my car's check engine light

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Have the computer scanned for code/s-you have a problem within the engine management system that caused the CEL to turn on-This is your starting point of diagnosis,finding out what's going on.

Then the car has a diagnostic trouble code that will need to be retrieved using a scan tool, then perform diagnostics pertaining to the code

Sorry raz, too quick for me.

the check engine light came on in my car i took it to the place where i brought the car a they scanned the car and the code said hvac what does that mean

It has to do with ( heating,venting and air conditoning ) HVAC

can you post the actual fault code, with this we can give you more detailed info on the actual problem.

I took my car in to get smogged, the one thing my car failed for was the check engine light, which I knew had been on for a while but i tried resetting it before I took it in, but the smog test places computer read that it was still on. I replaced the part that came up in the code which was the cam shaft position sensor. It was the only code that came up for the light being on. The light went off, and has been off for a week, I took it back for a retest and it failed again, the guy at the smog place told me my check engine light was still on according to his computer. Even though it's not on in my dash. He told me I had to drive the car for a week or a hundred miles below 55 mph in order for the cars computer to recognize the new part. Does this sound right? Or am I being taken for a ride?

Well it does sound some what right. But you can do this aswell. When your not going to be driving the car remove the battery cables and let it set over night. befor you let it sit though cycle the key three to four times so that the computer has no input what so ever. Cycle with the terminals removed from the battery. Its best to let it sit for atleast 12 to 14 hours before putting the cables back on. Then all you need to do is drive it under 55 mph for about 2 miles to let the computer read all the info from motor. Hopefully this will help you out because its what i did to mine to get the computer to reset completaly. I own a 1996 grand am se 2.4 4 cylinder and had the same trouble. Good luck.

Engine Performance problem
1997 Pontiac Grand Am 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual

the seller of my grandam told me he thought the car needed some kind of sensor.I have no power in low rpm's and today I noticed my exhaust from the cad back was glowing red.Do you think its my 02 sensor.

Could possibly be the O2 sensor, but I would look more closely at the Catalytic Converter itself. The glowing exhaust may be a sign that the Catalytic converter is very badly clogged. If you can drive it and live near an Autozone, take it in and ask them to run Code Retrieval Scan and see what they can come up with. Good Luck

dumping alot of gas

Check engine light on
Have the computer scanned for code/s-you have a problem within the engine management system that caused the CEL to turn on-This is your starting point of diagnosis,finding out what's going on.

I was driving home today and i was slowing down when i was coming up on a stop light. My car jolted forward and chugged probably 2 times and stalled. I turned my car back on in the intersection and it was shaking and my check engine light was blinking. A guy pushed my car to the side of the street and we popped the hood and i started it again. My engine was bouncing under my hood causing my whole car to bounce and shake. What do you think this is?

Could be any number of things from electrical to engine mechanical.Need to do a compression test first to be sure it isnt a mechanical problem.If ok, need to check spark at all cylinders.Scanning the computer may lead to which cylinder is having the problem through a trouble code.

1997 pontiac grand am check engine light is flashing

Have the computer scanned for code/s-you have a problem within the engine management system that caused the CEL to turn on-This is your starting point of diagnosis,finding out what's going on.

my grand am's check engine light came on the other day and has stayed on...the car isn't running rough...all fluids are good....don't really understand what the problem is...is it ok to drive????the car has 225 000km's...can u help???

The check engine light is telling you that there is a problem with the engine mangagement system. Sometimes the problem does not effect engine performance to the point that you can notice it. However there is a problem and you need to correct it. You will not be able to pass inspection with the light on .

well i found my problem...there was a leak in my gas line just above the gas tank...apparently there's a plastic line there...the mechanic.got us a new 1 for $40...he said the line looked like it had melted...either way the line was replaced...no labour..(bonus)..had diagnostic...total charge 126..with tax....he said the sencer pick up pressure loss in the gas tank..and anothersencer pick up the fumes...the check engine light will go out when everthing is fixed...the sencer's pick this up....anyway's thanks for your help....i'll probably see you in the future ...thxs

I have a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4 and am having a problem. In June I drove the car on a 3 hour trip, and after about 2 hours the check engine light came on. I thought this was due to buying a different brand of gas than I normally buy, so I added some fuel injector cleaner with my next tank full. In the past when the check engine light came and I added this product the light would go out after a few short trips. But this didn't work and the light remained on. About a week later when I tried to start the car the dash lights went crazy, buzzers and bells sounded, and nothing worked. After looking around and disconnecting and then reconnecting the negative side of the battery I thought the battery might be the problem. I called a local auto parts store and they brought me a new one. This solved the problem and everything worked as it should.
Last week I drove for 4 hours and left the car parked for 3 days. No problems at all. But as I was driving back the check engine light came on. The ETS light (enhanced traction) is also on for some reason, and I believe the cooling fan is running all the time.
I have an appointment at a local repair shop to have the car looked at but was wanting your opinion on what may be going on.
I can tell you that the battery is fully charged. I hooked up a battery charger which ran in charger mode for about 8 minutes then turned itself off. I have checked all the fuses. The alternator was replaced about 3 years ago. The accessory belt was replaced 6 months ago. The car doesn't run hot or leak any fluids. It has 141,231 miles.
We bought this new and it's been a great reliiable car.
Thank you for any advice you can provide.

I'd have the trouble codes checked. Some of the national brand autostores used to check some codes for free. How long since a tune-up?

Check engine light on
1st step should be to check for codes
as to the reason ,many possible and to list some common reasons ,
not a tight gas cap

an O2 sensor
a bad O2 sensor and or emission control sensor would turn the two lights together
also a bad alternator internal diode would do the same
codes should pin point to the troubled area and or the reason

Spark plugs and wires at 98000 miles. Coolant flush about a month ago.
Thanks for the reply. I'll have the codes checked tomorrow.

Car is running and sounding rough-I have replaced vacuum hose, spark plugs, boots and coil packs and the check engine light is still on it will stay on for about 30 seconds then flash for about 30 secs and this will continue the entire time i'm driving. Had a diagnostic check done and it came up 3 codes vacuum Hose, misfire, and sensor (didn't say what sensor). The engine is a 96 grand am the body is 97 sunfire. can anybody please help me? i am at my wits end!! thanks in advance!!

A flashing check engine light is an indication of a convertor problem.

Convertor can be checked by a backpressure test, or if it is bolted on, remove and inspect for melted material or cracks in convertor honeycomb.

i was driving home and my engine light pops on,so after i was driving for a couple of mins the car had a little shake to it and seem like it wanted to cut off tha twhen the engine light start blinking , after bout 3 mins it stop and the engine light stayed solid. and a ETS light came on with it . can u tell me wat going on with that

Go to Autozone its a free public service and have the computer scanned for code/s-you have a problem within the engine management system that caused the CEL to turn on-This is your starting point of diagnosis,finding out what's going on

On my 1996 Grand AM the check engine light and the ETS off light is on, what do this mean? Also where is the rear defrost control for this car located. Thanks guys.

Rear defogger is pArt of the a/c heater control panel

The first step for the CEL and the ETS is to pulll the codes from the PCM and troubleshoot from there. So get the code read and post back, they are probably related to the same cause.

I have a 96 Grand Am w/169k, 4 cylinder GT, manual.
I picked up the car about 6 months ago and the Check engine light would light up at cold starts. It would sometimes go off after driving around. I assumed this may have been an O2 sensor, as the car would have the "stinky" exhaust smell at start up. Also, when I got it it tended to jerk occasionally as if the clutch was slipping. It didnt happen all the time, more so after driving for a while. Recently, I was accelerating to get on the highway, when the car just seemed to lose power. The more I depressed the gas pedal, the more it tended to slow down. If I took my foot off the gas a bit, it seemed to find a sweet spot where the car would accelerate more, but still slower than normal. As I got into normal stop and go traffic, I noticed that the car was running very rough. If I gassed it in park, it would putter like it was flooded. My guess is that a plug or two got ruined, and the car is not running on all cylinders. I was also told that it could be a problem with the fuel regulator. I have scanned the car for codes, but none come up. The car also, at times, would rev much higher than normal at idle. This also happened after driving around for awhile.

Any Ideas????

Could be the coil pack as well!

Thanks for the insight.

Computer problem
1996 Pontiac Grand Am 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I SCANNED FOR CODES AND 2 CODES APPEARED. FIRST CODE IS 137- 02 SENSOR CIRCUIT LOW VOLTS ( BANK 1 SENSOR 2 ) THE OTHER IS 172- SYSTEM TOO RICH ( BANK 1 ) I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS MEANS, AND WHERE THESE SENSORS ARE SO I CAN R & R THEM. THE CAR RUNS ROUGH WHEN YOU FIRST START IT AND YOU CAN SMELL A LOT OF GAS, AND SOMETIMES IT WANTS TO STALL AT A STOP.

You would need to replace the O2 sensors (there should be two) upstream and downstream (before and after the convertor).

If problem persists, the CAT may be clogged or partially clogged due to running rich.
A CAT backpressure test will tell you if CAT is clogged.