1998 Cavalier - Won't Start, Please Help

Don't spend any money on it!!!!! I mean it!!!

Do a search to the right on Chevy Cavalier. I think almost everything that can go wrong with these cars has been covered.

After you read through the threads I think you will consider eating the loss and getting another car. _{Maybe a Volt}.

Sorry. Some things just aren't worth fixing.

sorry buying a new car is not an option, besides i only paid 300 for the car. i got it because it would shut off for the guy i bought it from. i spent 37 for a camshaft pos sensor and it has been running fine for over 2yrs, other than routine maintanence. but thanks anyway

If you can keep it running, (without spending a lot of money), more power to you.

I completely understand. I'm limping along in a 99 Dodge mini van with 250,000 on it. I am also keeping my eyes open for the next deal. No problems yet.

Paid $1800 for it 5 years ago.

Wanna bet?

how does that comment help?

You're new here. If you hang around, you will see that many comments don't necessarily have a direct bearing on the question.

You will note that the comment is directed to someone other than you.

Work with us.

Welcome to CR4.

The comment is easily ignored. How does it hurt?

This place is rife with useless comments, beats a blank page.

Good luck with your car. Sorry my comments didn't help either.

I seem to be universally pis$ing everyone on the planet off at the same time.

Little do they know that it is my goal in life.

I keep loosing GA's for some reason, too.

Go figure.

It's easy to do.

Not!

He's in a class by himslef. I'm too old to do the drugs required to be like him. And, I couldn't afford 'em anyway.

How about the chicks? You might have to bring in Doorman to help.

Did somebody say 'Chicks'?

I'm making progress with the Chick Magnet. What do ya think:

Me, on the way to work:

Sometimes it's a long time between rides. I usually get a ride from a sheriff deputy.

^{I hope I don't regret this post}

Doorman,

You are a real cut-up.

No but I feel better

try this test, start the car, let it run for about 1min then shut it off, remover the vacuum line from the fuel pressure regulator and look for fuel in the vacuum line, there should not be fuel present in the line if you see or smell gas in it, then the regulator is bad. My 2.4l did this to me also, it would rough idle and try to stall sometimes. dealer wanted to take the engine apart, i said no way and spent 6o bucks on dealer manuals from ebay.

oops i was trying to post this to help someone else out!

"oops i was trying to post this to help someone else out!" But yet, you still felt the need to post it here? Anyhow, you said in your OP, that the timing set was change 20,000 miles ago. Was the belt tensioner also replaced? Do you have a timing light or can borrow one to verify that the timing is within ± 5° of the specs? Do you know for sure that you have fuel to the injectors and the fuel pressure and volume is to specs? And lastly, does your engine have compression? Any one of those will keep the engine from running.

"oops i was trying to post this to help someone else out!" But, you still felt the need to post it here? You said you had dealer's, (factory?), manuals? I'm very familiar with factory manuals and they have some very comprehensive troubleshooting charts. But, you have to follow them by steps to solve the problem.

Here's an idea, how about you and izzy, with the other Cavalier question, get together, trade parts and figure out what's broken between the two of you?

Just because the pump runs does NOT necessarily mean it is pumping the rail to the correct pressure to operate those injectors. If the pressure on the rail is too low the car will not run, even if the pump is whirring away. Get yourself a fuel rail pressure gauge, and see what the pressure is at the rail and get back to us. (This will not throw a code, and is the only way I know to test it.)

When you replaced the fuel filter, did you install it in the correct orientation? (there will be an arrow marked on the filter)

If you think the timing may be off, buy/rent/borrow a timing light, and give it a quick check, can't hurt anything by doing this, and it's quick and easy.

I origionally thought that the timing belt may have broke, but the fact you drove it, parked it, and it would not turn back on shoots that theory out the window.

The fact that you replaced the fuel pressure regulator in the past also might be a clue... was the regulator malfunctioning, causing an increased load on the pump, wearing it out over time.

Yep... if it were mine, I would check the fuel pressure at the rail.

Good luck!

You have a bad injector. Get a set of test nodes and test each unit. You will find one not working. GM has all of them set to run and when one goes out they all stop. Kind of like the light on the xmas tree.

OK When a engine won't start, it is usually fuel or ignition. You say you have ignition, so get a can of starting fluid ( used for diesels ) and spray some in the air intake, if the engine starts, it is a fuel problem. Check out the fuel rail pressure. This will tell you if you have sufficient fuel pressure for the injectors to work. If the engine won't start with starting fluid, check your timing, if it is out major, call the scrap dealer, because fixing the engine will not be worth it, as the cam belt may have failed. Quite often they will fail on shutdown. If it is fuel rail pressure, check the regulator and the fuel pump.

Good Luck

Vic

defective ballast resistor maybe.,..?

Get a can of starting fluid spray some around the injectors when someone else is trying to start the car. Be careful and don't use to much. If it starts you have a fuel problem.

You may have low fuel pressure. Either a bad pump or pressure regulator.

If it starts normally and then shuts off normally it may be a security shut down.

Go to Auto forums Google and look for help.

To start, a car needs at least 100 psi compression, the correct amount of fuel injected and spark at the right time.

Checking the spark timing is something you can do yourself. If, at cranking speeds, it is pretty close to 5 degrees before top dead center, the car should start. When it is idling, then the timing can be more accurately set. This sometimes requires fiddling with vacuum hoses, jumpering connectors, making sure the running temperature is correct, etc. It is not as easy as it was in the old days -- but then it hardly ever needs to be checked.

Check the fuel pressure.

Remove an injector and verify that it is injecting the correct amount. (CAREFUL) You can find a spec, if you dig. The injector should not leak between spurts. You could remove them all and compare them for injection quantity. You could have them tested.

Remove the spark plugs. Are they wet? Are they too wet? Smell the plugs. Do they smell like gas (OK) or do they smell like paint thinner (not OK: old gas.) Definitely test the compression. It's quick and easy.

Water in the fuel? The injector test will tell you this. (BTW, make sure the injector test does not go awry, spraying gas everywhere, and causing a fire.)

The correct injection amount is the most difficult thing to check... the other things are easy.

Other things: HUGE vacuum leak, rendering the mixture too lean to fire. If it "tries" to start, but fails to keep going as soon as the key is released to the run position, then the ignition switch has probably failed. The run position contact fails before the start position contact, typically, because of the very short time spent in the start position.

Hi

I'm in a bit of a hurry, so can't take the time to read all the replies, but if your wagon has fuel injection, check the voltages for the injectors. If you have an intermittent temperature sensor fault, it may be cutting the power to the injectors.

Cheers

It occurs to me that a similar problem which I have not seen mentioned here yet but has been mentioned in earlier threads is that of a possible wiring problem in the steering column. Perhaps you can try to jiggle the steering wheel while starting the car. If it has this particular intermittent wiring problem, it may be that you can get it to start this way.

Coming soon from LynDoor™Press, the premier edition of "1,000,001 Ways Your Chevy Citation can, and will, fail you".

Coming soon to a near stand news you.

"1,000,001 Ways Your Chevy Citation can, and will, fail you".
I guess the OP should be glad he is dealing with a Cavalier!

Leave it to LynDoor™ press to get the model wrong!

...Now I know why my copy of "1001 ways to defuse a boob" didn't work...

cheers! JB

replace the batteries in the key fob.