QuestionI recently bought a 01 grand am se. It has the 2.4liter in it, automatic transmission. The car has been running great until today. I noticed that when pulling a hill it loses power and the engine begins to cut out. Also it idles really rough. It also stalled on me at a red light after pulling a hill. Also it shifts really hard when going into 2nd gear. Could you please give some advise on what to do?
AnswerHi
Is the service engine soon light on?
If so get that checked out.
You MAY have a bad Coil housing, it is a housing under the Aluminum engine cover (that says QUAD FOUR). The coild sit in the housing and the spark plug boots attach directly onto it. They are fairly common, and have symptoms VERY similar to yours....That being said....
The HARD shift SOUNDS like a p0128 in which the Intake air temp sensor MAY be unplugged or have a bad wire harness.
ALTHOUGH a miss fire can also cause a hard shifting problem.
I would get it scanned for codes, that'll help with diagnosis.
I do hope this helps.
Good Luck
Pawl
