Gift Horse

[bubbletop61]

I think the expression goes " Never look a gift horse in the mouth"..???
Someone has offered me a free 99 Pontiac GTP, fully depreciated company car deal. It has some problems and I am unfamiliar with the technology of these cars.
It has a supercharged 6 cylinder (belt driven) that I assume is on the intake side of the aspiration, and it seems to work OK. What I have noticed is that when you rev the engine up, whether in park, or under load, it hangs up at higher revs for a period of time, even to the extent that it seems to power the car when you are trying to brake. This seems abnormal.

The tranny operates and shifts properly it seems, but when the car is in park and you rev it up there is an intermmitent rumbling that feels like the car is going to jump into gear. The car sort of lurches when ths happens even though it is in park.

The other symptom is that the key is stuck in the ignition switch, which could be a tranny/shifter/interlock problem. Possibly all related. Mileage is 180,000KM.

The car has been sitting out for about three months , has a very DEAD battery, rusted discs, etc, all repairable. If I take the car I would be ethically obliged to fix it and keep it, so I am being a little cautious.

Does anyone here have one of these cars, or have any idea what might be wrong with it? Do they have a high cost of ownership? Turbo's and Superchargers scare me from a maintenance cost perspective.

Would appreciate the advice if anyone here is familiar with these cars.

Thanks
Bubbletop61

 

[bjburnout]

Hey bubbletop61

Even free can cost you a bundle.........
The car has way too many problems and these are just
the ones you know about..............

To repair the supercharger could cost way more than the car is worth .....:eek:

IMO........it's not worth the gas to drive it home...........
unless you own a GM dealership ...........: .....don't touch it... no1: .........sorry buddy........


bj

 

[rstreet]

Got two of these supercharged engines in Buick Park Ave's. one has 140,000 miles the other 12,000. Had no engine management issues with either except when changing plugs in the high mileage one. two plug wires fell apart:eek: I am using "tribotech" oil additive in both
Robert

 

[dq409]

Other then that car and its problems, I like that engine !!
I`m looking at a two wheel drive V6 Blazer and that is the engine I want to install in it.
Easier then turbos to setup,,,
Can`t help you on the problems but I bet you could post this over on Chevy Talk in the right thread and get your answers,,dq

 

[bubbletop61]

BJ, R Street, and DQ

Thanks for the help. BJ, I know what you mean, sometimes even "free" can be way too much to pay for a car.

A friend put me in touch with a GM tech this morning. The fact that the revs hang up for a delayed period is apparently the TPS, or a solenoid on the intake/Supercharger, or a bad intake manifold. None of this is too costly or difficult to fix.

The key stuck in the ignition switch is apparently a classic probelm on these cars. It is fixed by dropping the under dash below the column and replacing the rod that actuates the switch. He says about an hour, so about 6 hours for me With my 50 year old eyes I can't get far enough away from anything under the dash to be able to see it.

The rumbly bit when the car is in park is the 'Vegas' part of the deal, but I'm gonna go for it. I will find the right place on Chevy Talk, and I am pretty sure someone over there will have some experience with similar symptoms.

Thanks
Gar