car... yes, there are a few problems (ETS light on, brakes need adjustment or replacing, passenger seat frozen on track) but that's to be expected from an 11 year old car with 110K. I am slowly digging in & fixing all these things.
I did complete 100K service, changing every fluid and filter including transmission. Cleaned fuel rail & injectors, installed new fuel regulator. I have to do the brakes though for me, she seems to stops fine. There is no smoke, leaks or stalls.
I'm very happy with this Pontiac, and have no major issues with performance, function or styling. I give my 99 Sunfire GT a 9+ out of 10 stars, as it's an affordable alternative for a sporty ride.
For video:
18th Apr 2010, 20:40
I have a 99 Sunfire with a 2.4 motor. I just started racing last night, and my car was doing great till my car had oil smoke coming from the exhaust. I pulled the plugs out of it to see if they were oil covered, but the weren't. It looks like oil is blowing into the intake, and the battery acts like it's dead, but it's not.
If someone has any answers, I would love to hear them.
31st May 2010, 23:34
My 98 Sunfire GT has 125000 km.
Did the brakes and had to do front struts too.
Now the water pump is leaking! That will be another $900.
This car is costing way too much $. More than it's worth.
3rd Jun 2010, 01:33
I have a 1998 Sunfire GT 5 speed manual. It has 162.000 miles. My major problems are, no response from the throttle for the first few seconds it is on, ABS problems, and I just had to replace the water pump. In fact the car is in pieces in my garage because I am in the process of replacing it.
For the water pump problem since it seems to be a common problem, I was quoted $1100 and $700 by two different shops, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS, DO IT YOURSELF! I am currently replacing the water pump, the upper radiator hose, the lower radiator hose, and the thermostat for $125, the water pump was only $50 at Advanced Auto, the other parts were in working order, but in a high mileage car I'd rather not have to go through the process again.
A huge warning though, to get to the water pump you have to remove:
The exhaust manifold.
The coolant tank.
The engine support on the passenger side (which means dropping the engine).
The passenger side tire.
The timing belt cover and the tensioner on the timing belt.
It is a HUGE project, I have spent 12 hours on it today, and I have to finish it up tomorrow, but I think it is well worth $1000.
Anyway, it is a good car, it's 12 years old, it's going to have problems, but it's fun to drive and all I can afford.
22nd Mar 2008, 19:52
Decent at best, well not even that good maybe.
Passenger window will get stuck down every other time. Car sputters and almost dies when first started (98 sunfire GT) this is not due to neglect might I add... smells like gas lately, parts falling off literally, that means? Yeah it has good power, blah, blah, blah...Too many sad stories. I also have a 1988 Mazda MX-6 that old piece is almost 400,000km, no major repairs ever! It will outlast the Sunfire no doubt...
Why do these cars suck so bad? If you have had no problems yet... BE PATIENT...