2002 Pontiac firebird convertible: engine issues | The Car Community | Page 1

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 3:08 AM

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Good evening everyone, having an issue with my firebird, pics related. I've been gone about 4 months, and driving it I saw the "check gauges" and "service engine" (there is no 'check engine') lights come on.

Car seems to 'shake' or 'chug' much more than it should at idle, and the oil pressure gauge seems to sit at 0 while stopped, and only jumps to about 60 while driving despite having full oil from 6 months ago.

Searching online lead me to wonder if my EGR valve needs to get replaced, but my car knowledge only extends to regularly changing oil and rotating tires; any help would be greatly appreciated!

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:14 AM

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alpine sky Good evening everyone, having an issue with my firebird, pics related. I've been...

It says in picture 2 that cylinder 1 had a misfire

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:14 AM

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yeah. Are these 2 related at all?

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:14 AM

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Does it say anything more?

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On the obd2 reader

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:16 AM

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Don't have access to one at this time, but this is all I was shown by the attendant at an autopart store

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:16 AM

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Ok, buy you are still able to start it right?

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:17 AM

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Yeah. It chugs/vibrates more than I think is well even at idle though

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:17 AM

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Does it make Any weird sounds?

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:18 AM

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No, nothing like that I think. I've been gone for a few months, so coming back to a car I've maybe driven only 1k miles in it since owning it, it's hard for me to tell if anything's changed

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I mean I can hear the engine chug along with the vibrations I'm hearing at idle, but nothing "weird" I guess

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:19 AM

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Ok, you Said it says ”service engine” i would check the oil level and see if it is below what it should be

pale wadiBOT Jun 4, 2023, 8:19 AM

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GG @tender mica, you just advanced to level 3! Chat more to level up and earn top roles!

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:21 AM

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The oil level was fine; when the "check gauges" and "service engine" light came on, I happened to be near a valvoline oil change shop. Last time I changed my oil (maybe 6-8 months ago) was there, and they were able to check the oil levels which seemed just fine

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6-8 months ago since I changed my oil, but I haven't driven the past 4

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:22 AM

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Ok, maybe Change it. But the engine might chug because it has Been standing for a while

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:23 AM

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The consistency/level seemed fine, would just driving the car fix itself? Should I be worried about a near 0 oil pressure at idle?

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:24 AM

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The pressare is a little worrying, so I would not recommend driving it, but start it and take a video of it started so I can listen to it

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:25 AM

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Not able to do that atm, but later tomorrow I will be

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:26 AM

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Ok, but I would check the oil level and see how much is in the system, that is probably what is causing the oil pressure

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And too low oil can cause big problems

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:26 AM

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Well I did check the oil though, it's where it's supposed to be according to the dip stick

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:27 AM

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Have you taken away the oil from the dipstick and put it down again?

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:27 AM

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yes, the oil level is unchanged since last I changed it, it's maybe had 400 miles since it's been replaced

pale wadiBOT Jun 4, 2023, 8:27 AM

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GG @alpine sky, you just advanced to level 3! Chat more to level up and earn top roles!

tender mica Jun 4, 2023, 8:29 AM

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But send a video later that will help a lot on my end

alpine sky Jun 4, 2023, 8:29 AM

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Will do

alpine sky Jun 5, 2023, 12:08 AM

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tender mica But send a video later that will help a lot on my end

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Oil seemed to be sitting at 60 at idle this time

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The shaking's still pretty pronounced at higher speeds, like 40mph or above

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Driving at those speeds also had the service engine light switch from steady to flashing, which my manual says is when it detects misfire

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Check gauge light didn't come on, and oil pressure didn't seem abnormal today

alpine sky Jun 5, 2023, 1:50 AM

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Managed to get a good recording of the shaking sound, which was really noticeable when just letting my car slide into my parking spot without depressing the gas pedal

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I'm going to get it looked at tomorrow; my friend says it might just be bad spark plugs for the cylinder misfire, or the shaking could be bad engine mounting

torpid trout Jun 5, 2023, 5:19 AM

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@alpine sky if you don’t want to be a dumbass, clear the codes, swap the coil from #1 to #2 cylinder and check it again

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If it still says #1, it’s a bad plug, if it says #2, it’s a bad coil

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I’ll bet money it’s a bad coil

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Oh and by not being a dumbass, I don’t mean to be offensive

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I mean so you literally know how to do it in the future

#2002 Pontiac firebird convertible: engine issues