Samps Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) I need some help guys. -When I'm in the GTP and go to use the a/c, it's got problems. The a/c is always set at 0 (goes from 0-5). If I turn the a/c to 1, 2, 3 or 4: all climate control turns off (temp and blower fan), all dash lights and the gauge that shows the image of the car and boost gauge turn off, and even my headlights turn off. This happens as soon as I make the change on the dial. I forgot if I was once able to have the blower speed on say, 2 and would be driving around and then all the lights go out. Everything will turn back on if the blower speed dial is moved back to 0 or 5. Now this really sucked during the 2010-2011 winter, when I didn't realize the problem was in the blower speed dial, so I drove home from school one night with no headlights (it was dark out) and no heat (i was f'n cold). Happened again one time during the 2011 summer when I was driving home from work one night. Then I finally realized that by changing the blower fan speed I could get all my lights back. So now I just keep the a/c off and the windows down, rarely turning the blower speed to 5. But now that the temps hitting over 100F, it kinda sucks. I asked a coworker about it, and she told me that her mother's cavalier did the same thing, so it must be a GM electrical thing. I've heard of other GP owners having this problem, but without the headlights going out. I asked a mechanic over the phone and he had never heard of such a problem. Another mechanic wanted $90 just to run a diagnostic, and that wouldn't even guarantee he'd find anything. Although he did tell me it could be a short somewhere. I'm terrible when it comes to mechanics of cars, so unless it is stupidly easy to fix, I'm just going to buy whatever part I need to get replaced and have a local mechanic install it. -I've been told twice I need the belts done in the GTP, both the supercharger belt and the serpentine belt. A buddy of mine says he can probably replace them. I'll buy the belts, but does my buddy have to mess with the timing or something? Or is it just loosen the tensioner and replace everything? Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I just don't him to F up my car. -I also need new ignition coils. However I'm pretty confident I can do this myself so no need for help here. If it helps, my car is a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Special Edition. Edited July 18, 2012 by Samps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) First, http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+use+paragraphs Use used caps and the grammar and sentences were fine. So, did some paragraph do something mean to you as a kid? Summary of why I think this is an important post and why I replied: If I turn the a/c to 1, 2, 3 or 4: all climate control turns off (temp and blower fan), all dash lights and the gauge that shows the image of the car and boost gauge turn off, and even my headlights turn off. Okay, let's start with the basics. Does the car have a temperature/climate controlled heating/cooling system? IMHO, it sounds like it could get very expensive very quickly. IMHO, do not even think about taking the car to have that problem fixed to anything other than a GM dealer! Otherwise, IMHO, you'll be *******ing away money and time! If you don't have a temperature controlled heating/cooling system, then you may be able to hook up a switch to the "high" setting on the fan resistor to get the fan to go to high with an external switch. That way, during the winter, with the switch and by controlling the temperature mixing baffle, the car will be drivable. Otherwise, IMHO, figure $500++ to get it fixed. A GM TECH2 scanner can help diagnose what's going on with an electronic climate system. It's pretty cool the things it can do - you can see commands, positions of the baffles, the command positions, over-ride commands, etc. FWIW, I agree that it may be a wiring/ground issue. Good Luck! Paragraphs are your friend. Edited July 18, 2012 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samps Posted July 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 Yea sometimes I get carried away with text. The fan can go to high if I just put it to 5, so I can get heat and a/c if I really needed it. But I don't have 1-4. So it's either off or full blast, no in between. If I do set the dial for in between, I don't have lights. What's the temperature controlled system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Yea sometimes I get carried away with text. The fan can go to high if I just put it to 5, so I can get heat and a/c if I really needed it. But I don't have 1-4. So it's either off or full blast, no in between. If I do set the dial for in between, I don't have lights. What's the temperature controlled system? Do you set the inside temperature to a specific value? If so, it's a digitally controlled system. These pictures may or may not work (electronic climate temperature control for an Oldsmobile Intrigue): From a quick ebay search: For a 2000 Grand Prix : Non electronic climate control: For a 2000 Grand Prix : Electronic climate control: To see the different climate controls, on Ebay search for: GRAND PRIX CLIMATE CONTROL Edited July 18, 2012 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 Yea sometimes I get carried away with text. The fan can go to high if I just put it to 5, so I can get heat and a/c if I really needed it. But I don't have 1-4. So it's either off or full blast, no in between. If I do set the dial for in between, I don't have lights. What's the temperature controlled system? It may be a short or problem with the "fan resistor". It depends on the type of system. The electronic systems have a PWM fan speed controller to be able to adjust the fan speed in many steps (~64?). The non electronic systems often have a resistor/wire to adjust the fan motor. It could also be a partially shorted out fan motor (there are different coils for the diff speeds). Disconnect the fan motor from the "resistor/controller" and see if you have the same symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samps Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Ah alright then I have non electronic climate control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) Ah alright then I have non electronic climate control IMHO, then it's likely not that bad to fix. 1) Disconnect fan - see if problem still exists. 1A) If problem goes away, replace fan. 1B) If problem still exists. 2) Disconnect all wires going to the resistor - see if problem still exists. 2A) If problem goes away, replace resistor. 2B) If problem still exists. 3) Check wires to/from the control unit, replace control unit. 3B) If problem still exists. There is a short in the wiring. Very unlikely, but anything is possible. There is a slight chance that the problem will return after 1A and 2A. There are a ton of possibilities! Heck, it's possible that Space Aliens come to Earth tomorrow to eat people's brains! Can't cover every possibility. But, you can isolate the problem area, and then concentrate on finding that issue. At least you don't have an electronic control system - that requires a Tech2 , and the PWM (fan control) and control units are expensive and a PITA to replace! Good Luck! Edited July 25, 2012 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samps Posted July 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Thanks a lot, i'll try that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.