Time to fix my 96 sunfire 2.2. Been sitting since a week before xmas.
It all started when heading down the highway. I started hearing a noise coming from the front and my buddy immediately asked me to check the temp. I was just before the yellow on the gauge and the cel was on(had been coming off and on for about a week prior also). I didnt want to pull off on the hw so i drove about a mile to the next exit then pulled off to check. Coolant was boiling out of the cap and i believe the noise i heard was the coolant hitting the tire.
The first thing i did after a visit here was to put on a new rad cap. I ended up driving the 8 miles back home but my temp gauge would not read it was bottomed out and it never moved. Only issue driving home was 1 stop when coolant temp light came on. i was not boiling or seem to have any other issues. After that i let it sit til after xmas and drove my truck. I drove to the parts store and had the cel scanned and it said low voltage from the temp sensor. So i bought a new new one and installed it. started it up and let it idle. The gauge started reading again and i took it for about a ten minute drive. everything seemed back to normal, the cel was off and i assumed i had m car back. when i came back i left it running in the garage while i ran in the house for a min. When i came back out it was no longer running. I turned off the key ad then tried to restart it cranked a lot before it strated and when it did it ran real rough, the cel was on, and then it stalled and i tried to restart but it didnt want to fire so i left it once again in frustration.
Where it sits as of today. It starts right up and runs fine for about 5 mins then starts to idle rough and stalls. It will restart but if i hit the pedal to rev it it bogs and almost dies, if i push slow it wil rev but with a little stutter in the low rps. I dont even consider it driveable. I have not really checked anything yet since its winter and i have no heat in the garage. Is it possible the coolant issue relates to the running issue? I would like somewhere to start instead of just going at it blind. obviously plugs and wired were going to be first thing to check.
Oils normal and no smoke/ smell from exhaust. Is head gasket still an option?
Take the spark plugs out and see if there is any white/ yellowish deposits on the plugs.
