Cavalier :: 2000 Sunfire - Engine Stalls Out / Drop In RPM
Dec 25, 2012
2000 sunfire SE 2.2 L engine. Firstly, I should mention the present temperature out here is -37 C.
So here is the issue I am experiencing. The car does not idle smoothly. In fact I find it idles a lot lower then my fiances 2005 sunfire (hers idles at about 1000 RPM). My car idles around 750 RPM. and I've noticed for last couple months when just idling its not very smooth. The RPM will idle at 750 and then drop down a bit and back up again. It never has been a big problem till now.
While driving it yesterday, whenever I would let go of the accelerator the RPM would drop right down to 500RPM, and you would hear as the heater (air blowing) would completely drop down, and lights would dim significantly, and then within a split second, RPM would jump back up to 750 and blower and lights would return to normal. It almost feels as if the RPM is too low for Alternator?? That it's not able to produce enough power for electrical devices. As well, while braking if the ABS kicks in again I see this drop in RPM along with lights dim and blower airflow drop. Once again only for a split second though.
Here is the big problem. the drop in RPM and amount of disruption it causes actually had my car stall when I let go of gas and hit brake and had ABS kick in.
I am not sure if this is a problem with having the idle set too low, spark plug problem or something do with alternator?
View 1 Replies
Advertisement
I have a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire with a 2.4 liter engine.
I just had the waterpump replaced and the lower coolant tube, I believe it's called, by a mechanic, which was quite a long job and a bit of a costly bill.
I went to pick the car up earlier and as soon as I started it up, the car was shaking back and forth as I was sitting in park. I immediately got out and went and told the mechanic. He looked under the hood, and the engine was very clearly shaking back and forth.
He couldn't give me an explanation as to why it would be shaking like this - and it wasn't doing it before I brought it in to have the water pump changed. It's the weekend now and he's closed on the weekend, but he said to just drive it for a couple days to see if it evens itself out.
What would be causing this and if there's any issues that could have occurred when he was replacing the water pump that could cause the engine to do this? Also, the engine light is not on.
View 3 Replies
Any way, my 2000 Pontiac Sunfire will randomly not accelerate while I am driving. I was initially rolling up to a red light so took my foot of the gas at about 20 mph, then the light turned green so I tried to hit the gas but nothing happened for about 5-7 seconds. So I was just coasting, but then I hit the gas and everything was fine. It did this a second time on the way home. Two days later I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. Nothing was happening--no noises, nothing. So I got my battery tested--Autozone tested it and said it was bad, but after replacing the battery nothing happened still.
Then a "mobile mechanic" came and stuck a screw driver into the starter to short circuit it so it made a sound like it was trying to start, but didn't. Then after a few minutes he looked and my radio was on and it started with the key. Since then it has not started only one time when I used a screw driver to start it myself, but when I was on a steep incline last night it kept not accelerating if I made it work too hard. I would be at ~65 mph and it would just quit so I'd pull off the side of the road and it would drop to ~40 mph for ~5-7 seconds, then I'd hit the gas again and it would go just fine. It did this about 3-4 times. One time all the lights on the dashboard flashed on when it wouldn't go. One time it just completely stalled on me when I was driving. I pulled off the side of the road and started it again and it was fine.
View 1 Replies
98 sunfire 2.2L
Basically the only way we can get my car to start is by hooking another battery up to it. Like, we plugged the tractor's battery up to it as we were going to jump it, but we didn't turn the tractor on. Then my car would start. The second we take the jumper cables off my battery it will die though. One time it did hold a charge for a minute or two before shutting off.
Also, my battery light is constantly on, even when hooked up to another battery, like the tractor one. We replaced the alternator today (got a brand new one) thinking that was the problem but still no dice. What else could it be? Could it be my battery that's less than 7-8 months old? It shows 11 volts when we put the meter on it. The new alternator is also showing that it's getting charge.
View 14 Replies
My sunfire is not shifting from 3rd to 4th gear. I will shift fine all the way up to 3rd and then ir revs like it is in neutral when i hit about 43 mph. it gets a little bit of a jump if i get off the gas all the way and then back on it and i can get it up to 55 but the rpm's are at 4.5. I read a few different posts that seemed like they may have had the same problem but they werent describing the way my car is acting. I went and got the fluid exchanged today and also changed the throttle position sensor on a whim because someone told me it could be the problem.
View 3 Replies
I have 99 Sunfire 2.2L doesn't like to start right away. You turn the key and it cranks, cranks, cranks, and does that for about 5-8 seconds then start. If I shut the car off and turn it back on within an hour it seems to start pretty quick,(my only crank for a second or two).. It seems to be when it sets for a few hours it just hates to start. It always cranks strong .. i.e. it doesn't crank weak or slow like when your batter is very low.
I put a new alternator in it about 3 years ago and new battery in it last week. I do not have a system or any accessories that maybe causing any interruption. I have had this problem for year now and I have had it.
View 10 Replies
Brief history: Took possession two days ago - wife's car (we've separated). In December she put the car in a ditch during a snowstorm. The car has been driven less than 100 miles since that happened. She said that she thought she'd damaged something, since it made a strange sound when driving. I figure it would make a good work transportation vehicle.
I jacked it up today to have a look and there was some plastic splash guards on the pass. side which were damaged and rubbing on the tire. I thought! Removed them and still had the noise.
It appears that the pass. front wheel took the brunt of the impact (broken splash guard and the wheel cover was cracked). I thought maybe the wheel bearing/hub may be bad, but after checking it out (pulling top to bottom, side to side), it didn't seem too bad. I checked at the point where the axle enters the transmission and there is a bit of play when pushing up on the axle. I could also hear a click inside the transmission while doing so, like a gear hitting into another.
It also looks as if the axle is pulled out about a 1/4 inch or so from the transmission seal, as the metal is shiny and not rusted as if it had been this way for a long time. ( I have pics of this but no site to host them).
my question is this - could it be the differential bearing (hope not, don't feel like cracking tranny apart)? Should I attempt to try and whack the axle back in that 1/4 inch? Has ever heard of an axle pulling out of the tranny after an accident?
View 1 Replies
My airbag light flashes six times when I turn my car on. Then it remains on while I'm driving. I have no clue what this means.
View 4 Replies
when u turn the key it starts to turn over for half a sec then stops. when u stop it sounds like the starter is still spinning. battery is good. it use to do it some times but if she tried a couple times it would start. could it be where the wires go in or the whole thing? could it be somthing else besides the starter?
View 6 Replies
I have a manual transmission, 2003 Chevy Cavalier with 197,000 miles. Car has been great up until 6 months ago. My husband is great with keeping up with oil changes/ routine car maintenance. The reason for my post is, I am having two main problems with my car
1.) Significant drops in RPMs while stopped.
2.) lurching while on the accelerator.
The significant drops in RPMs occur while at a complete stop and do not occur at every stop, it seems completely random. This first started roughly 5-6 months ago, my husband replaced the spark plugs and it was running fine until last week. Same symptoms- while at a stop it fluctuates between an idle of 1000rpms down to almost 0 (car has never died, but sounds like it comes close). The second set of symptoms have been fairly consistent the past 2-3 months. At first I thought I had some bad fuel so I applied fuel treatment- seemed to solve the problem until I filled up again. Same problem- again treated with fuel treatment, and issue resolved.
The same tank of fuel got down to 1/4 tank, and symptoms started a third time. Again- fuel treatment. The car is now down to 1/2 a tank and the lurching has started once again. There is no way I continue to get this unlucky with bad fuel. The car lurches forward more when I maintain a higher speed (50-60mph) but on occassion can occur while going much slower. It typically jerks for 5ish miles, it doesnt occur my entire drive to/from work (22miles). My check engine light is on, but has been for years. This is my daily driver, I depend on this car and am nervous if I dont find out what is wrong- ill end up stranded.
View 4 Replies
My '99 Saturn SL2 has from time to time in the past year or so had brief bouts where the engine will suddenly rev up to about 2000rpms while at a stop and/or drop down to about 650rpms combined with surging and stalling while moving. The Service Engine light would typically come on in conjunction with these spells, but then a few days later, things would be back to normal and the light would go off. The episodes seem to correspond with weather that has high humidity, but not necessarily extreme heat. Once or twice when the heat was above 90, the car quit completely and wouldn't restart for several minutes, but that was last summer.
About a month ago the car, which is normally parked in a garage, spent the whole weekend outside when we had some extreme rains (in air temps only about 60s or so). Since that weekend, the car is running frequently with the issues previously described, especially the surging and stalling while driving. It will feel like the timing of the fuel is all out of whack, will shudder and run hard, and then it will suddenly correct itself and run normally. A friend has a code reader and the codes that came up are 404 and 1404, which indicate the EGR valve. We replaced that with a new one and put in 4 new spark plugs, but the problem still persists. I believe the fuel pump is in the gas tank, so from other things I've read, a vapor lock may not be the problem since the fuel is being pushed.
View 6 Replies
I have a 2002 Chevy Cavalier that stalls ever time it is fueled at the pump. It then continues to stall. I have to pump the gas like the old days when we all had carburetors and repeat the action many times. It always starts eventually, but causes unnecessary anxiety so I always fill my car at a time I don't need to be anywhere in a timely manner. It was taken to the shop but they could not reproduce the stalling, as they did not have the information that it mostly happens at the when fueling. The gas cap can be taken off for a while and it starts okay. The rpm is low after adding gas, if you give it gas, it runs then eventually idles normally.
View 6 Replies
So I have a '98 cavalier with the 2.2l and 4sp auto. Anyway, it runs great when dry conditions, but when its wet from rain or any moisture it runs terrible. It stalls and stumbles and the cab fills with a gas odor. I changed the coil packs and plugs and wires and it still does it. I have a P0301 cylinder 1 misfire detected and a P0200 injector circuit problem. I'm having a hard time believing this because it runs fine most of the time. Is there something else I can look at that is feeding this problem? Is this a common ocurrance?
View 4 Replies
Cold start. engine starts but wont idle, just dies. rpms drop. Restart same. Must neutral drop to get going keep rpms up until engines shifts then things are fine until next cold start. Cleaned throttle, changed air filter, dry gas, injector cleaner, no warning signal, scans clean. 180k miles.
View 6 Replies
I have a 2003 Ford Escort ZX2. Recently, I've begun to notice issues with the RPM. When I'm not actually giving it gas, such as idling or coasting in neutral, I notice that one of four things start happening:
1) the car stalls outright,
2) the RPM drops from 1000 to around 500 and stays,
3) drops to 500ish then recovers after a few seconds, or
4) acts normal.
Which one is completely random. I am getting OBD codes p0171 and p0420, which points towards either oxygen sensors or the catalytic converter. However, I've been told that it might be the idle air control valve too. Which seems more/less likely? I don't have a lot of money to commit to repairs at the moment, so I am leery of playing trial and error.
View 4 Replies
My 2000 Honda CRV starts when cold, however I must continue to give it gas and it will die when I shift into Reverse or Drive. If I rev the engine, I can keep it running and it will run OK once warmed up. When I get it going, the engine will stall if I attempt to let it idle. All problems resolve themselves once the engine is warm. Several mechanics have seen the problem, but cannot determine a solution other than to let the engine warm up. I live in Boston and the combination of having to work my way out of a parking space and the enginge continously stalling when I shift into R or D is making life difficult?
View 5 Replies
My 2001 accent 4dr will start up no problem when everything is cold, but once I let it idle for about ten to fifteen minutes and if i shut it off, it will start back up but then it stalls and wont start back up, or if i just let it run a little bit longer it also stalls, no problems with fuel pump or relay when it is cold it starts right up, but once it stalls it wont turn back on....the pump is getting power even when its hot so could it be a bad wire or should i test the coils when it gets hot or am i completely looking at the wrong thing?
View 4 Replies
have had many problems with my 2003 Accent. I am not a mechanic, but I suspect the problems are related. My engine sometimes stalls when I sit at a red light. I drive about twenty miles to work. On a good day it will just sputter occasionally. On a bad day it will stall as many as three times. It also frequently "skips" a little while driving. It's like a split second hiccup in engine power.
I also used to have a really hard time filling the gas tank. It would take about fifteen minutes when close to empty. I have had it worked on three times over the past three weeks. First they replaced the timing belt (which I already knew needed to be replaced). Then they replaced something called a charcoal canister and blew out all the vapor vents(?) ( Again, I am not a mechanic). After that the car ran ok for about two days, and I can now fill the tank in about two minutes. But, it began stalling again, just as bad as before. So, they replaced something called a MAP sensor (MAFF?).
It has been a couple of days and the car hasn't stalled . . . yet. However, it still skips occasionally while driving, and my engine light has come on again. The mechanic says the code has something to do with a barometric pressure problem. what might be wrong with it?
View 2 Replies
1st problem is shifting from 1st to 2nd and sometimes from 2nd to 3rd though, 2nd to 3rd is not as bad as from 1st to 2nd. It stumbles and gets really bad if I don't let up on the gas. After the initial shudder it will go into 2nd just fine. I also have to gun the gas a little bit when I first start the car, or it will just sit there and idle and never go into gear.
2nd and more annoying is that it stalls after driving around a bit. It happens on freeway or city. It doesn't stutter or anything the rpm's drop to 0 and it just stalls and won't start up for a 5 - 10 minutes or so.
Codes pulled are P0731, & P0736. The transmission was replaced about 2 years ago with a refurbished one. Could it be going out again already? The guy at Autozone suggested replacing the TSS (Transmission Speed Sensor?) to see if that was the problem. I have not done this yet, but plan to.
View 3 Replies
I own a 2001 Ford Explorer and have had the regular wear and tear but this problem has me stumped. A few months back I had to change the auto body gasket because the truck would not go into gear. After doing this the truck ran fine, I also changed the tranny fuild and filter. The other day i went to back up into the garage and the truck stalled and died out. it started right back up and it runs fine in all other gears. (P,N, D, 1,2, 4x4 high and low) and the over drive is working fine. when the truck is cool and hasn't ran in a while i can start it and the rpms stay at about 1000 th 1200 and the reverse works great. Now when the eng. heats up to normal and i put in in reverse the rpms drop to about 4 to 500 and it stalls out and dies. I have cleaned the mass air flow sensor, the throttle body, and the IAC valve but still dying out. Im thinking it may be a vaccume leak or the IAC is bad and cleaning just wont do the trick. I have also read that it may be the back up light wiring that hooks to the tranny may be shorted out.
View 4 Replies
Just started doing it last week some time and only happens when I am launching it from stop or grabbing gears hard.
This is a little idea on whats happening.. At stop light next to some random ricer.. maintaining 2500 rpms on tach
drop (stage 4) clutch on green
Car squeaks and dies out like a stall and dash lights flash as well as lights on controll/radio area (around abs light) radio shuts off like a stall.
View 3 Replies
