prettypink

I have a 2006 Cobalt SS with 120K miles. It's been pretty stress free until the last few weeks. I took it into the dealership for a state inspection, and maintenance 1 package. They failed me because of my brakes and gave me an estimate for $3K worth of work. I know my car needs work but I also know the dealer is very overpriced. I took it to another mechanic and got the rear brake caliper repaired to pass inspection, apparently it was leaking fluid. I didn't notice spots on the ground near the rear and I didn't notice any issues with braking but apparently it needed to be repaired....

Now, I do see spots on the ground near the engine. There is an oil leak. The dealer said it's the Camshaft Position Sensor & that's a $900 repair. A repair calculator site I use says more like $300-$400, thank god. The car is not running as well as it used to. So I know I need to get this oil leak repaired ASAP.

I also have a check engine light on. It was flickering on and off for a few weeks, but it's been steady on for the last 2 weeks. The code is P0171. This is where the dealer screwed me over. I paid $150 for check engine diagnosis and this is what they said.




So, they didn't tell me anything!! I had another mechanic change my air filter. The check engine light is still on. People are telling me it's likely my 02 sensor? I'm not sure. But I want to get this fixed ASAP as well. What are they talking about when they say ECM calibrations? Is that something any mechanic can do? Is is actually a repair I need to do?

But new in the car drama, is the car giving the "Check Gas Cap" warning. it's happened everyday for the last 3 days. The gas cap is on secure.

I have an appointment on Wednesday with the mechanic. I originally made the appt for just the check engine light, but now I'm thinking I should try and get the oil leak fixed too. I have been checking my oil daily (since I got the car worked on/oil changed last week) and it's still at max.

What should I do? Are the check engine, car not running week, oil leak, gas cap warning....are these all connected or are they all separate issues?

I also need tires and suspension but I'm praying I can hold off on that one more month, deal with the engine and oil leak first.

Help!

-Britney

Sl0wbaltSS

Adding an intake on a SC cobalt can cause it to throw a lean code after awhile. Put it back to stock to see if it goes away. Or tune the car.

basebalt

Make sure your MAF is as close to being entirely horizontal as possible. Also change your gas cap. I got the message too a little bit ago and after some research found out the caps suck mainly the o ring. Got a carquest one at advance I don't remember the price but it's been fine since.

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like you need a good mechanic to actually diagnose the car, where are you located?

The lean code can be the aftermarket intake, but if it's been on there a long time and is just now setting codes, a vacuum leak is more likely. Dealers don't like to check cars that are modified.

The gas cap code could be a cap, or any other leak in the evap system. It's possible the car has a rusted return line, or failing EVAP purge solenoid, or any other variety of issues. Again, proper troubleshooting will be needed there.

Oil leaks are common on any car and are not special to repair in most cases, any competent mechanic should be able to repair whatever seal is failing and leaking. Proper tracing of the actual fault is important, it may be necessary to clean the oil and see where it's coming from to tell what needs to be repaired.

prettypink

Thanks so much for the responses everyone! I trust the mechanic I'm seeing on Wednesday. I just don't know what his skills are and what he can't do since I have such a unique car. I know they can't do alignments there, so they don't do everything. But the shop has been around for 50 years so I trust them!

What is an aftermarket intake? Like I said I just had the engine filter replaced (but not by GM because they were overcharging me for everything) and everyone said it was fine to use a non GM filter.

Should I get my car tuned up? Is that the same as the ECM calibrations? How do I check the MAF? If I have to take the tire off I don't think I can do that myself, which sucks, because I'm trying to save money.

Is a vacuum leak a common problem, hard to locate? I guess I should try replacing the cap and seeing if that fixes the problem?

I guess the check engine light/car not running as well are becoming my #1 priority. Since I'm checking the oil and so far I haven't noticed a drop on the stick.

When I say the car isn't running well, I mean when I am sitting idle. It seems like it hesitates/jumps.

What should I tell the mechanic to get my check engines light/idle issue/gas cap issues all fixed?

I'll tell him I want to get the oil leak fixed only after I get an estimate on fixing the engine issue first.

Bye bye money! Thanks again everyone. I did not research this car enough when I got it 5 years ago and a supercharger can be so expensive to repair