my 98 3.8 oldsmobile intrigue has the check engine light blinking. i drove it pretty intensely this summer, putting about 4,000 miles in the past 3 months. it was driving fine, even yesterday on a long trip. but when i started it up a few minutes ago, the car was shaking a lot and the check engine light started blinking. it also smells kinda weird. any takers?

Welcome to AF.

How many total miles on the car?

Whenever the SES/CEL light blinks it indicates that a misfire condition has been detected by the PCM module. Start with spark plugs and wires if you have not already replaced them. Use OEM GM/AC Delco only.

theres about 115,000 miles. problem is, i am kinda clueless as far as cars go. i mean i checked to make sure the belts weren't loose, checked the oil, etc. i made sure the spark plugs weren't loose or funny looking, but i don't know how to change or check them. how much does it cost to get them replaced?

With over 100K miles the spark plugs and ignition wires are due for replacement. Most misfire problems are corrected when these two items are replaced. I am not sure what a GM dealer or a general mechanic/shop charges because I do my own work. You can get the ignition wires from an AC Delco Authorized Parts Dealer for around $60 and the plugs range around from $4 - $8 depending on whether AC Delco Platinum or Iridium.

NGK plugs should work fine as well. I am currently running a set and have had no problems

I would also recommend the Belden wires from NAPA,lifetime warranty and a decent price, and yes I have used them before, on my previous car a Bonneville with the 3.8.

This happened to my daughter's '98 Intrigue one time. Just out of the blue - same thing as you describe. It ended up being a 'stuck wide open' injector that was just dumping tons of fuel into one of the cylinders. In her case I told her not to drive it until I checked it, and I'm glad she didn't 'cuz there was raw fuel that had dumped into the converter and exhaust system - it took a little while to clear it out and we were lucky that the cat wasn't damaged.

Of course your problem may not be as serious as this, hopefully.

This happened to my daughter's '98 Intrigue one time. Just out of the blue - same thing as you describe. It ended up being a 'stuck wide open' injector that was just dumping tons of fuel into one of the cylinders. In her case I told her not to drive it until I checked it, and I'm glad she didn't 'cuz there was raw fuel that had dumped into the converter and exhaust system - it took a little while to clear it out and we were lucky that the cat wasn't damaged.

Of course your problem may not be as serious as this, hopefully.
At 115k plugs and wires are the #1 choice, I have had bad experiences with anything but oe type plats or iridium AC plugs, a premium wire set is required here also as the combination of underhood temps and the ign potential of 80k volts demand the best.

With over 100K miles the spark plugs and ignition wires are due for replacement. Most misfire problems are corrected when these two items are replaced. I am not sure what a GM dealer or a general mechanic/shop charges because I do my own work. You can get the ignition wires from an AC Delco Authorized Parts Dealer for around $60 and the plugs range around from $4 - $8 depending on whether AC Delco Platinum or Iridium.

I agree with the above, and yesy stick with A/C parts and most of all make sure you use nothing but the same plugs as the orginals. Tha same happened to my 3.8 My mistake was I took it to a dealer and it cost me around $700.00 to change , Plugs, wires, clean the injectors and intake and replace both filters. I think they call it a super tune-up. Oh yaw I can't believe how smooth the engine is running and I noticed great gas milage.