I have a 97 grand am that looses power while driving. Sometimes its like its not getting fuel.if I let off the gas a bit it goes okay. I had the car checked out at the dealership and they said engine vacuum was low. They want to pull motor apart. I don't really want to do that unless its really really nessasary. They said there might be a blown gasket. I'm not lossing antifreeze and my oil is crystall clean. Car has 147,000 km. any suggestions?

Have they done a computer scan to determine if there are any codes stored in the computer? If not, try that first.

If there are no codes, have them do a smoke-leak detection test. It's a much easier way to find a leak; there's no reason to pull apart the motor if they don't know for certain what the problem is.

Transmission. My car did the same thing then the trannie busted out on me. Check you trannie fluid. Is it black? Does it smell burnt? If either of those are yes... get the trannie checked out. The dealerships overcharge and want your money. Tell them to check the trannie.

Good luck.

Low vacuum is often caused by a partially clogged converter. They can test the exhaust back-pressure where the O2 sensor mounts.

And, find a different garage, as well. I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling when the first diag would require them to "pull motor apart." What are they looking for?