irish girl. You wrote "My main mechanic found nothing wrong with the car but said that the cat. converter was hot so it must be plugged and he sent me to the guy who welded my muffler to have it changed. They changed it but did not believe that that was the problem. That cost $110.00. It didn't help" First of all, a hot catalytic convertor is one that is working. If it's glowing RED HOT, then it's overworking because there is a problem in the engine allowing too much air, and unburned fuel into the exhaust. On top of that, find one good shop and tech and stick with him/her. Stop ping-ponging around. Your only compounding your own misery. You wrote" The other day the check engine light came on and I went to Auto Zone who told me it was the O2 sensor just before the convertor." Looks like you fell for the "free diagnosis" and you got what you paid for, an O2 sensor that cannot be proven you actually needed now. You wrote. "My mechanic changed that, changed the plugs and fixed my brakes and rotors for a grand total of $289.00 and my car is still wanting to stall or stalling." Don't lump in your brake work as part of the total you have spent to fix the stalling symptom. They have nothing to do with each other. Treat them as if the brakes were replaced on a different car. You wrote, and now we are concentrating on the stalling. " It stalls or tries to at lights, in drive-through's and now it stalls if I'm going along at a pretty good speed and stop. I told my main mechanic it was still bad and he said that he would clean the throttle body for me that that could be it." That is a plausible answer to the stalling, a good tech can prove if this service is required, and can perform it easily. It's also possible the symptom can be caused by something else affecting the air entering the engine at low RPM's, and the computers response to correct this is exactly the same as a dirty throttle body, and that is for the computer to command the IAC to open wider than normal. This would be a "cut a tree down to see the forest step" in some cases. Sort of once you find something that can cause a particular problem, you stop looking until you prove the problem still exists. You wrote" The mechanic who changed the converter hooked a machine up to my car drove it around with that thing hooked up to it. He said that all of the sensors are working and things are firing or whatever and he seems to think that the tune-up should have been taken further. He suggests that the boots and coils and that plastic thing that holds it all should be changed." Some more specific information would be invaluable here. I can guess what I think he is feeling in the car, and that is still a missfire. The Quad 4's are prone to having trouble with the coil cover and spark plug boots. If there is a problem there, the plugs should be changed again! The reason the plugs need changed again is the boots could be carbon tracked, and allowing the spark to leak right down along the outside of the spark plug, where the boot contacts it. This causes the new spark plug to also carbon track, and it will in turn result in a missfire, and damage the new boot starting the cycle all over again. "I'm running out of money. What is your opinion?" One shop, one tech for everything. Stop ping-ponging. Find someone that can not only diagnose and repair this, but will communicate exactly what they are going to do and why. The O2 sensor replacement is a clue IMO, to an air/fuel ratio issue. This can cause excessive spark demand under certian conditions, and contribute to the coil cover/ spark plug boot problem. There is no more expensive way to attempt to fix one of today's cars than to pull a code and throw a part at it. That's the limit of the ability of a parts store employee when it comes to diagnosing a check engine light. Just because you pull a lean exhaust "O2 sensor" code from the computer, that does not condem the O2 sensor. If you had showed up here with an O2 sensor in your hand telling me Auto Zone had diagnosed it, I would have sent you away. I definately would not have just installed it, because that is not enough proof to me that you really need it.

I have no idea what's wrong with your car. An egr valve sticking open will cause poor idling, and tapping the accelerator can sometimes get a sticking egr valve to close. EGR valves do accumulate carbon in them. The mechanic could be right on the money. Could be something else too. Why didn't he replace it in the first place if he thought that's what it was?

Hi johndeere, There ahould be a cap where you fill the washer tank.The tank might be hidden in the fender You are right the tank is hidden in the fender, it is on the left side fender (Drivers side), he found that, but there doesn't seem to be a cap anywhere. He pointed it out to me but I didn't see any cap either. I will give him the information you gave to me here. He just may be over looking it. Thanks a bunch! Hi chad said, Look in the glove box. Many cars include an owner's manual located there, designed to answer questions such as this. You are absolutely right chad, you would think they would keep the manual in the car, especially in the glove box. Well, I am sorry to say there was no manual in the glove box. He is wanting to restore this car, but I think he has a lot of work to do on it and not having a manual will make it harder for him to find things. I told him to check at the library or he may have to call a Pontiac Dealer to find out where he can get a manual for that year car. I thank you for your response. thirdfrt!!!

Ok, first off, what engine do you have? 3.1, 3.8, 2.4? I am going to guess 2.4L 4 cyl. I worked for several years as a GM dealer service tech. If you have the 2.4L then you probalby have a blown head gasket/cracked head. These engines are known for that. Not as much as their predecessors, the Quad Four, but they do have the same problems. They are just a slightly updated version the the Quad Four, but with the name 2.4 Twin Cam on top instead. This will most likely be expensive, but you should get it checked out and if needed repaired soon. Water will not damage bearings imeadietly, but the glycol in the coolant most certainly will. If you have the 3.1L then you probalby have a blown intake gasket. These are known to leak oil externally as well as water both externally and internally. If the water/coolant mix gets in the oil, thats bad for the engine bearings. This will not be as expensive to fix, but will be about 6 hrs labor. If you have the 3.8L, there is a plastic fitting, I think on the passenger side, on the engine for the heater hose to connect to the intake manifold. These will crack and leak. Sometimes the come completely off. If this is the case, take the old one off and take it with you to the dealer's parts department. The counter man will probably know what is came off of without you even telling him (that's how common this is). The new one is steel and costs $10 or so. It won't break like the old on. The only trick here is that you may need an easy-out to get the part that is broken out of the engine. The 3.8L also had some issues with the intake gasket, similar to the 3.1L. I have also see the upper intake plenum crack on these and leak water into the engine making you think you have a bad head gasket. Anyhow, check the oil for coolant contamination. If it has coolant in it, it will be foamy or look like a chocholate milk shake. If is looks like this, this is bad. Get it fixed NOW. You will damage the engine. Otherwise, you should probably buy/borrow/rent a pressure tester and check the system for leaks. With this aparatus, you remove the radiator cap and pump up the tester to pressurize the system. There is a gauge on the tester, 16-18 psi sould be good. Them watch the gauge for the pressure to drop. If it does the you have a leak somewhere. Look all around for any seepage or drips. While is is rare and would not be likely on this new of a car, be sure to check for cooland dripping around the starter/flywheel area. There are two freeze plugs in the rear of the engine block, behind the flywheel. If one is leaking you must remove either the engine or transmission to access them for repairs. When you add coolant, do so with the engine cold. Then remove the radiator cap. Fill the radiator completely full. If there is air in the radiator, then the engine can't suck coolant from the overflow tank. Put the cap back on the radiator. Then check the overflow tank and fill it to the cold mark as needed. Good luck, and please let us know what engine you have.