This 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix had already been diagnosed with a faulty ignition switch. The faulty switch was not allowing the blower motor to operate properly.
Now on to changing the ignition switch. Disconnect the battery.
The first step is to remove the lower trim panel under the steering column. There may be some screws at the bottom of this panel that have to be removed. This car did not have any. With the bottom edge loose the panel can be slid towards the driver’s seat to disengage the retaining clips.
Now that the trim panel is out of the way. There are several 7 mm headed screws that have to be removed.
There are four 10 mm headed bolts that have to be removed that are further up in the dash and an extension will be needed.
The panel removed. Notice how far up in the dash the interior mounting edge is.
Pull the tilt lever from the steering column. For more detailed pictures of how this comes out please click here.
There are a couple of torx screws that have to be removed from the bottom cover and then it can be pulled down.
With the bottom cover removed the upper cover retaining screws can be removed. A torx socket will be needed.
The one on the outside is a two step process. First remove the screw.
Then remove the extension with a pair of pliers.
Next disconnect the gang connector near the bottom of the steering column. There is a 7 mm headed bolt in the center of the connector.
After separating the connector halves you will notice that the connector is made up of three pieces.
Using a small screwdriver spread the outer connectors away from the main body. Sorry about the blurred picture.
Slide the connector out of the main body. Repeat this step for the other side of this connector.
Next lift the upper shroud and insert a curved and pointed device as shown in the next picture.
Look closely with a light and locate the small hole in the aluminum housing above the lock cylinder.
Rotate the lock cylinder to the full crank position and then depress the retaining pin in the hole that you located earlier. Pull the lock cylinder from the housing.
This is a view of the above mentioned hole and tool with the cover removed so that you can get a better idea of its location.
This vehicle has a factory anti theft system that uses a transponder in the key. The black part that I am pointing to is the receiver antenna. Release the clips and slide it off of the housing.
Remove the screws that hold the ignition switch in place. The cream colored piece to the right with two wires attached is the key buzzer switch. To remove it use a small screwdriver to depress the locking tab, rotate it and lift off of the housing.
When removing the forward screw you will also be removing the lock cylinder shift interlock solenoid.
Finish removing the switch by cutting the wires ties that hold it to the other harnesses and install the new switch in reverse order. Make sure you secure the harnesses back together with new wire ties.
Update July 11, 2011: Well it was bound to happen, a bull in a china shop had difficulty reinstalling the lock cylinder and has now messed up his steering column. Wants to blame poor information from this site. I cannot stress enough that all of the work performed by me, on this site requires an extreme eye towards detail and a gentle touch. No part of this repair in particular should require any force or coercion of any kind!
Some extra things to keep in mind:
The new ignition switch needs to be indexed into the exact position, as the old switch was in, when it was removed. The ON position
The key tumbler assembly needs to be checked, to make sure the locking bar drops flat and evenly towards the center of the tumbler assembly when the key is installed. If it does not, DO NOT INSTALL IT!
There is a retaining bar/panel that holds the springs in place for the individual tumblers. If it is not fully installed and flat, no protrusions past the outside edge of the tumbler housing, DO NOT INSTALL IT!
These two tumbler pictures are for a similar design and not specifically for this vehicle.
This last tidbit of info requires some thought before performing. If the ignition tumbler was giving any signs of sticking or hanging up, I perform one extra step. In the slot that the locking bar rests in, take a small file and bevel the leading edge of the slot, so that a worn tumbler assembly will work without sticking. A very small amount of grease helps as well.
Donation sent and all of your help has also been greatly appreciated, thank you very much. I plan on putting in the new ignition lock cylinder this weekend and buttoning the car back up, should i grease it up before i do? and if so what would you suggest i use? I also saw your post about the cabin air filter, i notice sometimes my air smells “funny” would changing that be the same on the 03?
Obviously if you can get new plastic pieces it would be best. You will need to make the judgement call on that. The details to look for would be anything that would cause an uneven tightening of the bracket on the glass and anything that could allow the glass to come in contact with the retainers that you choose (bolts or rivets).
Your idle problem is likely caused by the loss of learned memory in the PCM in combination with carbon build up on the throttle bore and plate. Of course also look for loose or damaged hoses at the intake area. If you decide to clean the throttle body, do not spray the cleaner in the throttle body. Spray it on a rag and wipe the bore and plate clean. Use protective gloves and safety instructions on the can of throttle body cleaner.
Yes, you can show your support using PayPal. There is a “Support Sparky” tab near the top center of the site page. You will find a PayPal “Donate” button on that page. Any help is greatly appreciated.
I lucked out, the new window regulator/motor assembly just arrived and it includes the bracket that attaches to the glass (the old bracket holes got damaged when i drilled out the rivets, also the blue glass sashes got a little damaged while drilling, would you suggest i change those to? So far so good with the GP, since i changed the ignition switch it seems that my no crank issue is gone, the only thing that i notice now is that my idle acts a little strange (goes down and the car shakes and seems like it’s gonna stall and then goes back up to normal all by itself), could that be caused by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery? I would also like to Thank You as all the information you have provided me has been great and has kept me and my family on the road. I would also like to donate, do you accept paypal? If not i will figure out how to use google wallet because what you are doing here is wonderful.
Assuming the old bracket holes have not been damaged, I would take the bracket to a parts or hardware store and match up the needed bolts & etc that you need. I would suggest a bolt with a smooth shoulder as long as the depth of the bracket and glass assembly. You would not want threads cutting into the bracket and possibly the glass at some point.
Putting bolts, nuts and lock washers would be the better way to go just in case we ever have to remove the window again but i would need the perfect size.