Alright, i got a 2002, its got a lot of miles on it. Over 100,000.
a couple weeks ago the check engine light started flashing driving on the freeway. and my car kind of puttered a little bit and seemed like it lost power from the gas pedal, than caught again and it was fine...i took it to autozone and plugged in the CPU thing and it said random misfire. I reset it so it didnt say check engine anymore. Then a couple days later my car wouldnt start, it kept cranking but just wouldnt start up like it was missing pressure or a spark. So i checked the oil pressure, it was low so i changed the oil, changed all the spark plugs with dual prongs. And started it back up and i had to give it some gas to start it because it was making that bubbly sound. I drove it around after i got it started to get the oil and carbons out, and when i stopped at a light the oil pressure dropped drastically, the car started sputtering and died. it immediately started back up and i had to give it some gas and drove off, when i drove off it took like ten seconds for the car to actaully engage fully, then the rpms shot up and i took off....then parked again at home, and i could hear my engine rattling a little bit and the oil pressure was dropping down from 40 to 20 and below and bouncing back and forth...It has never done this before it just started doing this, its very odd. I am thinking something to do with a fuel pump maybe or a bearing or the oil pump...i am going to autozone to get some of those free test done today...

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN THIS OR ADVICE? THANKS.

 

If by 'dual prongs' you mean Bosch +2 plugs, they are junk. AC Delco or NGK Double Platinum plugs work best in these engines and the newer premium Iridium plugs are said to work even better than those. When you replaced the plugs did you also replace the wires, cap, & rotor?

Oil pressure at idle should be greater than ~8psi and should increase by ~10psi for every 1000RPM above idle. I doubt that your oil pressure was causing your no-start condition though. If your idle speed was fluctuating, that will cause a fluctuation in oil pressure. I just don't see much wrong with what you have stated concerning the oil pressure.

You really need to get a fuel pressure gauge and test the pressure & leak down rate as detailed in the 96+ Fuel Pressure thread linked to in my signature.

While you are looking down there in my signature, click on the Tech Article (DIY) Index link and look over the EGR & MAF sensor cleaning threads and give that a go along with cleaning your throttle body.

Let us know the results of your fuel pressure test and how things go after you've cleaned the EGR, MAF, & TB.

 

Haha ya i got the Bosch +2's. This was the best i could afford with the money i had on me at the time . I only changed the spark plugs, i didnt do the wires cap and rotors. think that will help? The spark coming out of that seemed fine when i tested it by unplugging it and turned it over and seeing the spark...

I planned on doing the NGK, and getting 8mm wires eventually.


I will do the fuel pressure test, and clean the EGR, MAF, & TB. Ill let you know. Thanks for the link.

I got another question, I dont know what causes this, but when i use my heater with the blower on, about every 2 minutes ill feel my engine twitch and i can hear a chirp noise...is this a bearing that is bad?

 

If you have it on one of the defrost positions (bi-level or full defrost), the A/C compressor will kick on to remove moisture from the air it is blowing onto the windshield. What you are experiencing is likely the compressor engaging.

 

Alright, my main problem is back. With the loss of power and oil pressure dropping at stop rapidly then popping back up with rpms then idleing hard.

Whenever i am trying to step on it from a stop i lose power and my car puts, especially when i go up hills or from a stop. When i drive on the freeway i can feel it loose pressure of the speed being maintained and then kicking back up.



This is what i have done already:

- Replaced MAF
- Had a shop replace actual distributor, cap and rotor. (dont know if they changed wires)
- New spark plugs
- New fuel filter
- New fuel pump (checked power to pump when replaced its good)
- New oil and filter


After i did all this it was running great for about a day, then the SES light starting blinking. And then the same problem i had before of the random misfire started happening again, i havent had the code checked but it was the P0300 before...so i figure its the same thing again.

Any suggestions or input would help

 

What were the results of your fuel pressure & leak down testing?

Did you clean the EGR valve?

A full tune up consists of plugs, wires, cap & rotor. Bad wires can cause P0300. For a more complete discussion of this code, go into the P030x thread in the OBD2 code index.

Check the codes. There may be more than just P0300.

As I stated earlier, your oil pressure is dropping as a result of your engine RPM. I wouldn't get too hung up on that being a problem, more of a symptom of the other problem which is causing your RPMs to drop.