Ahhhh, somebody help!

[garylau]

My ex and I traded cars for a couple days. She has a '96 Grand Am GT with the craptastic 2.4L. I drove it to work and back, and on the way home it died suddenly. I started it back up and now it's got a loud knock. I checked her oil and she was low, but not low enough that it should have caused problems. The car dying suddenly and the knock are obviously related, since they happened at the same time. I thought such a serious knock would start gradually, not all at once. Does anyone have a clue what might have happened here?

[Team Lightning]

If the oil pressure dropped it could have cut off the fuel pump making it quit. Should have killed it before damage though.

[FB71]

If the oil pressure dropped it could have cut off the fuel pump making it quit. Should have killed it before damage though.

????

Not on a Grand Am.

Refresh my memory; 2.4L = Quad4?

[MONSOON]

You got it Jim. Which is the answer right there. Those engines never were any damn good.

[garylau]

I guess the plan now is to try to get as much as we can for the car so she can buy a beater to get by on for a few months. I can't see putting more work into that car, considering those motors are junk anyway. It's actually very solid with some nice Falken performance tires on it, so hopefully some back yard mechanic will give her $500 for it.

[festivaWES]

Dont' count on it. I'd never buy a pontiac.

[muscle_Car1]

I thought the quad 4 was an ok motor DOHC & all

[GenevaDirt]

Dont' count on it. I'd never buy a pontiac.

I have no issues with my Bonneville....would love and old Trans Am.

[qroger]

This might not account for the not running, but my nissan p.u. all of a sudden started knocking like the end of the world. After being carried to the mechanic, it turned out to be a head gasket blown between cylinders. Your ecu might not have been able to handle the weirdness coming out the pipe and just quit.
qroger

[garylau]

I like some Pontiacs, really miss all my old Firebirds (had 3 of them, '79, '84, and '86), but this one has 136k and this is already it's second engine. Sadly, the motor in it only has about 80k and has already been nothing but trouble.

[Team Lightning]

If the oil pressure dropped it could have cut off the fuel pump making it quit. Should have killed it before damage though.

I was thinking of the electric fuel pump. I've had a Pontiac in the past that the pump was wired through the oil pump pressure switch. (not sure if through a relay or direct connection) No oil pressure and no run. I know that for a fact on my Sunbird (1977). I tried it!! Unplugged the connector on the pressure switch. Ran for about 15 seconds or so and it quit. No fuel.