Pontiac: Service Engine Soon Light, computer control system, pretain

Question
1988 Grand Prix 2.8. The Service light goes on but if I go up a hill it goes off and then comes on when I get on level ground. What are the major parts that pretain to the light? What may go 1st? The only reason I ask is that both my wife and I are on disability and I am trying to keep the car going. Thank you

Answer
The "Service Engine Soon"(SES) light comes on any time that a problem is seen in the computer control system. It can be an ignition problem, a fuel supply or injection problem, or an emmision control related failure.
Any time that the light comes on, a code is stored in the computer. The codes lead to specific ares of the system that the problem is in. Thats where us technicians come in. We get the codes out of the computer and then trace down the cause of the problem.
There is way too much involved for me to be able to give you a crash couse in driveability diagnosis.
To avoid costly guesses, you should take it in to the shop and have it diagnosed. After you find out the cause, you can decide if you want to tackle the repairs yourself or let the techs do it.
If you can get someone to pull the codes for you, let me know what they are and I might be able to steer you in the right direction before you take it in to the shop. Some parts stores will get the codes, like Autozone. But dont let them try to sell you a part to fix it. Let me know what the codes are first.