Problems??

[NSolano]

My friend let me borrow his riced up 95 firebird. Its 5 speed 3.4 engine with exhaust. well the car has 85,000 miles and i was driving it around my town. When I was going up a hill a red light cought us and a huge line of traffic was there. Since i am not that good with manual, the car stalled like 3 times when i tried going up after being in a complete stop.I let go of the clutch slowly and pressed the gas, but the car didn't go. When I tryed for the fourth time, the car's oil pressure went down, it was down almost to the red line and some white smoke came out of hte engine. On the fifth try I finally got it and went to the side of the road to check it. It seemed to me that it was low on oil, but when i was going back home, the oil pressure gage went up really high and then back to normal. what do you guys think this is?? just low on oil?? or did i mess up the car when i was forcing it up the hill?? waht's the best way to shift when going up a hill??

BTW my friend lives in VA Beach and he will pick up his car on saturday. I jsut wanted to know what the problem was so I can tell him to get it fixed. thanks

[ May 15, 2002: Message edited by: NSolano ]</p>

[Fin]

There's a couple of ways to start on a hill. Some people will start off by pulling the e-brake up enough so that it holds the car in place until they can get the car moving forward, then they release the e-brake. That's more of a thing for beginners, though. Once you get a feel for the car, you can simply sit on the hill & quickly move your foot from the brake to the gas, simultaneously letting out on the clutch. Often times you probably end up riding the clutch, but this isn't bad if you don't make a habit out of it, and it's much better than rolling back into the car behind you. As for the problem with the oil pressure, I'm not sure what to tell you there. Oil pressure is usually consistent w/engine RPM. On a 3.4L oil pressure is usually at the 1/4mark indicated by the oil pressure gauge (much lower than the 3.8L's oil pressure). The smoke you may have seen may have been a result of you smoking the clutch as you tried to get the car moving (did it smell like burning clutch?).

[NSolano]

i think so, I might have smoked the clutch a little. I took the car out for a drive again today and it seemed fine, I am getting a lot better now, I didn't stall at all. I still see the oil pressure low when its on first gear or at a stop light, but like u said, it might the way the 3.4 are. His next oil change is not for another 800 miles or so. I guess i need practice at a hill a little more.