my 97 grand prix cranks slow then speeds up then slows down kind of like a chevy thats out of time

is the battery dead or dying this has nothing to do with timing

haven't checked it yet but when I was cranking it it sounded like and old 350 when the timing was out it died going down the road haven't really had time to look at it much yet but I will check that first thanks for the help would the battery cause it to die cause it to die?

does that car have coil packs or a distributor? And crumbob is right, it's not timing chain problem ...would you describe it as a 'lope' ?

coil packs

does that car have coil packs or a distributor? And crumbob is right, it's not timing chain problem ...would you describe it as a 'lope' ? And no, if alternator is working well the battery will not cause it to stall

Ok, I had a thought but it doesn't apply to coil packs, sorry with coil packs you can't set ignition timing

and yea it kind of lopes then speeds back up and started for about 3 seconds then died again

but would the starter going bad cause it to lose power and die going down the road?

No,i thought you meant when you were cranking car,check the fuel pressure,a weak fuel pump,or clogged filter may cause it.

Good call TST. Good morning

sorry I meant it cranks slow then fast when trying to start it but I did have a blazer once that would run crappy when the battery was losing connection but I cant remember if it caused the fast and slow cranking

Good morning D,AKA ,Fordnut.

If it crank,s like this,check the starter,then check the timing,if not what i said above.

What can happen what you describe harold, is when you first start to crank it, the connections from the cable terminal is not fully made, and when you crank the engine it heats up the terminal that is, and actually can make better contact, therefore the engine will suddenly begin to turn over faster

Going back over this thread, some cars will die if battery is disconnected while running. A loose connection could cause misfire, but I don't know if your Pontiac does that. I bet TST knows, that will it run with battery cable off?

Yes,it will run with cable off,if alternator is good,this doe,s not seem like a battery or connection issue.

Sounds like a failed fuel pump to me. That would cause it to die and not start again. Turn the key to the run position without actually starting the car. You should hear the fuel pump humming for a couple of seconds and then shut off. If you hear nothing then its likely the fuel pump. If you hear it humming its probably running well enough to run the car although it may not be at its peak. In that case look elsewhere for the problem.