3.4 is running funny...

[sx460]

My '95 Lumina LS with the 3.4 is really beginning to show it's age. It's got 120,000 miles on it. It almost seems to be burning oil, for example: after driving the car, I park it and turn off the ignition, when you get out of the car you can just smell burning oil (almost smells like I peeled out and lit up the tires). The oil smell always seems to come from the driver's side of the engine compartment (which is where the majority of the transaxle is located, right?).

 

Anyways, I'm a big cruise control user. For the last 10,000 miles my car has been running odd at high RPMs. For example I get the car up to around 55-60 MPH and hit the cruise button. Normally it'll turn over about 2,000 rpms, which is does most of the time when it's warmed up. But every once and a while the RPMs increase then come back to 2,000 then sit around 2,300 and then go up to about 2,500 and then back down to 2,000. It's almost like the electronic choke is engaged or something and it's feeding the motor more gas.

 

It's sorta odd. Any ideas? BTW: around 10,000 miles ago my wire harness was jacked after I got my transmission flushed (it was after this that I began noticing the odd RPMs). To make a long story shorter about 4 wires were stripped and were grounding out against the car and each other. I've wrapped them in electrical tape. Maybe this has something to do with it.

 

Any ideas guys?

 

Matt

[GnatGoSplat]

The oil smell problem sounds exactly like the one I had with my '94 Cutlass 3.4.

It had a leaky oil pump drive.

To change the O-ring requires pulling the rear head.

To get to it at all requires pulling the plenum and intake manifold.

 

Instead of changing the O-ring by pulling the rear head (huge job), I just got a 1/16" thick O-ring and slipped it over the head of the oil pump drive. Then I squished some silicone RTV between the head of the pump drive and block. I let it cure overnight and then reinstalled the clamp after it cured. So far so good, no leakage at all.

[brian89gp]

I love the title. Hell it explains everything

 

mine smells like that too.

 

and the rpm up and down sorta sounds like your torque converter is disengaging then re-engaging.

[sx460]

I wasn't aware about the oring going bad. Interesting. I did notice that by my last oil change came around the oil had gone down about a quart (maybe even more). The leak is there but it could be worse.

 

The torque converter thing I was also thinking about being a possibility. But the thing is though that when I disengage cruise control the engine rpms run at about 2,000 RPMs like they should. When I feed it more gas instead of climbing slowly back up in RPMs it starts going fanatical again. If the torque converter is slipping then it would imply that it only slips when it's being "asked" to convert/transfer more torque then it would in a 1:1 ratio (between engine and pathment) relative to what the current gear's ratio is. So, AKA, any time that it's asked to transfer MORE power (and usually this amount of power is equal or less than what is required to keep the car rolling).

 

Either way I'm sorta baffled until something goes

[sx460]

...then again could it be possible that the oil I'm smelling is ATF?

[90lumina3.1]

if the oil level is dropping, it would seem you have an oil leak. also, on one of the consumer guide pages, it claims that there is a axle seal that leaks ATF on certain trannies. i forget what years, and im not sure what tranny you have, but you could prolly check it out

[sx460]

Interesting, I know I have the 4-T60E. It's a '95 Lumina. Thanks, I'll check into the consumer guide's pages.

[90lumina3.1]

hehe, lucky for you, i have it bookmarked(always checking about my lumina) pasted:

Oil leak: Some cars have high oil consumption that is corrected by replacing the PCV harness as well as the valve cover, spark plugs and wires, and oil fill cap. (1995)

[sx460]

Oh wow, that's awesome. Would you mind sharing that link?

[90lumina3.1]

heres the link: http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/used/reviews/summ/index.cfm/id/2249.htm