Top 20 1989 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Questions & Answers

What color smoke out of the tailpipe ? Black - running rich , too much fuel or not enough air . Blue smoke - burning oil , piston rings valve seales , white smoke could be two different thing's - coolant in the cylinders or fuel going stright through the cylinder out the tailpipe . No combustion . Check engine light on ? Have you replaced plugs an plug wires ,air filter , any engine sensors - TPS - MAP - MAF etc.... How many miles on the vehicle ? 1988 model - engine worn out ?

I'm unsure of the make??..

but I've had similar experience, the distributor hold down clamp came loose , distributor turned just a bit, went unnoticed until I switched engine off and tried to start following day...

It may be easier to find out what is chiming to warn you about and rectify that.

replace the coil. Check the operation of the distributor and condenser in the distributor. that is if you don't have an electronic distributor.. Replace the module in the distributor if you have.

the flasher fuse under dash, its the round one

Sounds like you have more than one problem.The seat belt light is not on because of the door. Are you saying the serpentine belt comes off the engine pulleys ?And have you checked the battery and starter for voltage ? You need 12 volts at the battery and at the starter, and on the small wire from the starter to the key switch.

ull will have to go to a garage for someone to put it on a computor abs is verry daindust if not look after it is ilegal for you to turn them off yourself sorrie to say i hope it helps

The best way is to remove the door lock relay. this relay may be in one of these locations,The first is the right side kick panel, the next place to look is the right side of the dash behind side cover, if no side cover then look under right side of dash. The last place is the glove box.I have enclosed a wiring diagram also to help you .You will see the door lock module is also located in the same place as the relay. you can unplug module also.IN wiring diagram you will see there is also three fuses that control parts of the door lock module, you can also remove them one at a time as you may sure that no other component is getting disabled.I think the module or relay is the best bet. Good day.

Probably timing. Aim a timing light at your crankshaft, and see if the mark is jumping back and forth irradically. It should be staying in one spot. If it's jumping around, your timing chain has jumped a cog. If not the timing, then it's probably bad wires or improper firing order .

This should be what you need.

The bearings in those old gm products were famous for that. The only way to fix it is to change the bearings, which can be quite a job. It's easier to change the whole steering column if you can find a good used one that has a key.

Not much to work with here. Can you be more specific? Does it stall at random or at certain times? Stopping? Taking off? Is the car fuel injected or carbuerated?

Check that the thermostat is opening. otherwise a dirty radiator, inside or out or faulty waterpump or the fan is not going.
Engine timing can sometimes make it overheat.

Check the bolts that hold the pump and bracket for the pump on the engine. this is a start..

Most likely your climate control module is bad. Very common on GM. Hope this helps. TJ

Thanks for choosing FixYa and welcome. There are many things that can cause your check engine light to come on. When it does come on, this means the computer has detected a problem with the vehicle. Every car has this system. Anytime it is on, you can usually get a code number off the computer scan. The hookup is under the dash in most cars. You can buy a cheap one for around 50 dollars at most auto part stores. If you do buy one, you may need to find what each code means. If you don't own one or you can't get to one, you can take it to Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts to get your vehicle scanned. Most places do not charge for the scan. Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts do not charge when your check engine light is on. They will be able to scan it for you and give you the codes. They will let you know what it says and what parts you will need as well. if you ask. If your check engine light is flashing, this means there may be internal engine failure. If this is your case, get it scanned as soon as possible. The longer you go with the light on, the greater the chance you have to make the problem worse. Some of the newer vehicles has this system already built in. You will need to know sequence though, to make the code appear. You use an OBD code reader to scan the car for codes. You will need the code chart to know which one it is though.

You can take the egr solenoid apart and clean the bottom of the solenoids to fix it. A failed egr valve will not keep it from starting. Check the fuel pressure, should be around 40.

relay is under the hood, i would try to replace the switch first....

Should try and replace the Spark Plugs to see if that's the problem

hi ther .it sounds like you your dash lites have been dimmed. you should be able to turn your head lite switch to the right and they should come back on. or there might be a dial to turn under the headlite switch to brighten the dash lites. but there is a switch that dims or brightens your dash lites. hope this helps. have a good day