2001 Chevy Cavalier

When it cuts out go to the tank and take the cap off while listening for a hissing or whooosing noise

if you hear it it may be theres to much vacume in the tank, if the fuel pump youve just fited is not new it may be its worn and cannot cope with the increase of vacume.

so two questions.

1 is new pump new

2 is the a whooosing noise at the filler

it does sound like the pump though

The pump is new & I will check for noise.

Can we get some more info here?

Why did you change the fuel pump in the first place? Did you have a similar problem or was the pump actually defective?

If you didn't have this problem before changing the pump, I know this isn't going to go over too well, but could you have a poor connection where the pump connecting harness connects to the tank assembly? I am not sure if you have to drop the tank again to check this. It always seems that the darn pumps fail with a full tank of fuel and this makes the job a real pain when you have to hassle with a full tank of gasoline.

It could be something as simple as a fuel pump relay either not getting enough juice to hold the relay in or poor contacts in the relay itself.

If you had this problem before changing the pump, well,,,,,,,lets hope not.

Keep us informed, thanks.

re information

is the pump inside the tank or outside.

as one of the others asked why did you change pump.

Wisest to always think in "single point of failure"terms, which is to say, that pump failure was the mode recently corrected by replacement (and if pump replacement accomplished the correction required) then fuel system should go the end of line, not the beginning, of subsystems and components to suspect now (for this new problem). The fact that it's a no-start, not a no run, problem is, and should be tested as if its original fault, not a pre-existing fault (unless you know some failure mode due to adequate fuel supply and pressure). Typically an eliminate-ignition-problem first...then proceeding to fuel problem later in the fault isolation process.

We don't have enough info to a proper diagnosis.

sometimes when u drive it the car will die going down the road & will not start back up until you turn the key off all the way & restart it. It runs fine after that but it has done this 3 times in the past week

WHAT WE KNOW THE FITTED PUMP IS NEW (that doesn't mean its a good one. I have fitted new parts that don't work, )

Its an intermittent fault.

engine dies

and will not start by using weight of vehicle moving, It has to be started using the key. And then runs fine

It has only happened 3 times in one week.

now what do we know, Turning the key of and on makes the fuel pump run for a few seconds, To enable starting,This happens on all electric fuel pumps. If you listen when you turn ignition on the pump whir rs for a few seconds and stops, this builds up the fuel pressure, When engine is running the pump will then switch back on and run continuously or until pressure is restored in the fuel line.

And then the engine runs ok

i am assuming he replace the pump because it wasn't working.

it is possible the pump was not at fault but the supply to the pump, or the wiring at the pump end.

Its also possible the "new" pump was installed incorrectly, but we will never know until we have more information.

but un till he gives us more information we can only guess at the fault.

WE NEED MORE INFORMATION

To give all an idea of how we can come to the wrong conclusion.#

i was called to a break down, on route i called the person up, and asked what was wrong, He replied i heard a bang and now the car wont start or run.

This is a genuine conversation.

When i got there the car was firmly stuck round a tree, the engine was smashed, oil everywhere.

I said to him why did you lie, He said i didn't it doesn't start.

Yes i said but you didn't mention that you've driven into a tree.

He said " i didn't think it was important"

another one was on the motorway car on hard shoulder.

arrived opened bonnet "hood" there was a hole big enough to put your hand in in the side of the block.

when questioned The Doctor Yes Doctor said there was a Little orange light that came on near bristol, (approx 150 miles away) and there was a rattling noise but i thought it would be ok.

He then said can you fix it. when i said if i was to push my hand into your chest and rip your heart out could you fix that, I thought he would understand that. He was upset i was talking down to him.

If he had stopped when the "little orange light came on" which by the way he knew what it meant, And called us out we could have put some oil in.

You can never assume they know what they are talking about.

But the more information they give the better it is to work out whats really wrong.

Mr. Peter, Enjoy your experiences have had some similiar ones myself. I can remember one truck driver said in a road call, "the engine appears to be overheating", he didn't say he had an accident and hit another truck. Didn't find this until arrived at the scene, all we could do was laugh since we brought coolant and it wouldn't do much since the radiator was altered by the fan blade! Lets hope the gentleman provides additional info and help may be on the way!

I had a similar issue with Pontiac Sunbird (Cavaliers Cousin) that I bought from a guy for $150. He put about $1000 into it fuel pump, filter, etc, and was fed up with it. I bought it and brought it home. Found Electrical Problem after 30 minutes under hood... a wire that taps off the positive post for the computer brain was corroded. I cut the wire, cleaned posts and created a new connection...whalla no more problems.

There is enough information already.

!. Pump was replaced.

2. Vehicle does starts, that means fuel reaches the combustion chambers.

3. Vehicle stops running afterwards.

That only leaves three possible options:

1. Fuel filter needs replacement.

2. Fuel lines need to be cleaned, and,

3. fuel injectors may have dirt or other obstruction.

wrong

!. Pump was replaced. Why was it replaced ?

2. Vehicle does starts, that means fuel reaches the combustion chambers.

but only after ign is turned off then on ?

3. Vehicle stops running afterwards. But only on occasions not always

That only leaves three possible options:

1. Fuel filter needs replacement. if so it would be a regular occurence

2. Fuel lines need to be cleaned, and, same as above it would be regular

3. fuel injectors may have dirt or other obstruction as above

an intrmitent electrical fault could do it.

the new pump may be faulty.

high vacume in tank so pump cant cope if used on long run.

blocked fuel lines an filter would cause regular faults as dirt is always there.

same with injectors

the main clue is it only happend 3 times.

and engine wont start unless ign turned of then on, this suggest electrical, if fuel lines / filter is blocked it would make no difference if ignition was on or off would it?

I wish I could tell you how many times after someone worked on a vehicle thinking everything was done correctly and the same problem was still present or a new one came up. It is good practice to recheck past work just performed since in spite of our best efforts sometimes we overlooked something or what we feel we did a good job doing a wire comes loose ,a connection is not 100% need I go on. That's why we need to confirm why the pump was replaced and , YES, it could be defective. If you have never replaced a defective part with a new part that had a problem also, it can take you for a ride chasing everything else down only to find that the new part you replaced was defective also. Just because the vehicle runs dosen't mean there could not be a problem in the same system or pump in this case. There are so many things to consider when chasing down an intermittent problem that the more info you have to examine can help narrow it down to hopefully one or two items. If parts are just replaced without determining the root cause , there is no guarantee the problem will not come back in one form or another. Help us with the addl info and just maybe we can offer some useful suggestions to help solve your vehicle's problem. Thanks

Fuel pump went out first then replaced with new one & four months later the new fuel pump goes out. I replace it under warranty with another new fuel pump then a couple weeks later this new problem started. I've replaced the fuel filter when I changed the first pump 4 months ago. When the car dies it is usually driving down the road & I must come to a complete stop put it in park so it will start again. I try to put in neutral & start while coasting but it won't start. So it might be a bad connection I will check today. Thanks I hope that helps!

The fuel pump is in the tank & the connection is easy to check I won't have to drop tank.

Please tell us what was the original problem leading you to replace the fuel pump the first time.

Ive looked around the internet and it would appear to be a very common fault on you car.

the last few links are for auxilary pumps iv e included these because the obvious solution if it is a design fault on this model would be to replace or fit an additional pump to assist or replace existing pump as there seems to be an ongoing fault.

the only thing i would try first is the vacume idea i suggested, this is because some people say they left the car for a few hours then it started, or only happend when tank was half full, these cluse point to vacume.

test is easy when you fill up or when car stops by itself open filler and listen for inrush of air

http://www.justanswer.com/questions/bfqi-i-have-a-1997-chevy-cavalier-its-a-2-2l-it-gets-no

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Cavalier/2001/

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Cavalier/2001/fuel_delivery_system/fuel_pump_failure.shtml

How about I was driving home from work one evening on 285 in Atlanta at rush hour traffic and the freaking car just cut off for no reason!!! I had a guy almost hit me from behind, thank God it was stop and go traffic. I turned the car off and thank God it started up again. The warranty had passed so I took it to an Auto Zone because right before it cut off,the battery and oil light flashed real quick and went off. They tested my battery, and everything and said nothing was wrong, I also took it other mechanics and no one can find anything wrong and explain why it does that. I get my regular oil changes, change the air filter and everything else people said to do that may make it do that, and the car still does it and the thing is "you never know when it will just cut off on you". I've traced it to the point of whenever you slow down your speed, that's when it will cut off like at a red light or stop sign, and it does it about 2-3 times a year, I have no idea why or whats causing it, but it's scary and dangerous and no one can find out why or what the problem.

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Cavalier/2004/engine/cuts_off_while_driving.shtml

http://autoforum.classifieds1000.com/Chevrolet-Cavalier

take a look at this link every one is fuel pump

http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chevrolet-cavalier/TVINIC5TFU5SFSI5H

http://www.weldonracing.com/

http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=racing+fuel+pumps&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&oe=&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=9ZLUS-CoPIPwmAOFrZHFDw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CB0QrQQwAg

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&q=bosch+fuel+pump&revid=1271368221&resnum=0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=cJPUS-G7DYPWmgO7nvClDw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CB8QrQQwAg

I was driving home one night & I parked the car in the drive way & went out the next morning & the car would not start we checked relay, fuel, ignition & it was the fuel pump was bad. It has never gave us any trouble till we replaced the pump the second time.

It is not unusual for the fuel pump to quit after the vehicle is shutdown. In the trade we say," If after you put 3 different starters on the car and it still won't start, guess what? IT AIN'T THE STARTER" ! I would suspect there is a different problem other than all those fuel pumps one of the sites stated. Don't know if GM changed something in the 2003 model year, but this appears to be too much of a coincidence that all these fuel pumps are going bad. Also , this problem requires someone with a good foundation in vehicle electric to check such as; 1.What kind of current is the pump drawing?

2. What is it supposed to draw?

3.Is the wiring correct for this current draw?

4. Is there an abnormal resistance in the wiring causing it to build up heat thereby depriving the pump of the current/voltage it requires?

This has to be checked from the beginning where the fuel pump relay gets its signal. If no reasonable cause is found such as a questionable ground connection which has at one time or another, taken us for a ride, then it would appear the pumps themselves are suspect. Don't know if the same pump is used in other GM cars, but if it is, that would tell us there is a problem in the car model itself. Don't give up, there is someone who is capable of finding the problem, after that it's a piece of cake!