94' Chevy Cavalier Wagon?

Question

I have a 94' Chevy Cavalier Wagon 3.1L V6 there has been numerous things wrong with my car the headlights dim in and out along with the dashlights ... this has started about a month ago the car is very hard to start when its cold ,and has not done that before until recently.The car also stalls out below a quarter of a tank of gas...also it spits oil into the air intake system
I have changed the oil and oil filter,alternator,air filter,fuel filter,spark plugs....please dont tell me just to get a new vehicle that is not an option other than these things going wonky the car runs just fine .I would really like to know if im missing anything to change or need to get fixed

I have checked all of the connections and they are just fine

Answer 1

my car the headlights dim in and out along with the dashlights:
this is normally caused by the battery if it happens when the engine is idling like when stopped at a stop light. if it is occurring while driving the alternator should be tested.

the car is very hard to start when its cold.
by hard to start if the starter is turning engine over to slow have the battery tested. if the starter is working good but the engine is starting hard there are a number of things that can cause this:
1: spark plugs
you have already changed these so probably not your problem.
2: ignition wires
check for cracks in wires. also with engine running at night look for sparks around ignition wire or glowing this would indicate they are bad.
3: weak coil
this requires some special equipment to test the output of the coil.
4: bad gas
just add a can of heet this will clean out moisture
5: clogged fuel injectors
add a can of fuel injector cleaner next time you fill up your gas tank.
6: clogged fuel filter
you already changed
7: bad fuel pump
low fuel pressure or volume
8: bad timing
this can happen if the timing if the timing chain is loose

The car also stalls out below a quarter of a tank of gas:
this can indicate contaminated gas.
also the fuel pump is in the gas tank. the gas actualy cools the fuel pump. when the level drops below a quarter of a tank the pump is no longer full submerged and will start to warm up. as it worms up it will not pump as good as when its cooler. an older pump would be more suseptable to this than a new one.

it spits oil into the air intake system:
PCV valve is a common cause of this but not only. change the PCV it cheap if still occurrs have a wet and dry compression test performed this will tell if the piston ring are working good or not which is the other cause of "spits oil into the air intake system".
this would take an engine rebuild to correct.

I hope this helps

Answer 2

lets just do this one thing at a time.

the lights fading in and out, seems to me like a voltage regulator, your car if memory serves me correctly has a voltage reg. built into the alternator. if it is the culprit the battery will not be charging correctly either too much charge or not enough charge. either way have it tested..i have seen brand new ones fail right out of the box.

as far as cold starts go ..there are so many variables but from what i am reading about your car, she may just be worn, just keep a spare battery in your warm house for jump-starting yourself

if the car is stalling out as soon as your at a quarter tank it could be a bad Gage or sending unit at the tank, hey its common enough just don't go below quarter tank.

if it is spitting oil into the air intake system change your PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve also common enough

long story short give it a good look over any loose wires figure out where they belong check or listen for a sucking sound leaking vacuum line, put some love back into her and she will get you where you need to go

Answer 3

Spits OIL into the air intake? Wha...?

As for the stalling, it might be that you've got sediments in your gas tank, and as you get down to a quarter tank the concentrations get higher.

Make sure you've got good voltage from your alternator, and that your battery is holding a charge.

Other than that, it sounds like your car is dying a bunch of different days at once. If you fix one thing two more things are probably just going to go wrong. Get another car at your earliest convenience.

Answer 4

i own a repair shop,and the problem your having with the oil getting in to the breather that's the pcv,valve bad on it a real simple and cheap fix,and i think the rest of the problem is you have an alternator going bad on it ,and its not charging the battery as good as it should this would explain the lights and thing being real dim on it,none of this is real serious stuff,you can take it by any auto zone and have them check the alternator ,its free,and they can check it and the battery while the car is running ,this will tell you for sure if its the alternator,remember the oil problem is only a bad pcv valve,,and i know you wanted me to tell you to buy a new car but I'm not going to do it,you have to fix your old one for now,lol,we have to have fun once in a while,good luck,i hope this help,s.,PS you may also want to add some gas treatment to the gas ,when its cold the tank draws a lot of moisture ,and you may be picking this up,that's why it runs bad once it get low,good luck.

Answer 5

no comment,in my opinion. Dodge man ,say it ,like it is.