Car question about "Check gauges" warning...

[RalphWiggum]

Ok, I have gotten some good advice from this board and I'll try again.
What should I look for when my "Check gauges" light comes on?
Nothing seems out of ordinary with the readings.
I have a 1993 Pontiac Grand Am.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks...

 

[Crucial]

check the codes in the computer. You should be able to do it with a paper clip and reading the check engine light as it blinks. Check out this site. batauto Come back when you know what codes it is throwing or if you cant get the codes to display.

 

[boomerang]

"Check Gauges", not "Check Engine" csaddict.

If nothing appears to be out of range then the light may be coming on when it shouldn't. As long as the voltmeter, coolant temp, and oil pressure are fine then it may be a problem with the light itself. It may also come on when your fuel level is low.

Be carefull with this is if the light is coming on of it's own accord. A friend of my wife's destroyed her engine by failing to get the light repaired. It was on all the time and she failed to look at her temp gauge and her engine lost coolant and nearly seized up. Of course she admitted later that she never, ever looked at her gauges at all, ever. Not too bright.

 

[Crucial]

My bad. I missed that SMALL detail. yeah that is usually not a good sign as long as the light isnt malfunctioning. Does the light come on as soon as you start the car or does it take a while?

 

[ElFenix]

my aunt and uncle ignored a similar night and the engine seized. because it had no oil. on the one day of the one week a year i go with them on a trip to the zoo or whatever. i was 12. it was a boring few hours of wait.

 

[RalphWiggum]

Yah, it is the Check Gauges light... Thanks for the link csaddict, looks like a good page to visit.

All the gauges look normal, and the only other time I have had that light come on was when I was running out of gas. Sometimes my oil gauge fluctuates when I drive though... I don't know if thats normal or not...

I know my oil level is fine because I just had it checked like 2 weeks ago.

The light usually comes on right when I start the car up, but the last couple of times it did it just went away. Today, while driving to work I noticed it was still on...

Anything else I should check for? Does the light come on when coolant is low or only when temperature is high?

 

[boomerang]

May or may not be a seperate light for low coolant. Usually only with the 6 cylinder. Check guages would only come on with high coolant temperature.

If the oil pressure is fluctuating at steady speed and/or RPM, that is a bad sign. If it goes up and down slightly with RPM, that would be normal.

From what you're describing, I'd keep a close eye on the oil pressure.

The dash is solid state and if the light is coming on for no reason, it will have to be repaired unless you want to take out the bulb or (heaven forbid) do the black tape routine.

 

[RalphWiggum]

I think I may have noticed my oil gauge moving while I was stopped, because I don't tend to look at my gauges while accelerating, but I can't be positive. What does that typically mean?

Usually my needle sits just a bit to the right of the red zone for oil, at the first tick mark.

I'll keep an eye on that from now on. I do have a 6 cylinder...

 

[notfred]

<< I think I may have noticed my oil gauge moving while I was stopped, because I don't tend to look at my gauges while accelerating, but I can't be positive. What does that typically mean?

Usually my needle sits just a bit to the right of the red zone for oil, at the first tick mark.

I'll keep an eye on that from now on. I do have a 6 cylinder... >>



Oil pressure that's jsut barely one tick above te red zone doesn't sound safe to me. You realize that with no oil pressure you risk siezeing (sp?) the motor?

 

[Crucial]

At idle the oil pressure is usually low. My Trans am sits at 20 when idleing and goes up to 80 depending on rpm.

 

[TrevorK]

<< I think I may have noticed my oil gauge moving while I was stopped, because I don't tend to look at my gauges while accelerating, but I can't be positive. What does that typically mean?

Usually my needle sits just a bit to the right of the red zone for oil, at the first tick mark.

I'll keep an eye on that from now on. I do have a 6 cylinder... >>



Your oil pressure will rise as you accelerate and go down as you decelerate. When you are stopped, it may go down because the engine decelerated and now the gauge is reflecting it (Depending on how hard you braked).

And with some cars, it is normal to have low oil pressure at idle. Easy way to tell, is talk to somebody with the SAME engine in the same car. For example, in early Talon's it's even normal for the "Low Oil Pressure" light to come on at a stop light.




Trevor

 

[Kntx]

The check gagues light in my old sunfire came on when the car was almost out of gas.

Are you almost out of gas?

 

[Quixfire]

Ralph,
That is a common problem with your car; usually a bad oil sender causes it, which is a pain to change. If you have the sender replaced, have your mechanic perform a mechanical oil pressure test when they do it to verify the actually pressure. Ask for both idle and 2000rpm readings. BTW, 5 psi at idle is not abnormal, but anything less the 25 at 2000 is.

 

[RalphWiggum]

Thanks for all the info everyone.

Is their anything else I should/could do right now besides watch my oil pressure gauge? It's a bit discomforting driving with a warning light on...

Hehe Kntx, I wish that was the problem.

Quixfire: I am at school right now and I don't have a regular mechanic I go to while I'm here. In fact, I usually wind up at a gas station service shop, which I know isn't the best place to get car work done but there aren't many local mechanics. Does anyone know about how much having the sender replaced would cost?

 

[RalphWiggum]

Any one else have any input?

 

[ohtwell]

I would check all my fluid levels. One of your other gauges could not be working and you may not know.



<< Usually my needle sits just a bit to the right of the red zone for oil, at the first tick mark. >>



You don't want to let your oil pressure level get too low b/c it will damage your car.

 

[silent tone]

Regarding those trouble codes, how can you decode the flashes into the diagnostic number? It says 1,0,1,1 is 12.

 

[Green Man]

istallion,
code 12 on a pre OBDII GM (older than 1996) means no RPM, if you check the codes with the engine off (obviously no RPM) it means 'all clear' if it is the only code. It is given to let you know that the computer is responding, but there are no current diagnostic trouble codes.

RalphWiggum,
If you are sure that all the guages are reading normal and you're not running out of gas, that sucks. It is very expensive to get your cluster rebuilt...I'm gonna guess $300 to $400 on that car. It is really common for that malfunction on early 90's grand Am's & grand Prix's with the v6. I'm worried about how low you say the oil pressure is at idle, I wonder if the sender is malfunctioning (also a common problem)
Since you asked for a price, I'm gonna say that $80 should cover getting the oil pressure mechanically checked, the sender operation verified, and the sender replaced. It could be less, but I would freak if it was more.

 

[RalphWiggum]

Well, thanks to everyone for your time and replies. This is my last bump before I take it into the mechanic.

Does anyone know exactly which parts of the car are monitored by those gauges? I know my steering feels a little tight which means I need more power steering fluid, but my cars been like that for a while and I don't think that'd be the problem.

 

[Pacfanweb]

<<Does anyone know exactly which parts of the car are monitored by those gauges? >>

Temp gauge--temp sender

Oil pressure gauge-oil sender

Volt gauge-alternator

Fuel Gauge-fuel sender

Typically, those are the only things that turn the check gauge light on.

You're right, the power steering is not the problem.

 

[PrinceofWands]

In my 97 cavalier that's my low fuel warning, among other things...also happens therefore when I turn corners and such, changing the fuel float position.