My folks have an 89 topaz, four cylender with air. First they tell me that it was making a "howling" noise which turns out to have been the power steering fluid- low. Added fluid, that fixed the howling. But the car has been stalling, on right turns. I drove it for twenty minutes today and couldn't get the thing to stall. A couple months ago they complained that the engine was idling too slow, and tended to kill unless they kept up on the peddle. I adjusted the idle speed and that seems to have fixed that.
The steering and idle issues may be irrelevant but I mention them because:
a) The low fluid in the steering may have caused a drag on the belt hence dragging the rpms down.
b) Cranking the idle up may not have been the best way to address the initial idle problem.
I thought this engine had a diagnostic computer that could be accessed somehow i.e. flashing a code with the check engine light. Does anyone know if it does have a computer, and how to get the codes out?
The check engine light has been on for quite some time, I suspect that this is an O2 sensor but for some reason dad won't have that changed.
He's had it in the shop many times, but no one seems to address the engine light issue for some reason. The car was not acting up originally when the light was on so it could be a short in the light system, but...
Fuel pump has been replaced in the last two years Fuel filter likewise. Tune up last summer Ignitiom module replaced last winter Cooling fan motor, car is not overheating
I replaced all this stuff as it failed not because I was guessing at what was causing the stalls.
Any idea's or info on the computer would be appreciated.
Paul.