97 grand prix gtp wont start

20

Asked by Nick Jan 29, 2014 at 11:48 PM about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix 4 Dr GTP Supercharged Sedan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 97 gtp that instantly died on the highway going 70
mph. The steering went tight along with the breaks being
harder to press down. It had a half a tank of gas. Car has
175k miles. Ive checked for fuel which its getting. The fuel
pressure was 60 psi on first crank then lowered down to 55
psi. A mechanic had told me it was probably a fuel pressure
regulator before I tested the pressure an since there not to
expensive I bought one an put it on. Well the car still wont
start so I tested my plugs and coils for spark which they all
have. Before the car died there was a code thrown for a faulty
o2 sensor but ive heard that an o2 sensor wont cause a no
start issue. Im leaning towards possibly a bad injector or bad
throttle positioning sensor? I had to replace the tps about 6
months ago an when I installed it something went wrong an
it was catching inside at the wrong moment so it was taking
an extra long time for my car to shift so I took it off an put it
back on correctly an has been working since but im
wondering if I ruined the spring an the tps failed early. I just
dont understand how it was running fine on the interstate for
an hour an a half an it just died? Any ideas would be very
greatly appreciated. Thank you

4 Answers

20

Ive heard that if the crankshaft position sensor is bad the car wont have any spark at the plugs? Is that not true. Thats the only reason I havnt checked it because my car has good spark plus brand new plugs an wires as of 6 months ago

2 people found this helpful.
10,815

You can have spark, but if the spark isn't happening near TDC or the cam has jumped timing, the engine won't run. Jim (Js08016) suggested the right things to check. Good luck!

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
115

The problem on my 2003 Grand Prix GTP was the Camshaft Position Sensor. The engine was dying in stop and go traffic. It also died when I'd come up on a red light and take my foot off the gas. The CPS degrades over time from heat issues. It doesn't throw codes when the car dies. There is no test for it. The car runs after a restart but can die in traffic without warning. I had the CPS replaced at an independent shop because the dealership couldn't see it throwing codes, which it doesn't. I basically had to tell them I had already determined what the problem was and I just wanted them to replace the sensor for me. They did and it has run like it's brand new ever since. Best guess I ever made with a car. It was mentioned on another string on this site but I don't remember where I saw it. Good luck.

1 people found this helpful.

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