I bought an 88 Firebird V6 2.8 Automatic in Nov. of 2011. It ran great for the first two months, but it now started to just go downhill. I know very little about fixing cars, (Im a 19 year old Female) so bare with me on the discription of the problems.

For the past few months my car has been having idling issuse. It runs great when in park but when it warms up as soon as you put in drive or reverse it stalls out as soon as you let off the gas. The oil pressure also gradually drops as well, even when RPMs are at 1000 or above. Ive spent over $2000 to get this fixed, but two different garages failed to pin the problem. It was tuned up, has new mass air sensor, TPS, along with a new fuel filter, the throttle body has been cleaned as well. I have had a mechanic tell me I need a new coil, but from my understanding coils either work or they dont, there is no in between... I feel like Im being taken advantage of.

Along with that issue, about a week ago I noticed my car sounded louder. on the left side of the engine it sounds like I possibly have a leak at the headers... but I have noticed a loss of power when going up hills and when my car starts off it takes forever for it to shift from first to second. Could this possibly be a leaking or blown head gasket?

Im just looking to be pointed in the right direction, Im tired of putting so much money into it and not having it fixed. (I dont mind dishing out money, I just want it acutally fixed.)

Thank You for any help!
Kirsten

 

It sounds like you have a leak in the EGR tube that goes from the EGR valve to the intake. These things are known for cracking over time and they will cause a power loss when they do. Find out what coils are being talked about by your mechanic. Is it coil pack, or ignition coil? This will make a difference as to if it working slightly or not, they do at times do not just give out but will cause drive-ability issues.

 

Ive replaced the actual EGR Vaulve itself, but not the tube. I will try that, Thank You!

As for the coil, he said it was the ignition coil that needed replaced.

 

With the oil pressure gradually dropping off issue.
Does it still have atleast 10-15 PSI of oil pressure at idle?
Does it go up 10 psi per 1000 rpms (average)?
Is the level of the oil right?

Yes Ignition coils can be break half way. Very uncommon, but it can happen.

CW3 is right about the tube, but very rarely would it cause power loss. Rough running and hunting idles along with stalling, or almost stalling is common when they break. That and the god awful loud noise they make.

As a precaution with the trany and shifting, Have you checked the fluid color?
It should be a dark red to red/pink color.

Is it the right level also? Check that by letting the car warm up and pull the trany dipstick out, clean it, put it back in and then check it. It will have markings on it that say hot, cold, and a couple of X's making a hash.

What would make you think your car has a blow head gasket?

I would not throw money at the car like you did before. And it also sounds like you need a new mechanic.

Btw 2.8 never came with coil packs, Only a V8 style single coil.

 

Okay, I couldn't remember for sure. I remember that Pontiac started using coil packs on the 3.1 (i.e. Grand Prix) but wasn't too sure when it came to the 2.8 F-body.

 

You might want to verify your timing to see where it is at, if it had issues your mechanic might have tried to reset it with a EGR vacuum leak or in some other fashion. Also, if you can, post pictures on here of your distributor with the cap off, there are issues that follow the V6 2.8 distributor that are difficult to explain and a pic would help me out to identify if you have the problem that can occur.

 

A common cause of power loss is a restricted catalytic converter. The test for this is fairly simple. Just loosen the exhaust pipe from one side of the engine at the manifold. You don't need to remove it completely, just create a gap of about 5/8" or so where exhaust can escape. Then, take the car for one quick drive, looking for an improvement in power. The one other thing that acts alot like a restricted cat is a MAF that is reading low air flow. However, you already replaced the MAF. Be sure though that there are no air leaks between the MAF and the throttle body. The oil pressure is a concern. How many miles on the motor and what weight oil do you use? You may need to switch to high mileage oil or just step up to a higher viscosity. Remove the oil fill cap and look for a large amount of vapors coming from the opening with the engine idling.