Letting the car warm up, I can't let it just sit there until I can take into the shop (tranny rebuild, I don't have the cash to do it right now). I let the engine run for a little bit maybe once a week, and turn it off so things don't start to go bad. Worst thing to do to a car is let it sit untouched. My dad did that when he parked the car last November. I had to change all the fluids, probably needed them anyhow, battery, etc. Only thing I haven't done is take it down the street for some fresh gas (plates expired and since tranny is shot, no motivation to get them replaced).


The idle suddenly got VERY rough. Started to ease off, then got rough again. I thought it wa sbecause of our cold weather and maybe the bettery is weak or something, then I noticed the RPM needle also varied when this happened. Check Engine light came on...OH ****! Two factors here, one, the car is about out of gas, in the red, and it's old gas too. so that is one. Two, the it could be the winter jitters and the fricken O2 sensor is acting up again. THIS HAPPENED TO MY DAD FREQUENTLY! The sensor would go out and the check engine light would come on.

So which is it most likely? The problematic O2 sensor coming for revenge? Is it the old gas and I need to burn it out of my car (or buy a big gas can and dilute with some fresh stuff) either way, having old gas in it is probably not good. Or is my engine about to go out? Oh Lord, give me strength! I'm only 17, I'm lucky to have this car that even starts. It would cost more money than I'm worth to fix BOTH and engine and tranny OR get another car.

 

well with the engine problems and trans shot, junkyard or demo derby sounds more suitable. for the cost of fixing the car (just cost in parts) you can find something else that doesn't have problems

 

Where do you live?!? Around here, a nice car with low miles runs easily about 3 grand. Below that, you are risking it all by getting a POS with who knows how many things wrong with it. It does NOT cost 3 grand to rebuild a transmission!

The engine light like I said can be anything. It could really be something catastrophic, or somehing that might be cheap or I could do myself (I HOPE). Could be the ancient gas in the tank, bad spark plugs (I did NOT change these, I did not think I needed to), engine misfire (spark plugs could be the cause), a bad gasket somewhere, who knows. I don't know. Whatever it is is scaring the crap out of me and I have never been so stressed!

Please don't add to my stress with useless ways of telling me how I can demolish my car!

I posted this needing some help, maybe someone can possibly narrow down my problem. Keep in mind, old gas in the tank (about a year or so old), cold weather, maybe it is a false reading and I'm paranoid! Or I'm optimistic. Either way, this week has been a train wreck, I'm about to blow a fuse. So I'm off to cool down and think. Please let me know if you have any USEFUL suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope someone out there can shine some light on this.

 

so get a scanner and see what it says the problem is! apparently your high school isn't teaching problem solving skills. How can anyone give you an exact answer to your problem without enough diagnostic details.. did you ask your shop teacher?

 

Useful Suggestions.

1) Don't Panic. Relax and don't blow a fuse. You'll only make yourself look like a fool (experience)

2) RELAX. DONT PANIC. See number 1.

3) Invest in a code scanner or see if a friend/coworker/family member has one you can borrow and find what is triggering the MIL. Normally I'd say take it to Auto Zone for a scan but obviously if you are having trans issues and no plates, not a good idea.

4) Post up code here and allow time to research possible causes. In the way of automotive diagnostics one code can be triggered by five potential problems so it can be a matter of chasing the actual issue.

5) Buy a gas can, or borrow a gas can and get a few gallons of good fuel in the tank of the car. A cheap fix for some of the stress you are experiencing and it can help you diagnose the issue.

6) DON'T PANIC (seeing a trend here?) Automotive issues are nothing more than a puzzle/maze of logic. Follow the logic, find the end.

I personally wouldn't start losing sleep over a MIL illumination until I knew what the light was coming on for. Furthermorem in the end if something is wrong and you can't handle fixing it, all it will take is money. I know you're a bit younger than I but that is a lesson learned hard. However, that being said, if you have the time you can fix most anything as long as you are patient with it! ;-)

Good luck! Let us know what you find out!

 

I went to an auto class for about a year, I need to put myself in my former instructor's shoes for minute. I panicked from the way the car was idling, revving, struggling, etc, fearing the worst, but now I can actually take a look at it from a more logical perspective.. As for #4 on that list, I see that done many times in shops. Mechanics sometimes just toss parts at a car and never diagnose it...oh boy do I have horror stories on that.

I'll keep y'all updated.