I know I need a new car so you can save the jokes...lol.. but i wanted to see if someone could help me out...?

Question

First of all my car leaks oil from the engine not the oil pan.. what could this be??
Second its using way too much gas.. I can put gas and go four blocks to pick up my kids at school and it shows that it used some.. which to me it shouldnt show it even moved just by going four blocks...
Third is the suspension or something.. I need an alignment but the mechanic told me I cant get an alignment without the upper control A arm or something like that being replaced... but now my car pulls to the passenger side really bad... I have stopped driving it because i dont want to mess the engine up or my wheels to fall off while im picking up my kids from school... lol... HELP ME PLEASE!!!
Oh and by the way.. It is a 1995 Grand Am GT

Oh yeah.. one more thing... i already know I need a new car but I have no money or the credit to get another one.. unless someone wants to send a check or co sign and help me out.. I would like answers that could HELP... not telling me what i already know!!!

Answer 1

Without seeing the car, I can not tell you where the oil leaks are, but the first thing to look at is the valve cover gaskets! They are not that expensive to replace and do tend to fail!

The control arm should be replaced and the car aligned. Part of your gas mileage problem may be related to the front end being way out of line!

As to the gas mileage, are you basing this on fuel gauge readings? The fuel gauge is not an accurate measure of fuel use. To find out if you have a fuel mileage problem, you would need to fill the tank, and drive the car. Note the mileage when you fill up, and when you need gas again, note that mileage. Subtract the starting mileage from the ending, and that will give you the distance traveled!

Fill the car again and note the amount of fuel needed! Divide the distance by the number of gallons used to get your miles per gallon figure! That car should get somewhere in the 18-25 MPG range with in town driving. If you let the car idle to warm up, or while waiting for your children, it will be less because you are burning fuel and not going anywhere!

Answer 2

Unless you can snag a really great deal on a new car it will be less expensive to repair the old one.
You didn't mention the mileage on the car and whether it has been maintained or ignored and driven constantly without oil changes and such. An oil leak is usually just gaskets and not terribly expensive to repair. The control arm would cost a bit more, but probably not more than a car payment.
take that into consideration.
If you feel the car is in bad enough shape it is not worth putting money into, then by all means trade but you will spend more than to fix the old one.

If it is badly out of alignment that would account in part for the bad gas mileage. It is working too hard because the tires are pulling against each other. The other factor would be a major tuneup.

Dealers are offering some good deals but watch out for them burning you on the trade in. Most dealers will not give more than wholesale on a car 12 years old. You might get more for old Betsy if you sold it to a mechanic who wants a fixer upper.

Wish you good luck.

Answer 3

Sounds like too many problems to worry about fixing. I would definately not waste the amount of money your are looking at to have it fixed. If you keep it at least get a used control arm from a salvage yard and have it aligned after that.
Buy a can of Gunk brand engine degreaser and clean the engine before trying to find a leak. Get a tune -up done to help with the gas situation.

Answer 4

the only answer to give is get a new car. trade in. take a loan. or whatever. but honestly. i couldnt tell you. you could be leakeing from any seal. the gas issue is most likely a tune up matter. and the control arm and allignment. wow. your looking at atleast 1000 dollars in repairs unless you know a machanic. really trade it in. if you wont get enough to make the minimum 20% to get a loan from a dealership. look into loans or walk to your school and job. im sorry but its really the only thing to do.
if the dealership doesnt want to give you squat or you still wont have enough to get a loan. keep the car. dont fix it it will cost more than its worth. and once you fix those problems by the sound of it your going to be haveing more. so just keep it for a few years. and once you have a fulltime job and your not in school donate it and you would get kelly blue book value of your tax deductions makeing the most of a crapy situation.
sorry to hear of your sittuation. good luck

Answer 5

sounds like your valve cover is leaking and your in need of a serious tune up spark plugs,spark plug wires and some fuel injector cleaner will help as for the alignment your mechanic is right your most likely in need of upper control arm bushings this will cause your car to pull to the side that needs replacing im glad you stopped driving it it might be dangerous it puts alot of strain on the suspension trying to compensate for the bad bushings

Answer 6

well your first problem is that its a Pontiac and its the track bar that has to be replaced before you can get the alignment or it wont align correctly and the oil leak could be any things from a bad gasket to a crack in the block should have a certified machanic look at and the gas gauge could just be reading wrong or the float is bad or your car is using way to much gas or has a leak some where

Answer 7

I hadn't realized that people won't walk 8 blocks, or let their kids walk 4 blocks. No wonder the kids are all overweight. I love cars but I always walked to school or rode a bike and my kids did the same. My daughter walked a half mile to school and a half mile home the whole time she was in elementary school. A half mile only takes about 15 minutes to walk, provides a bit of exercise and doesn't use any expensive gasoline.

Answer 8

i would look at oil leking from intake control arms we were replacing some under warranty but i dont think it was recall on your car but you might check for recalls as the gas thing more customers complain about

Answer 9

Since your my girl I will send you the money for a new car!!!
hahahahaha
Hope someone has the answer to ur question!!

Answer 10

take it in to dealership and trade it in save you money in long run and you will have a new car