Find solution
Pontiac firebird replacement engine?

I own a 1996 Pontiac Firebird, and I am having some engine trouble of the minor kind...can someone help me?

  • Okay- my Firebird has apx. 125K miles. It is an automatic, with a 3.8L V6 engine. The "check engine" light has been coming on and staying on, in addition to the "check guages" and "oil" lights. I looked under the hood, and it's very clear that I have an oil leak on the front of the engine block area somewhere. I saw a lot of fresh oil there near the oil filter, towards the bottom of the engine block on the front. This morning, all three problem lights were on on the dashboard- until I stopped and put a qt. of oil into the engine. At that time, the 'oil' and the 'check guages' lights went off- but the 'service engine soon' light remained on. Also, before I had installed the qt. of oil this morning, the oil pressure guage was acting weird. It kept going from zero pressure, and the needle would shoot up to normal or below normal oil pressure. But when I stopped at a traffic light, the pressure went back to zero. Does anyone know what the problem might be? The motor leaks oil very fast.

  • Answer:

    THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT MEANS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. IT IS UNRELATED TO THE OIL PROBLEM. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT FOR A "CHECK-UP". THE ONLY TIME THIS LIGHT WILL COME ON IS WHEN YOU HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) STORED IN THE COMPUTER (NOT LOW OIL). THE CHECK GAGES LIGHT WILL COME ON IF ANY OF THE GAGES ARE IN A SPOT WHERE THEY NEED ATTENTION (LOW GAS, LOW OIL, LOW COOLANT). THAT IS RELATED TO THE LOW OIL. BY THE WAY WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON YOU ARE USUALLY ALREADY 2 QUARTS LOW, SO PUTTING 1 QUART IN WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON IS PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH. YOU NEED TO GET THE LEAK FIXED BEFORE YOU CAUSE SOME SERIOUS ENGINE DAMAGE. WHEN THE OIL LEVEL IS LOW THE PICK UP SCREEN IN THE BOTTOM END OF THE ENGINE HAS TROUBLE PICKING UP THE OIL IN THE OIL PAN. THE OIL SLOSHES AROUND IN THE PAN, AT TIMES THE PUMP IS PROBABLY JUST GETTING AIR, THEN OIL, THEN AIR. THIS WILL CAUSE THE GAGE TO GO UP AND DOWN ERRATICALLY.

Rooster/... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

First get the oil leak fixed, and have the mechanic check the codes and reset the check engine light, then keep the oil level full at all times. If you're lucky, you didn't damage the engine running it low on oil.

been there, done that.

Definitly low on oil, oil pump is working harder because of low oil. Service engine could mean you need an oil change.

aagman_lives

yeah... you better fix that oil leak asap... hopefully you didn't fry your engine due to lack of oil... (that is why it said check gauges... no oil pressure) start with that and if you are still getting a check engine light then you would need someone to run the codes.

streetrodmaniac

MY car is the same,I had the oil pressure switch changed, also have the emc checked.

s1487jolie

Yeah, you were low on oil.....make sure its always at the correct level. Low oil is what normally causes the guage to bounce. It is the pump trying to give your engine what oil it can pick up out of the oil pan. The check engine light is commonly activated in high mileage engines. Manufacturers do this to have "a check up" done at higher mileages. The are mostly associated with smog equipment though. It could mean that something is actually wrong with an electronic component on your engine.

Matt

The very fast oil leak , the block may be cracked , if oil leaking that fast and it is cracked you will have to replace the engine , oil pressure gage going up and down may be caused from your oil sending unit going out .

angelica7905

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.