[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Chief, you didn't mention if you were a tech or some other position in the dealer in 1979. I was working as a tech at the Pontiac dealer when they launched. Of course, our version was the Phoenix. What a NIGHTMARE!!!. We didn't get our first service manual until October!!! The cars were out for 7 months and no service information!! First GM car with computer feedback fuel systems, first GM car with power rack and pinion steering, first GM car with FWD and a transverse drivetrain. Holy Crap, we just stood there looking at each other like the space shuttle had just landed in the parking lot. Talk about GM setting them up for total failure. I got my first training on those cars at the GM training center in Cincinnati around Christmas, 1979. We literally had dozens of those cars dead at the dealer for months with not a single tech willing to work on them. Finally, the dealer had to agree to pay the top tech straight time on all X car repairs to get them out of the dealer.

I was told by a dealer mechanic they never could get them to run correctly with all the emissions. Although antiquated the 1984 throttle body that replaced carbs on the 2.5 was the fix.