Questions and Answers

Pontiac Grand Am Idling Very Rough Q. I have a 1993 Pontiac Grand Am 3.3 liter V-6. About a month ago, My husband blew the head gasket. I ended up doing an upper end overhaul and replaced the gaskets. The water pump went out right after we got it running again and I replaced that. The problem I am having now is that the car is idling very rough, like it has a miss to it.

All the plugs and wires are in good and tight. The distributor is good, with no problems. I am trying to figure out what it is. When the car is first cranked up for the first minute or so, it sounds and idles just fine. After a minute or so, the smell of exhaust becomes present from the rear portion of the car. The car dies when sitting at a red light or turning into a driveway.

It don't do it all the time, but on a normal 30 mile trip to work, it does it once or twice. I had one mechanic tell me that the smell of exhaust with the sluggish behavior is indicative of the catalytic converter, but that the catalytic converter would not cause the car to die.

My thought is that it may be the fuel filter or fuel pump. I have not been doing mechanicing for very long, and am still a rookie. I do know that the car is using a lot more gas than normal.

Will a clogged strainer or a bad fuel filter cause the catalytic converter to go bad? Also, I my check engine light comes on upon cranking the car, as it does with most cars, but then it goes right off. It never stays on. I am not sure how to diagnose this car. Any help or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

One place told me that it had an inline fuel filter and if I take it loose from the tank and crank the car and get good pressure shooting from the fuel line, that will tell me that the fuel pump is good. What I want to know is if this was your car, what would you start checking first? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

• 1993 Pontiac Grand Am
• 3.3 liter V-6
• Automatic transmission
• 116,000 miles
• Fuel Injection
• ABS brakes
• P/S, A/C, Cruise control
• Rack and pinion steering

Thanks,
Tara

A. If it were my car I would get it scanned while the problem is there. A clogged fuel filter will make it run lean. A rich mixture will take out a catalytic converter. I would also do a fuel pressure test as well. You need a gauge for this. Sounds like you may be in over your head on this but giving it a real good try. I'm wondering if the overheat caused something else to go wrong internally.