2000 Chevy Cavalier Problem

It could possibly be a grounding issue but you would really have to watch a live data stream to diagnose the problem thoroughly and get a realistic solution anything else would just be a guess at best.

Check dash earth

Check Wiring near the battery it's sometimes erroded due to acid leak.

good point

check all earth wires is negative wires to see they go to chassis and are metal to metal, IE when most cars are made the shell is painted first then the parts put on and Ive come across before where wires to the chassis are not actually connected because the paint work has not been removed and penetrated when assembly took place

So you will see a wire bolted to the chassis but on removal because the paint is still intact the wire is not actually connected to anything

Hi Playermom

Most Probably could this be a broken wire in the harness to the engine control box. this could be +12V or ground.

Test the voltage at the contol box

greetings from switzerlan, fredi

It seems we all just about agree your vehicle has a possible wiring connection problem.

In its design the vehicle has a built in function to speed up engine speed to compensate for a drop/loss of available voltage . As mentioned earlier, you might start with checking the battery cables right at the battery since corrosion cannot always be seen until you remove the cable from the battery. That corrosion could also be in the cable itself starting at the battery terminal end. Most of the time the corrosion is at the positive cable. If all that is OK, then you might check the positive cable all the way down to where it terminates down at the starter assembly. Unless you have access to see the connections it might be best to have someone more familiar with electrical check out procedures check it out for you.

I only found one (1) Recorded 2000 Cavalier that had a similar problem of all that were manufactured in 2000. The problem occurred after 185,000 miles. I believe there is a ground problem to the ECM module wiring harness.

Have a Mechanic perform a diagnostic check for the ECM problem codes. GM has an excellent diagnostics system which will pin point the problem.

Regards, Tim

Ignition terminal blocks in the steering column are prone to corrosion that will cause this problem. It's not the ignition switch but rather a separate connected terminal block that is fairly easy to replace.

thanks so much for all your suggestions. We already replaced the wiring that goes to battery, and some other stuff. Nothing has worked so far but will keep using your suggestions and will let you know if we figure it out. We really appreciate it!