Hello there i really hope i can get some answers out of here asap as i am looking at buying this 03 z24 tomorrow afternoon.
So here it is..
its a lowered 03 has 211 K auto ecotec 2.2L
has been lowered pretty low.
here are my concerns i saw with the car.
T/C light is on...
and a light below it, is on. i think its the alternator light? but thing is the battery in it is a ACDELCO original battery, i just sold my 03 standard LS Sport Z24 no power options and mine just went about a month before i sold the car, the guy told me its probably that, besides that...
The original muffler fell off broke with the pipe coming from the cat, right at the muffler tho not a big deal?.. i can buy another muffler.. but my other question is the RPM idles at 600RPM my 03 i just sold idled at 900rpm and settled down from 1300rpm so i.. was thinking its cause theres no muffler on the car?, seems to have lots power, only other thing i noticed was the engine shuck a bit... not bad but not like my 190K LS Z24.
and one last thing the power steering seems to knock a bit when i turn the wheel, maybe cause of it being really lowered. ?
Hope someone can help me here ttysoon thanks.
Paul
If it wasnt aligned when the car was lowered the ball joints may be done for.
How do i know if they are...? i'm going to look at the car again tomorrow afternoon around 1pm eastern, the cars pretty low so i thought maybe it has something to do with being low.. how much do you think installed cnd would be per wheel ?
why only in canada can you get an 03 - 05 Z24... i always thought the Z was distinct by having a more powerful motor over the bottom base model, but in 03 the base motor is the same motor as the LS Sport. (ive also never heard of a car badged as both LS Sport and Z24)
anyway to answer your questions.
The alternator light looks like a battery, however when its on it signifies that the alternator is not putting out any power to charge the battery. The Light in itself has nothing to do with the battery installed in the car.
just weld up another muffler... the LS Sport muffler is the best stock option for ya unless you want to go with a Fart can.
can't help you with the idle issue, most js start up at 1300 - 1500 and idle down to about 700 - 900 RPMS
For your shaking, look at the motor mounts and make sure they are in good order. Also aftermarket performance mounts will increase vibrations until they break in.
As for your PS issue, it all depends... The wheels could be scrubbing, the PS Rack may be binding, the tie rod boots may be gone and you hear metal on metal contact, or if your lower ball joints are foobarrred you'll hear clicking. You'll need to isolate where its clicking at to identify the problem.
GME Chat User: Speedline02 wrote:why only in canada can you get an 03 - 05 Z24... i always thought the Z was distinct by having a more powerful motor over the bottom base model, but in 03 the base motor is the same motor as the LS Sport. (ive also never heard of a car badged as both LS Sport and Z24)
anyway to answer your questions.
The alternator light looks like a battery, however when its on it signifies that the alternator is not putting out any power to charge the battery. The Light in itself has nothing to do with the battery installed in the car.
just weld up another muffler... the LS Sport muffler is the best stock option for ya unless you want to go with a Fart can.
can't help you with the idle issue, most js start up at 1300 - 1500 and idle down to about 700 - 900 RPMS
For your shaking, look at the motor mounts and make sure they are in good order. Also aftermarket performance mounts will increase vibrations until they break in.
As for your PS issue, it all depends... The wheels could be scrubbing, the PS Rack may be binding, the tie rod boots may be gone and you hear metal on metal contact, or if your lower ball joints are foobarrred you'll hear clicking. You'll need to isolate where its clicking at to identify the problem.
So basically it could be the alternator not charging anymore huh i was thinking of buying a new acdelco battery and throwing her in and seeing if it needs a boost to get started again, but ya balljoints or something u think maybe everything is good but because cars lowered so much that its poping i only noticed it in the parking lot where i was going out of to test drive the car, so tomorrow im gonna have to really pay attention to this tomorrow on road etc how much am i looking at to replace balljoints in the front or tie rod or both i guess, what do you think of the T/C Light on ? the car does fire up without a doubt tho from what i saw but my plan tomorrow are to pop the new battery in and see if it fires up without a doubt.. if anything i can return the battery if i dont take the car..
Anyone know anything else T/C steering wheel knocks ..
One other thing i wanted to meantion was the K's cluster is low lighted .. the guy told me he thinks he its cause of the weak battery the car has to be boosted if it sits all night in cold temps.
I would just walk away from it.
Sounds like a headache.
There are many more near perfect, running J's for probably the same price or less.
Also not to mention the fact the owner probably dropped it on stock struts with some @!#$ty ebay springs..
Mike wrote:I would just walk away from it.
Sounds like a headache.
There are many more near perfect, running J's for probably the same price or less.
Also not to mention the fact the owner probably dropped it on stock struts with some @!#$ty ebay springs..
Yeah i hear you.. no idea kind shocks.. you think its not worth it eh, maybe few knocks when turning in a parking lot is just cause cars slammed.. it runs good lol seems too when on the road lol.. but you might be right, i can get it for $1987.00 taxes in as is from a dealer he's also going to put the car into my name at the ministry but ya.. im thinking i dont have a bunch money maybe 5-600 dollars, he said the car he came fropm a auction aswell i know this can be bad but i dunno i like the car, how do u post pic's on here ? ive looked around cant seem to find it.
another thing i noticed the oil looked kinda orangish 5w20? i heard it could be coolant but wouldnt if i took it and hammered the hell outta her something would happen ?
are you from around missasuaga ontario?
Paul
It's definitely one of those things to be careful with.
I would take a buddy who knows alot about cars to check it over really well.
I'm in Michigan.
To post pics, just put "[IMG] url here [/IMG]" (With no quotes obviously)
You can have collant in the oil and still beat the piss out of the car. As long as you arent hemorhaging coolant. Coolant will more likely slowly kill your rod bearings and other vital components.
I agree with Mike, You should just walk away.
I do know a guy i have been trying to get ahold of em... this thing has power tho felt like it had supercharger in it but maybe cause no muffler, it actually sounds really nice without one aswell lol.. i know i am second thinking this heres a link to an ad of the car on kijiji, balljoints are gone tho or tie rod eh with steering doing knocks when i pull to the left, cant remember if was to the right aswell probably was but i know when i was turning left it knocked like 3 times wasnt knock knock knock i felt about 3-4 knocks doing a complete 360, too bad nice ride in person insane power more then my AEM bolt on intake had in my LS 2 Door Coupe z24 bodykit bout it no power windows etc i just keep thinking back to how it drove out on the street was really nice power it had but again.. maybe cause there was no muffler ?
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-2003-Chevrolet-Cavalier-z24-Coupe-2-door-custom-paint-W0QQAdIdZ180441341
So i guess i shouldnt bother with this 03 Z24 .. too many issues tho the car u wouldnt think anything is wrong with it besides the power steering knocks lol. oh well 211K is pretty high not the highest but its high for this cars life ... anyhows ? most i've ever seen on a 03 z24 was 237K and motor was running but who knows how good was for sale on kijiji a few weeks ago.
i just sold my 191K LS. with 03 Z24 bodykit and engine in that wasnt bad but it was going i got it at 173K and by 191k i could feel something was up and B&M short shifter was starting too pop especially going into 2nd gear, plus had dings all over it i did was luck to sell it for 2500 with racing seats eibach springs bunch other cool custom things done and i only paid 2400 8 months ago made 100 bucks and drove for free
, so... how much would new ballljoints cost or tie rods and Alternator installed ?
any idea's tho on why the Cluster Light for the K's was really dim, that cause battery being basically dead remember i said he told me he has to boost the car in the morning if it sits all night... if he boosted the car and alternator was dead wouldnt it not start on a boost ?
ANYONE have an Idea about T/C Light ??
a weak alternator will charge but not well... a weak alternator and a dead battery will make things worse
i dunno about the t/c lights on chevys but on hyundais the t/c light staying on could mean an assortment of things, but usually its because the brake switch is faulty... other than that, i have no clue about Traction control on a chevrolet..... my Z24 is 5 speed and does not have traction control
The way I see it, The cars been modded to an extent. Typically in this case, it was beaten on at some point in its life.
I would look for a clean, 100% stock J from some old lady.
Thats where I got mine
ya i hear ya.. good car besides signs probably a headache for someone to work on lol..
Buck IT! lol
thanks for your help
