Strolling the stroll, type of.
It was time for Pontiac to stroll the stroll. Having claimed for the reason that automobile’s inception that the Grand Am was infused with the identical know-how and character as superb European fashions of comparable dimensions, Pontiac was lastly capable of put its cash the place its mouth was. Nicely, type of.
1989 Pontiac Grand Am
Grand Am SE
New as a compact automobile for 1985—the title had been utilized to a variety of Pontiac fashions prior—the Grand Am had proved to be a scorching vendor for the model. Credit score the ‘Ams arguably sporty design and inexpensive lineup, and disrespect the automobile’s low cost inside and mediocre efficiency. Atop the trim-level mountain was the SE, which till 1989 had been powered by a modestly attention-grabbing 3.0-liter V6 produced by Buick. The slow-revving pushrod mill churned out simply 125 horsepower, however an affordable quantity of torque, making the automobile fast sufficient for stoplight drag-race tomfoolery.
Engines
For a interval, a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine was inserted into the Grand Am lineup, however it’s energy supply was peaky, and the motor was famously unreliable.
Quad 4
Enter the “high-output” Quad 4, a totally trendy—in idea—4-cylinder engine that includes a 16-valve overhead-cam (OHC) cylinder head, and surprisingly excessive compression ratio. New for 1989, the LG0 (Common Motor’s inside product code) engine produced 180-185 horsepower and was mated solely to a 5-speed guide transmission. People searching for the comfort of an automated have been downgraded to a 160-horse model of the Quad 4 engine, internally dubbed LD2 by Common Motors. Neither the LG0 or LD2 might be had in any Grand Am trim degree however the SE. Observe that the LG0 required premium fuel, which can have restricted its enchantment. The LD2, nonetheless, ran simply superb on regular-grade gas, per Pontiac.
Efficiency
And with its new engine, the Grand Am lastly had—at the least on paper—the specs anticipated of a European-car wannabe. That stated, the LG0 engine was one thing of a disappointment, although not for its efficiency.
Whereas buff books of the day have been reporting spectacular 0-60 mph instances of round 7.0 seconds for LG0 outfitted Grand Ams, opinions of the engine weren’t particularly constructive. Although sturdy, the LG0 was famously loud and coarse sounding, and usually tough total. This was the antithesis of small German engines of the period, which have been famously refined.
Reliability Points
Making issues worse, the LG0 engine was suffering from reliability issues, together with:
- Head-gasket failures
- Timing-chain tensioner points
- Extreme oil consumption
- Cooling system points
- Ignition-system failures
This at a time when German automobiles have been famed for his or her reliability.
Advertising
Supplied from 1989 to 1991, the high-output Quad 4 engines largely didn’t place the Grand Am as any type of budget-friendly German-car different. Nonetheless, with its racy—arguably gaudy—design, and consumer-friendly pricing, the Grand Am continued to promote like hotcakes, even when the know-how boasted of within the advert seen right here was deeply flawed.
Iron Duke
Most Grand Ams got here with GM’s ubiquitous, and usually dependable, Iron Duke 4-cylinder mill. The innocent engine was finest identified for being cheap clean in operation, and likewise gas environment friendly. And whereas boring, the Iron Duke stored most Grand Am homeowners fairly joyful.
And whereas the Quad 4 experiment within the Grand Am fell flat, variations of the engine would go on to larger horsepower rankings, and even some racing success in variations of the Oldsmobile Achieva.
Hearken to the Automotive Stuff Podcast
1989 Pontiac Grand Am Footage
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