Cavalier - Chevrolet :: 1999 - Small Explosion In The Engine And Car Doesn't Start When Turn The Key
Oct 11, 2012
I have an 1999 Cavalier that I got inspected in July so I'm good until next July. I had a small welding job done on the frame so it would get the inspection sticker for this year, but I'm thinking that by next year, I'll have paid enough off of my Liberty and be able to take on another car payment. In the meantime, the Cavalier has 214,000 miles on it and has something weird happening. Occasionally, I will get into the car and turn the key to start it and it makes a sound in what I think is the engine compartment.
It almost seems as if there is a small explosion in the engine and the car doesn't start. Then, I turn the key again and it starts up without a problem, no boom. This actually happened again yesterday and I'm writing now so I don't forget "how" it happened. I stopped at the school to pick up my son and shut off the car to go in. I picked him up, got in the car and that is when it happened. I had just come from my house which is a mile away, so it was a short drive to get him. I keep thinking that maybe one of the cylinders has some gas in it that is igniting when I try to start it, but not sure what could cause that. It doesn't happen all the time though, just once every couple of weeks.
Also, this car has over 200,000 miles on it and I do not believe I have ever changed the antifreeze in it. It is the orange kind that is supposed to be good up to 100,000 miles and, yes, I should have had it changed a long time ago, but I have never had any problems with it overheating or starting in the winter time so I didn't worry about it. Again, this is only once a month or maybe every few weeks, but I'll see the coolant light come on. I don't want to take this to the shop and pay them to replace the coolant, so I'm thinking I'll either do it myself. My question is...should I drain it and replace with orange coolant, green coolant, or just top it off with water?
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So I have a 1999 Cavalier..I drove it yesterday without issues but when I got up this morning to go to work, I turned the key to start it and it seemed as if there was a boom from the engine. The engine didn't start, but when I tried the key again, it started right up. I drove 35 miles to work, including some highway miles at 70 mph. What would that have been? Is it a sign of things to come?
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My 1996 Chevrolet cavalier will not start. It sat for two months while I looked for a neutral safety switch. New switch is in and brand new battery, Car does turn over. It gets close but no luck. I put new gas in. I really need to get this running before the snow flies.
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I have a 2001 cavalier Z24 with power windows and the driver side window will only go up about an inch at a time. After which it just stops and I have to wait about 5 minutes before it will move again. The window still goes down no problem. It's only when the window's going up that it happens.
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I've been fighting this almost a month now.2.2L Engine.
The engine turns over, but want start.
We have fuel pressure (55psi) and a spark.
Sprayed ether in the intake -- nothing.
Changed the crankshaft positioning sensor. Put a simple scanner on it, it stated no errors or faults could be found.
Tried another ignition module, checked the PCM fuse and ignition module fuse, both look fine.
Installed an anti-theft system bypass and followed the reset instructions. Didn't fix.
Just for fun we changed the spark plugs as well.
Now, the person I was with who saw the spark (I was inside the car) says the spark looked "weak" to him. Is this possible?
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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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So I'm driving to work this morning, 35 miles one way, and I get to my destination, or almost. 1999 Cavalier, automatic transmission, 215,000 miles.
As I get to the red light where I need to turn, it seemed as if it was not upshifting on its own. It is an automatic. I made the turn, then made another turn and as I pressed the gas, it seemed to do the same, not wanting to shift into second.
As I turned to go up to the second level of the parking lot, it gave up about 3/4 of the way up to level 2. Pressing the gas just revved the engine. I tried switching into 1, 2, back to D, even to R, but nothing worked. It is like it just gave up and decided the only thing that would work is neutral.
When I switch into gear normally, you hear that slight thud as it falls into gear, but when I try it now, nothing happens.
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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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RE: FORD PROBE GL (non-turbo). Last week suddenly car wouldn't start Thurs. night. Cranked but would not turn over. Heard click at ignition switch area when key turned to start position. (Although I could only hear one click from inside the vehicle with windows shut, I was told that clicks audible under the hood from standing outside.) Tried jump starting (from a good battery using proper connections) unsuccessfully, repeated tries several minutes apart, allowing longer and longer time to charge. About every third attempt, instead of cranking sounds, I would get silence, with only the click audible.
Temperatures decreased from approximately 50s to 20s when symptoms began.Battery is old but tests good/replace soon: 330+ CCA at 43 degrees, original rating CCA 530 (silver battery now at 7 years. Will replace, but garage did not have required size 56). At that point, the amps gauge read at the low end of the normal range (and today it read mid-way in the normal range).Had car towed to garage on Friday. Mechanic looked at on Saturday and decided it was the inertia switch, which he said had "tripped".I watched video for technicians on inertia switch but it shows on newer Fords. Mine is not located at the kick panel and does not have a red button on top. I am not certain from my experience whether the reset button would actually be in a different position when tripped or he merely surmised that is what had happened, despite my telling the shop manager that I had not so much as bumped a curb. Also, the trunk was not slammed or even opened prior to the car not starting.
Car presumably started fine at mechanic when they pulled it into the garage to put air in tires and back out to the lot, as well as when I started it to drive home on Sunday. However, on Tuesday it would not start. Just in case, I depressed inertia switch reset and tried cranking again several times, giving it some gas, until I was actually pumping it vigorously in desperation as a last resort (several seconds turning key each time), and on about the 5th try, the engine began to catch just as I was releasing the key. Reset the inertia switch one more time (just in case), and after a couple more attempts, it finally started, but when I was going in reverse to back out and then putting in gear to start out in first gear, for about 15 seconds total, I heard a bizarre loud, fairly high-pitched whistle/whine type of sound that seemed to come from under the hood coming through the central area of the dash where the radio is located.
Drove about 5 miles to my job, and about 2 hours later was able to start the car on the first try. Lately usually driven relatively short distances of 2-4 miles, with a longer drive of 11 miles broken up into 6 miles + 5 miles on the return trip the night before this started happening.
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Car won't start after filling up with gas. I have tried a new fuel filter, new gas tank cap, checked for pressure on fuel pump. We have gottenit to start (but barely) when either hit gas tank with hammer or shake the back of the car, otherwise you have to set and wait 15-30 minutes before it will start and when it does it smells very weird (like it's flooded but an extra strange smell with it). I have seen a similar posting on here and someone suggested it might be a purge value problem. In talking with someone at auto store they didn't think this was the issue. I do have my check engine light on all the time and when checked the code , it said oxygen sensor. My two other Cavaliers have also had the oxygen sensor problem but it never did this with that code.
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So, starting about 2 months ago my car started starting kind of hard and the CEL came on. It would crank for a few seconds, start to turn over but sound like it was going to sputter out, but ultimately turn over. It seemed to be exacerbated the longer the car sat between times running. I let the car sit for about a week while I was waiting for parts to come in to change out my front brakes, and now it won't start.
I hooked up my newly acquired OBD II reader and got the following DTCs:P0130 - O2 Sensor Circuit Malfunction Bank 1 Sensor 1P0130 P - Same, P for PendingP0336 - Crankshaft Position Sensor A CKT Range/PerformanceP0340 - Camshaft Position Sensor A Bank 1 Circuit Malfunction
Based on my limited understanding, I would think something having to do with the last two codes would be why the car isn't starting, but it seems like it could also easily be something else not directly indicated by those codes. So what I'm wondering is, do I need sensors replaced, or is there something else that needs to be replaced on the car. The car has ~130k on the odo.
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2004 chevy cavalier ... when i first start up the car & put it into the drive, it acts like it's going to stall and the low traction light comes on. if i go slow enough, the light will go out, if not both the ABS and NO TRAC and the SERVICE lights will come on. i took it to a repair shop a year ago and they jiggled the wires by the left front wheel and said they'd have to look into it more since I was there for them to just check out the brakes (they were fine). after they jiggled the wires, the problem didn't happen for another couple of months. today i took it to a chevy dealer & they said i needed to replace the left front speed sensor & harness. I just got my oil changed on the way home, the usual warning lights never came on when they would doing the usual starting up and backing out of parking spots. do you think that just a wire is loose and every time i have them look at it, it reconnects?
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Today my son's car just would not start. The battery is okay, the fuses look okay but car won't start. Up to now, it has run just fine.
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Replaced Fuel Pressure Regulator but still notice smell of gas and sometimes at start up rough idle.
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My car began to not start almost every other time i tried to start without being jumped and now will not start at all without being jumped. the battery won't stay charged and I bought the battery brand new 6 months ago.
1987 chevy cavalier, over 100,000 miles....
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I have a 97 Chevy Cavalier, 2.2 ltr, that started giving me problems last week. I was going to leave the house and got a bout 50 ft before I heard a "tink" noise and it died. It won't start now. I have checked everything that I can think of. It's not a rod or anything like that. It has to be something really simple. It will turn over, just can't seem to start.
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I just started hearing sort of a howling noise from front end of my 98 cavalier. I also feel a bit of a grinding sensation through my wheel when I start slowing down. I lifted the front tires one by one, checked the play, there's a little on left side and couldn't really feel anything on the right side. I then put the vehicle in neutral and then spun the tires by hand. The right tire spun with ease and the left side was a bit harder to spin. Just wondering if it is the bearings wearing out or if it could be cv joint problems. I also did check the boots on the cv joints for cracks in them but couldn't find anything wrong.
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I have a 1996 chevy cavalier 4-door. It is a 2.2 auto. I changed the passenger side cv shaft and now it won't start. I have lights it won't turn over. I put a new battery in no luck.
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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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So I 2003 6.0 F350 that is a Dually. Been sitting in my yard for about two years now. I turn the key it just clicks and it doesn't crank. The starter solenoid is not on the firewall so I use the trick with the battery connected positive straight to the starter with the whit The starter solenoid is not on the firewall so I use the trick with the battery connected positive straight to the starter with the wire on the engine bay. It cranked for a while and that started ran rough. Then it just died. I did not start again. I did this during winter so the engine have time to cool off it was about below freezing. Done this multiple times and drove up and down in my backyard but not on the road. What could be wrong with it. Either way I put in diesel 911 and more fuel but and I change the filters with Motorcraft OEM filters. Sure that the caps were right.
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I have a 1999 Chevy Prizm that I'm trying to keep as long as possible since I'm now working very part-time hours. For the past week or two I put the ignition key in, and can't get it to immediately turn. I check to make sure the car's really in Park, push the key in further, pull it out just a hair...between each step I try to get the key to turn and start the car. After 4 or 5 tries it does turn and the car starts right up.
I've tried both my "regular" key and my spare, thinking maybe one was a little worn and not fitting quite right. I'm getting worried that the time will come when I won't be able to get the key to turn. Is this a problem with the lock part of my ignition, or is there some glitch that's telling the car it's not in Park even though it is?
I just had to spend a good chunk of my emergency money to get tires and brake work on this car so it could pass inspection, and when I told the man at the garage about the key problem he shrugged and made some vague comment about old cars having problems.
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