Auto Parts: 93 lumina, coolant temperature sensor, competent mechanic


Question
my car has a sound like it needs power sterring fluid but i went to get the oil changed an they told me it smell like gas in the oil its alling fast and the man told me that my engine is gone could it be that its alling to fast and it need to be turned down or i need to change my filters or fuel pump i need help.

Answer
    I'm trying to figure out what "alling to fast" might mean.  I'm going to assume that your mechanic has a really thick accent and meant to say "idling too fast."  A fuel injected engine would have a hard time getting enough gasoline in the oil that it could be smelled.  The only way for this to happen would be for the computer to be getting false data from one of the senders.  In these old-style (pre-OBDII) GM cars the coolant temperature sensor can fail, causing the engine to run rich (as though the engine were cold).  This is a common problem and easily fixed by replacing the coolant temperature sensor (very cheap).  If you can find a competent mechanic with a good scanner that can diagnose these older engines he could confirm the problem.  The idle problem is most likely cause by a gummed up idle speed motor.  This was probably caused by the rich running.  These items are cheap, too.  If it was me, I'd replace both of them, let the computer reboot (disconnect the battery ground before changing the sensor and motor, then reconnect when done) and see what happens.  The two parts won't cost as much as one hour of time from a good mechanic (a shop that does not charge at least $60/hour is not a good shop, believe me).