Questions and Answers

Cutlass Ciera Questions Q. Hello Vince! I have three questions, two are general and one specific to a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera: 1. With regard to starting an engine cold, I have heard contradicting advice. One source says to start the engine and let it warm up to operating temperature before driving, another says to start the engine and drive it within about a minute, but drive slowly until warmed up. What is the best method for starting a cold engine?

2. Is there a publication that describes the technical issues concerning automotive fluids (oil, ATF, etc)? I'm interested in understanding things like viscosities, DEXRON vs. MERCON vs. Type F, etc. on a technical level.

3. My 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera S with a 3.1 liter V-6 (30,000 miles) has a bumping idle. I've already replaced spark plugs/wires, air filter, etc. I am in the process of cleaning contacts and emissions components and I have added fuel system cleaner (Fuel UP). I cleaned the idle air control valve and housing, both of which were very sooty. This seemed to improve the idle, but now I get a 'Service Engine Soon' light intermittently (I will be cleaning the EGR valve soon.

You had mentioned in other responses about the linear EGR system and benefits of cleaning the valve. What I would also like to do is retrieve trouble codes. However, the common GM A-B terminal short does not apply to the 1994 system. How do you retrieve trouble codes from a post-1993, pre-OBD-II system without purchasing an expensive scanner?

Thank You,
Rob

A. There are as many "best" ways to start a cold engine as there are mechanics. So I will tell you what how I start mine on a cold morning and what I recommend to my customers. I start my car and let it warm up for about five minutes before I get in and go. This allows the coolant to get warm and helps defrosting the windshield. It also insures that the motor oil is pumping through the engine at full volume. Particular to my vehicle (Mercedes Benz 300D) the automatic climate control will not activate the heating system until the coolant reaches a certain temperature.

The camp that says start and drive takes into account that sitting and warming a car up wastes fuel, which it does. Ideally that should be the way to do it but I'm more concerned about the health of my engine and if letting it warm up for five minutes or so helps it, then that's the way I go.

Basically, start the car and let it run while you clean the windows and that will be fine.

There is an excellent technical sheet on motor oils at: More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil but I haven't found a comparable sheet for automatic transmission fluid.

The 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera does have OBD-I diagnostics and there is no way to pull engine codes without a scan tool. Usually a hunting idle is an indication of a bad O2 sensor or vacuum leak. Those would be the first two things I would check.

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