I bought a 1990 Chevrolet Corsica two weeks ago. It has 179 thousand miles on it and it is a V6 Automatic. This is quite a novel so brace yourself. *lol*
Driving it home, it stalled out at a toll booth. I restarted it and continued on my way. It has not stalled since. At the next tollbooth when I applied my brakes, the "service engine soon" light popped on. When I asked my brother, he said that it might be sediment and water in the gas tank and he advised me to pour some dry gas and something cleaner into the gas tank. I did that and the light did not turn back on when I started the car.
Two days later I drove up to see my brother and the "service engine soon" light popped back on. I stopped at a gas station poured some more cleaner and dry gas into my tank. The light did not reappear when I turned the car back on. Then halfway to my brother, the engine light appeared again.
When I reached him, I told him about this. He told me it could be my air filter. We changed the air filter and the engine light stayed off and then turned on again later after I had left him. When I asked him, he told me it could be anything and to not worry about it.
On the tenth day of having the car, I noticed a tinny grinding sound under the passenger side of the hood. It would come and go.
I drove back up to see my brother the next day. After investigating the mysterious noise, He told me it was the tensioner. He told me that it was not a major issue and that we could fix it later.
A day later, my car decided to take a vacation. It was taking several tries to get the car started and it seemed to get tougher and tougher throughout the day until that night it just wouldn't start. I could hear the car trying but it would get weaker and weaker with every try and the lights were dimming. Finally it would only do a weak cough. Luckily there was a tow truck guy around and after jumpstarting my car for ten minutes, it started. I drove home wihout incident.
When I called my brother the next day, he told me that it was the tensioner. He told me that the pulley was not getting a full rotation and that it was affecting the alternator and the battery. He told me that that the car would start up fine that day because my battery had gotten a charge from the tow truck guy. I started my car and drove it to get the tensioner replaced. The mechanic showed me my pulley and told me I needed a new one because it was pitted and warped. I didn't get it replaced because my brother wanted to do it later.
The grinding tinny sound is louder because all the tension is now fully on my pitted and warped pulley.
It is now tow days since I had the tensioner replaced. My "service engine soon" light quite dependably pops on within a few minutes of starting the car and stays on most of the time though it sometimes flickers off before making a grand entrance again. My engine is kind of choppy though it is hard to tell through the grinding noise. My car starts up fine except after it has been sitting all night. The car takes an extra second to start and the engine stutters a couple times (like it does when a car stalls) before the car starts. The coolant light pops on and then disappears a few minutes later. The coolant light only comes on during these times.
Otherwise the car starts very easily.
What is going on?
Driving it home, it stalled out at a toll booth. I restarted it and continued on my way. It has not stalled since. At the next tollbooth when I applied my brakes, the "service engine soon" light popped on. When I asked my brother, he said that it might be sediment and water in the gas tank and he advised me to pour some dry gas and something cleaner into the gas tank. I did that and the light did not turn back on when I started the car.
Two days later I drove up to see my brother and the "service engine soon" light popped back on. I stopped at a gas station poured some more cleaner and dry gas into my tank. The light did not reappear when I turned the car back on. Then halfway to my brother, the engine light appeared again.
When I reached him, I told him about this. He told me it could be my air filter. We changed the air filter and the engine light stayed off and then turned on again later after I had left him. When I asked him, he told me it could be anything and to not worry about it.
On the tenth day of having the car, I noticed a tinny grinding sound under the passenger side of the hood. It would come and go.
I drove back up to see my brother the next day. After investigating the mysterious noise, He told me it was the tensioner. He told me that it was not a major issue and that we could fix it later.
A day later, my car decided to take a vacation. It was taking several tries to get the car started and it seemed to get tougher and tougher throughout the day until that night it just wouldn't start. I could hear the car trying but it would get weaker and weaker with every try and the lights were dimming. Finally it would only do a weak cough. Luckily there was a tow truck guy around and after jumpstarting my car for ten minutes, it started. I drove home wihout incident.
When I called my brother the next day, he told me that it was the tensioner. He told me that the pulley was not getting a full rotation and that it was affecting the alternator and the battery. He told me that that the car would start up fine that day because my battery had gotten a charge from the tow truck guy. I started my car and drove it to get the tensioner replaced. The mechanic showed me my pulley and told me I needed a new one because it was pitted and warped. I didn't get it replaced because my brother wanted to do it later.
The grinding tinny sound is louder because all the tension is now fully on my pitted and warped pulley.
It is now tow days since I had the tensioner replaced. My "service engine soon" light quite dependably pops on within a few minutes of starting the car and stays on most of the time though it sometimes flickers off before making a grand entrance again. My engine is kind of choppy though it is hard to tell through the grinding noise. My car starts up fine except after it has been sitting all night. The car takes an extra second to start and the engine stutters a couple times (like it does when a car stalls) before the car starts. The coolant light pops on and then disappears a few minutes later. The coolant light only comes on during these times.
Otherwise the car starts very easily.
What is going on?
Apr 30, 2006 at 1:35 PM