First post, take it easy. I'm just a kid and I get to drive my mom's 2002 2.2L Sunfire Sedan which has an automatic transmission. Without getting into it, I like to drive fast on mountains and so that is where I'm learning to drive mostly. It's fun and I don't street race, I'm not interested in killing myself or anybody else (please no lectures, I know this is real life and not a movie and I jeopardize the lives of others as well as my own by speeding on public roads).
Problem is, it is a complete wreck. I can't do the uphill because the engine is screwed in a million different ways (and I'm afraid I will blow it up somehow from the rapid acceleration) and the suspension is absolutely screwed (like, really in trouble) and I can't even afford brakes or tires. So, I have to take it super easy with the fast driving thing for fear I will break something on the car. I can't even consider autocross because I'm sure it would just explode once it gets there.
So, here is where I need help. If you got a used car and had no money, what would be the first things you check and change? Right down to the basics, like oil and power steering fluid. This is my first car (well, you know what I mean) and I want to bring it up to specs that I can have fun with it safely without my Mom giving me crap for driving it too hard. Long run I'm really only interested in better brakes and fixing the suspension on it so my mom can sell it when I get my own instead of junking it, or having me drive it forever. I don't want to turn it into a race car, just get it to run well.
The only thing done to the car is Bosche Platinum spark plugs I put in 2 years ago and MSD spark plug wires at the same time. The only thing I know is wrong with it for sure is that liquid leaks under the engine when the AC is on.
Thanks for the help guys.
Well, there's always gonna be some liquid "leaking" when your AC is on, it's just condensation from the AC. Nothing you need to be worried about.
Basically, give her a tune up if you can. Check the plugs, make sure they're gapped correctly and that your wires are ok. Air filter, fuel filter, change the oil, check your transmission fluid, and radiator fluid. My mom has a 2003 Cavalier with the Ecotec, and it was running like ass when I last visited her. I changed her air filter and ran some fuel injector cleaner through it, and it cleared it up. You can try that as well.
Suspension gets expensive though, if you're going to sell it or get rid of it, you'd be better off just replacing with OEM stuff or near OEM quality. I doubt you'll want a $1000 suspension on a car you're gonna trash. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice. How do I figure out what kind of air filter I need? Is there a number on it, or do I need to find it in the manual? And another question, should I drain and put new oil in or can I get away with just adding new? I'm worried it is gummed up or something from bad maintenance. In any case, I figure I'm going to start with the fluid and see what's what because it's cheapest.
Thanks.
Being more specific about your problems would help tremendously. What is leading you to believe that there are major engine problems? Does it simply lack power, misfire, smoke, stall, overheat, etc? Same for suspension, does the car pull, vibrate, bounce, etc?
First step in checking a used car, do a "first glance" inspection. Check the condition of all fluids (engine oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze, power steering) which will give you an indication on how the car was maintained. Caution signs to watch for are extreme darkness and thickness in the engine oil, metal shavings in the engine oil, transmission fluid that is extremely dark and/or burnt smelling, antifreeze which is discolored/putrid smelling, antifreeze that has sediment buildup (dexcool is notorious for this), or any deep discoloration in the brake or power steering fluid.
Take a look at commonly replaced items: belts, hoses & filters. Again, this will give you an indication as to how the car was maintained. If the car has over 150K and the fuel filter is rusted on, it's probably a fair assessment to say that the previous owners weren't the most cautious.
If you have a little more time and space, pull a front and back wheel off the car. Not only will this give you a better indication of the wear on the tires (easier to check for improper repairs, flat spots, slipped belts, etc) it will give you a birds eye view of the brakes, steering and suspension. Keys to watch for: brake pads worn down to or extremely close the wear indicator, deep grooves or waves in the brake rotor, torn CV joint boots, an excessive amount of fresh looking grease on any one component, signs of fresh oil on the strut/shock or any component that is excessively loose or bent.
As for your specific issues:
The owners manual will list a GM/AC Delco part number for the air filter. If you have a parts store that you'd rather deal with, they'll be able to look up the correct filter by either your vehicle info or that part number given.
Drain and replace the oil and the filter. Cheapest preventative maintenance you can do, and, if correctly performed, will do no harm to the car whatsoever.
The liquid you are seeing from the a/c is simply atmospheric condensation. Completely normal.
1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more
First off it is actually a 2001 and well over 150k. My bad. I got STP fuel injector cleaner and just filled up the power steering fluid, which was empty (as in, dry). The oil is very dark, but still semi-translucent. I'll swap it out for new synthetic when I get the cash. So, I'm also going to change air filter and oil filter, but I don't know where to look for the oil filter. Also, I can't figure out where the fuel filter is (is it accessible without a jack?), so I can't say if it is rusted, and I can't figure out how to check the transmission fluid. Even if it was low, there is nothing I can do about it because it would be cracked, right?
Another actual problem is the windshield fluid leaks from the reservoir until it is empty. I don't know this for sure, but my Mom told me that it has done that for over a year. I guess it is cracked or something, but I haven't looked at it yet. I figure I can get one off a wreck at the junkyard pretty easy though.
So, about the air filter... I read on another message board that there is a model of Cavalier that has a cold air intake that will fit on a 2200 SFI engine. Can anybody say if this is true? I'd rather go and hunt one out at the junkyard before spending on a new air filter because of the performance aspect, but I don't know if any of this is true or not. But if it is a cheap way to run a little better...
I have yet to check any belts or hoses out. I can't really see any belts unless the engine is running. There aren't any squeals or anything though. The engine just lacks power going uphill and takes a noticeable decrease in fuel efficiency. It doesn't overheat, but it sort of sighs after a hard drive... I can't describe it better. It sits there and sighs.
The suspension is very hard. I can feel every bump in the road and major dips in the road the car floats and then falls and rides low for awhile before springing back up. Also, if I accelerate hard it doesn't feel like the weight moves backwards, but if I brake hard it lurches forward and holds for a couple counts before rocking back hard. Also, the rear right wheel is very stiff. For example if I am going into a hard left and braking, it doesn't absorb any of the weight, it sort of feels like it is throwing it out through front left and rear right and floating in the back right. If I jump on the rear right end with all my weight I can hear it squeak when it slowly pushes back into position.
Thanks for the tips guys.
I'm tired, but I'll answer one of your questions. The oil filter is located on the backside of the engine, passenger side, above the exhaust pipe. You might have to look around with a flashlight, but by reaching your hand around in there you can change it out quite easily. There's absolutely no way to do this without spilling oil all over the exhaust, so it'll smell funky for a few minutes before it all burns off once you start it up again.
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2000 Cavalier Coupe, 138k miles, 2.2 Auto, Silver (alive)
1999 Cavalier Sedan, 237k miles, 2.2 Auto, White (dead)
Anduril wrote:There's absolutely no way to do this without spilling oil all over the exhaust, so it'll smell funky for a few minutes before it all burns off once you start it up again.
not true. put some aluminum foil on the exhaust pipe before removing the filter, remove it when you've replaced the filter.
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The engine just lacks power going uphill and takes a noticeable decrease in fuel efficiency. It doesn't overheat, but it sort of sighs after a hard drive... I can't describe it better. It sits there and sighs.
my 99 2.2 cav was the same way, id do a fuel filter, that should help. like the other guys said a tune up can't hurt.
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First post, take it easy. I'm just a kid and I get to drive my mom's 2002 2.2L Sunfire Sedan which has an automatic transmission. Without getting into it, I like to drive fast on mountains and so that is where I'm learning to drive mostly. It's fun and I don't street race, I'm not interested in killing myself or anybody else (please no lectures, I know this is real life and not a movie and I jeopardize the lives of others as well as my own by speeding on public roads).
this is one of the best first posts ive seen.
first it seems like you want to take care of your mom's car, which is great. i also maintain both my parents cars. it shows you have respect for you mom's car. (god knows i didn't i beat the piss out of her car when i was 17)
second you know that street racing will eventually lead to a fatal collision , and tickets ect ect. most people on here don't condone street racing.
on the "driving fast on mountains" part, just make sure you know the cars limits. im assuming that the roads have a lot of curves and j-bodies don't rollover very well.
welcome to the org 99% of the time someone will have an answer to your questions. check out the FAQ'S at the top of each forum, a lot of common questions are helpful info is posted there.
http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/my2005cav/my%20car%20the%20bash.jpg
Thanks for the welcome. I've changed the air filter and put fuel injector cleaner through. The car is running noticeably better already. Even the AC is blowing better! I'm working my way through changing the fluids. Oil and Fuel Filters are going to be next on my list. I'll switch to synthetic oil when I do the oil filter. Then I just have to fix the Windshield Fluid reservoir.
Thanks for the advice, it has really helped and I have hardly spent anything yet!
