Car Guys! Help?

[CORVETTEDUDE]

claire...I work at a Chevy Dealer, not that I'm an expert, or anything. With the limited information I've gathered, your problem, although not currently serious, could lead to that. The problen could be as easy as a loose gas cap, although chances are slim. The fix is not a computer reset on a '96, as was suggested by a previous poster(required for '04 and newer vehicles). The fix, rather, is a series of restarts (15-20), or a period of days(After you have securely tightened the gas cap). Ask yourself if you had just put gas in the car before the 'Check Engine' light came on. The gas cap in part of your "Emissions Control System."

The most likely remedy to your present problem, is a new O2 Sensor. It's a fairly common failure in vehicles of that age, and can be an indicator of more serious issues.

That being said, you can apply different potential solutions, and not solve the problem...spending good $$$ after bad. If you can't afford to replace the car, I suggest the proper repair before the whole situation goes south on you. It's kinda like the old FRAM commercial..."Pay me know, or PAY me later!"

Good luck!!!

[memyself]

oops

[memyself]

Some cheap people who have a bit of experience around cars drop the thermostat in water and heat it up... it opens up around 180 degrees. if it opens it's good.
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That is exactly what happened on the other car. It kept getting jammed, and causing all sorts of terrible problems, boiling over and whatnot, and all it took to fix it was an $11 part.

[/quote]

Gd info but Id add "it has 2 temp ratings: ==Important it works right==
use a thin feeler gauge caught between the valve plate & body to suspend
the thermostat in a pot of water then heat.
The unit should start opening at a set temp & be fully open by a slightly
larger temp.
eg: Mitsubishi 2litre astron engine --- starts @ 90.6 deg C, fully open @ 104 deg C.

The other thing is, all the sensors are checkable with the aid of a good high impedance multimeter, its a gd way to start if you've not got a diagnostic unit.