Chevrolet - Cavalier :: 2001 - Loss Of Electrical Power Causing Lights To Dim / Fan To Slow
May 5, 2016
About 2 months ago, I needed to test my engine cooling fan motor. Was using two lead test wires with alligator clips and stupidly connected the battery ends first and then the wind blew the other connection ends together creating a spark. That may or may not have anything to do with what has happened since then. About 3 days after that, I started to notice that my lights were dimming and ac fan motor was slowing when the engine was under load as in 1st or 2nd gear or going uphill.
After about a week, the ALT/BAT light came on and I replaced my alternator. The problem with that was that getting the belt back on the new ALT nearly killed me and I got several pretty bad injuries and ended up having to get it done. The old alternator tested bad so I figured my problem was solved. But ever since then, I am still getting the same problem - a voltage drop or loss of electrical power causing the lights to dim and the fan to slow - except this time is doesn't happen under load - it happens while driving and just after I have come to a stop at a light or stop sign. I have had the battery and alternator tested several times and they always show up as being fine.
I checked all the cables and connections and changed the positive battery cable bolt. I get no codes thrown. I cant just take the alternator out and change it because of what I went through with the last one - not to mention it tests OK so I can't use the warranty as long as that is the case anyway. So I am left with this troubling, annoying problem and don't know what the cause or solution is. I am guessing the list of options has to have the alternator, battery, connections, belt (though I have no sounds or evidence there is a problem with the belt - I suppose if the tensioner was damaged with the belt fiasco that it might cause such a problem). What to do? It is the biggest problem at night because my headlights are affected.
2001 Cavalier 5-speed manual 2.2
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I recently had the high and low pressure tubes on my power steering fail causing a total loss of fluid. After about a week of living with manual steering, I brought it in and had the tubing replaced. Everything worked fine, though the steering felt a bit sloppy to me. Today, on my way home from a 100 mile trip, the car decided that turning left just wasn't something it wanted to do.
So to turn left, I would have to back up and turn the wheels to the right. Not exactly an efficient way to drive in traffic. Do I try to get the car back into my mechanics place to see if he can fix it for a reasonable amount, or should just bite the bullet and look for a newer car? BTW when I had brought the car in for the tubing replacement, they showed me where the bracket holding the strut on the left had begun to crack, probably from driving without the power steering. 1998 Malibu LS ....
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Back in November I traded my sports car in for a more practical 2005 Mariner with 50K miles on it. I had noticed a somewhat delayed start during the test drive (at least compared to what I'm used to) and assumed it was the battery. Car drove great and I loved it otherwise so I made the purchase and went on my way. A couple weeks passed and I noticed the issue seemed to be getting worse and the engine took a couple more turns before firing up. I wasn't surprised as most battery issues surface when the cold weather kicks in. I took it to the dealer and they found a leaky battery and replaced it and again I went on my way. Unfortunately the issue was not resolved with the new battery. I didn't give it much thought thinking it was just the way the vehicle ran until the weather started getting progressively colder and my delayed start became even more prolonged. So back to the service department I go and wait patiently in the lobby with my book, hoping for good news. When they come back to me 2 hrs later they tell me that something is drawing too much power from my battery causing it to drain (alternator is fine) and they need to power everything down for a few hours and investigate the fuses in hopes of finding the culprit to the power drain. Later on I called for a progress check and they're still stumped and would like to keep the vehicle overnight and see if they can figure out the issue after it sits for a night since (as I relayed) the slow starts are primarily in the morning after the car has sat. From what I gathered, the evidence of drain "disappeared" after a while during their little power down session.
Consequently, I have them investigating 2 other issues and I'm wondering if any of them may be related. One- I am having issues depressing the shift button to get the vehicle out of park (also more of a problem in the morning during the first start). Two- on occasion my key sticks in the lock cylinder when I shut off the engine and try to pull the key out. I spent some time online researching all of the above and it seems that there could be some issue with the ignition switch or a bad solenoid somewhere in the circuit... then again, maybe not? The only other bits of info I can offer since owning the vehicle are that I was having some issue with the rear hatch door. I kept getting the "door ajar" light after using the back hatch.. but I'm pretty sure that was due to my own stupidity because the main door release and the top window release are right next to each other and I may have pressed the wrong one- slamming the back hatch hard took care of the light. The other thing is I followed the manual instructions and deactivated the seat belt alarms because I can't stand the seat belt reminder beeping at me when I forget my seatbelt.
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1999 Chevy cavalier. Since 2010 Brake warning lights come on intermittently ABS, ETS (!)BRAKES, and traction. Brakes jerk the car forward a few shot times before car comes to a stop, car stops fine 90% of the time. Three different mechanics can not find anything wrong by looking at brakes and I'm lucky if they can drive it and have the problem happen which is basically every other day. New rotors were put on in 2010 twice first time they were warped, wheel cylinders replaced or whatever they do to them recently. Dealership said I needed new rotors I don't think they know.
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was wondering when I hook my fog lights up to my 03 cavalier do I need to install a switch or do they come on automatically with the headlights.
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My daughter says that the AC on her 2001 Chevy Cavalier cuts off when she is idling.
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My 2001 L.L.Bean Edition H6-3.0 is losing power & MPG on the fwy. Sometimes it will feel like something is holding it back or dragging. I've checked the brake calipers and they're not sticking, changed the air filter, oil & filter, transmission fluid, and still cannot find the problem. I've overfilled the gas tank and read this can damage the charcoal canister. Will a saturated charcoal canister cause a drop in power and MPG? What should I check out next?
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My Chevy has about 149,000 miles. The charge light flashes constantly even though the battery & alternator have been replaced & tested . Periodically all the warning lights flash & the speedometer goes haywire in an instant. Then back to normal. The thing that scares me is when all this happens the car catches, don't know how else to describe it, like it's going to stall but doesn't. My mechanic says it's probably the instrument cluster & an expensive fix. When I take it in & they put it on the computer everything is OK. I'm afraid it will stall out one day.
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I have a 98 cavelier 2.4L..When engine is cold and the colder the outside temp is, the engine runs great with lots of power. but as temperatures rise, there is a huge loss in power. It feels like the computer is retarding the timing. Is there an outside air temp sensor to close to the rad??
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I have a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier. I've been getting a pulsing vibration which feels like the left front. It starts at about 40mph and gets worse the faster I go. The vibration completely goes away with the slightest left turn on the freeway. It vibrates on acceleration and deceleration, in neutral and in gear (5spd manual). I've currently replaced the front struts, strut mounts, pads and rotors, left front wheel bearing, tie rod ends, had the front end aligned and the tires balanced.
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Replaced the clutch on my son's 01 Cavalier 4 cyl. Replaced Clutch as it was slipping, and replaced hydraulic throw out bearing/slave cylinder at same time. New throw out bearing failed after only 500 miles or so, seal broken, started grinding on down shift and coasting (deceleration) followed by leak and no pedal. Replaced with new Slave Cylinder and Throw out bearing, the new one is starting to show same grinding noise on shifting and deceleration. What could cause this? Used the spline alignment tool to adjust the plate on center the right way. Could the pressure plate springs be off center? The flywheel was purple could it be warped and throwing the pressure plate springs off center thereby causing them to rub against the I.D. of the Throw Out Bearing slave cylinder seal?
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It's a 2001 Chevy cavalier. The key is stuck and won't turn the car off. Already have tried shaking the wheel and wd-40. The wipers won't work and the gauges won't turn on until I jiggle the key.
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This is my daughter in laws car. The rough idle, check engine light and trac light all happened at the same time. She was in a parking lot and drove over a speed bump when all the problems started. The check engine light flashes when driving above 25mph. It's on solid at idle. I found the EVAP purge valve plastic nipple was busted off so I replaced the assembly. I was totally surprised when this had no effect on the symptoms.
I find it strange that the car was running fine and then has all these symptoms after going over a speed bump.
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When working, all is OK. When not, I have no high or low beams, a weak and barely moving wipers with a lot of buzzing coming from wiper motor area and drivers door lock tries to lock (or at least the lock sound is coming from drivers door). The DRL's function normally. The problems are definitely interlinked and it is very intermittent and can come and go several times in a few minutes.
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I have a 2001 Cavalier 5-speed manual 2.2. I have owned it for every day and every mile (204K) since I bought it new in April of 2001. I have had many mechanical disasters and problems mostly starting a couple of years ago - and a lot of them I have worked on or fixed and/or replaced the part myself.
The transmission fluid in this car has never been changed, looked-at, drained, added, etc....because I was told that it didn't need it. The manual says the same thing. For as long as I've had this car, it has had a intermittent rattle noise that I figured was just the "Getrag rattle" - so I didn't pay much attention to it. But over the past year - especially the last 6 months - this rattle has just gotten totally insane and out of control. It is now a constant loud rattle whenever the car is in gear - especially starting out in 1st or 2nd. I mentioned this to someone and they asked when the last time the fluid was changed and said that would fix the problem - and couldn't believe that the fluid had never been changed after 15 years and 200K miles.
This model has no dipstick. There is a big red vent cap and I think I found a HEX plug close to it, but before I go out and buy the wrong size hex key - what size these are and if they are even what I am looking for to fill/check/drain it? So frustrated. Also - since I can't find DEXRON 3 anywhere am I supposed to use this DEX/Mercon stuff?
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My girlfriend's 2001 cavalier has about 160k on it and about a week ago it started shifting harshly accelerating to highway speeds and the CEL came on along with the traction control/abs warning light. I pulled the OBD2 code and it was P0742, Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Stuck On. We took it to the transmission shop down the street the next day and they wanted $600 to diagnose. We called 'shenanigans' and decided she should take it to her regular shop. On the drive over the transmission shifted normally. Both shops noticed that the transmission cooler lines were rusty and seeping, but neither thought it was the cause of the problem. The shifting issue hasn't recurred even after a couple hundred miles during the week. She hasn't had the transmission fluid changed and doesn't know if it had been when she bought it about 80k miles ago. It seems to me that pre-emptively draining the fluid, changing the filter and refilling, especially to check for debris in the fluid, would make sense, especially if it was debris jamming the circuit that caused the error code in the first place.
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Passengers side tail light doesn't react when braking, using hazards or blinker, what do I replace? The bulb is lit, but doesn't blink or brighten when the brakes are applied. As of right now I'm replacing the bulb socket seeing as when I replaced the bulb the contacts were covered in a brown crust, is there something else I should be looking at?
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I have a 2005 hyandai elantra with 176k miles. ck eng light came on with P0340 cam shaft positioning sensor. I replaced it and cleared code and ck eng light came back with same code. So as last resort took it to dealership who replaced the wire from sensor to ecu and told me i had a bad ecu. I replaced it with a used one from a semi-reputable salvage yard (i mean i have used them several times with no issues). The code came back almost instantly. Symptoms of the car starts good cold within a few minutes it is very slow to accelerate and i have noticed a severe loss of MPG. I have also checked timing because i changed the belt in this process.
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The window just stopped working. Everything was fine, then all of a sudden it quit! What could it be and how can I fix it? I checked for a fuse, everything appears ok. Its 1997 Cavalier. Its 15°F here and it would be nice to not have to drive with the window down.
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'98 Dodge Caravan occasionally loses power and dies while driving. No power steering or brakes. Have changed alternator, battery, starter, computer, and starter switch. What else could it be?
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2005 Honda Accord. I have been experiencing a loss of electricity to my dashboard - the radio cuts out, tach and speedometer needles drop, sometimes warning lights come on. I don't think I have experience a loss of power with this but when it happens, it lasts less than a second.
I can go days of driving without issue. Then, in one drive it may happen four or five times. I hate the idea of taking it into the dealer on an intermittent electrical issue. That could be a real bank drain.
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