Water Damage

First I would start with battery it maybe discharged. Due to the water shorting something out and draining it. I would then look at the starter solenoid. If it was below the water, contacts could have gotten contaminated.

I checked the battery. Its still good but everytime I try to start the car I always have it hooked up to jumper cables just to be sure. I will have to check the starter solenoid though thank you!

Batteries good but you still have to use jumper cables to start it. You don't see a problem with that?

First, let's work on those terms.

"Maybe the coil pack because when you turn the key it just kind of ticks but doesn't turn over. "

Probably not the coil pack, if, "when you turn the key it just kind of ticks but doesn't turn over."

Sounds like your battery is shot. Was it under water? You need to get everything dry. What all was under water, or soaked by the swim?

Water squirting out is never good.

I'd have it towed to a shop because, no offense, but you don't sound too handy around cars. "the fan was kicking on for a while but not so much anymore."

Well for starters I do know about cars. I've been working on them for years now but I just don't know all the lingo. And the coil pack was submerged and that's why I think the coil pack is a problem. As for the fan, obviously that is going to stop kicking on a long with many other things and no the battery was not submerged in water because the battery is not located under the car its under the hood but higher than the tire which is where the water line was. The water was just high enough on the driver side to allow some of it to come in. The water coming out of the hoses and such is because of it being sucked in through the exhaust. That is why the oil was changed and the air filter was changed and I am also going to drain the transmission fluid because I know there is water in the tranny as well. I'm just asking for advice on things that I would not think of off hand because I'm in shock that I no longer have a vehicle to use for work at the moment lol

Well, it may be that water soaked into some part of the electrical system. In the old days, you would want to check the distributor and be sure it was dry inside, but I don't know what Cavaliers use.

So, I may know less than you do about what can get wet.

I'd drain the tranny before anything else, if it has water in it.

Is it too late for it to catch on fire? Just kidding.

I know using jumper cables to start it probably sounded bad hehehe but the battery isn't as damaged as it could be. If it did get wet it was just splashed that's all. But because it was not a brand new battery I don't want to kill it faster so I use jumpers. There was already a crack in the distributor cap. That I do know. I know I'm probably going to have to replace spark plugs and fuses and a lot of other electrical things but now that I'm actually discussing it... I don't know if its worth it anymore. Seems like the price to fix it keeps going up and up!

A crack in the distributor cap ?
This is a problem, and can easily be the reason the car won't start.
Did you pull the distributor cap and check for moisture ? Also, pull the rotor and check it as well. If wet, dry out and spray a little WD-40 on them.

I would suspect the fan not kicking on is a symptom of the engine not running, thus no heat is being produced that needs to be dissipated. Or, is the fan supposed to run all of the time?

"...because I know there is water in the tranny as well." Now, this sounds bad. Were you with this buddy of yours when this happened, or is the actual level of water immersion reported to you as floorboard and that's all?

"The water coming out of the hoses and such is because of it being sucked in through the exhaust." This is not the usual function of the exhaust system... where is the exhaust manifold (how high above or below) in relation to the floorboard?

Oh I was there... not impressed but I was there. The passenger side was up on a washboard but the drivers side was up to the floor boards. When he hit the water, the water splashed up over the hood but the part of the car that was submerged was mainly the drivers side. When I got out it was up to my shin. When I walked around to the drivers side it went up above my knees... not good.

Hello. You seem to be offended at some of the offers being given here as to possible solutions.You may have worked on cars but your lack of understanding of the vehicles electrical system does seem obvious. Let me try to help.#1. Since your vehicle has a coil pack you can ignore any references here to distributors here as your vehicle does not have a distributor.Problems with coil packs do not produce ticking sounds unless the coil pack is firing the spark on the outside of the coil pack or on the outside of the spark plugs or spark plug wires.This is an indication that the secondary ignition circuit (high voltage) has more resistance than through the secondary insulation.If this were the case you could darken the area the vehicle is in and look for arcing.However you seemed to say that the ticking was accompanied by the engine not turning over.This indicates a problem not in the secondary ignition circuit which is where the coil pack resides but in the starter circuit.In the automotive world this is a definition of the starter solenoid not having sufficient voltage to move the solenoid core to the on position (high current to the starter motor) and keep it there until the key is released from the start position.Instead the voltage is enough to start the core of the solenoid moving but it keeps returning to the off position repeatedly which is the ticking sound you are hearing.So by your definition voltage to the starter solenoid in the key start position is not sufficient,usually under 9 volts.Check the voltage at the starter terminals while having someone turn the key to the start position.If the voltage is constant at 9 volts or greater the solenoid is defective.If the voltage is under 9 volts find the source of the low voltage (battery or cables or connections).It is not unusual to drive a vehicle with a wet belt which will not drive the altenator with sufficient force to charge the battery. Regardless as you mentioned it is a process which says that the starter circuit is first in getting the engine to spin (turn over) first and then move on to the firing of the mixture in the combustion chambers.Hope this helps

Where is the computer for this car? If it got wet you might as well start looking for a new car. They are not cheap. In most cavaliers it is behind the front right tire and can get splashed.

I was going to say computer, too. If it got wet, replace it. You should be able to get one online or from a junk yard. Check with the poster who's girlfriend killed her Cavalier. They will be scrapping that one out.

For sure change that distributor cap, and spray everything out as recommended. Just don't spray WD40 on printed circuit boards, it's supposed to be bad for them.

As far as the battery, when the car got dunked: certain live wires to the starter and anything else low on the car got wet, and may have shorted out for a while, draining the battery. Recharge it. Jumping doesn't really recharge a battery all that well. That takes time, slowly building up the battery's charge.

Starters don't like getting dunked. You may have to have it rebuilt. Might as well, because it will just corrode and fail even worse later, leaving you stuck somewhere.

If the alternator is low on the car, it will have to be rebuilt, too. Same reason as the starter. These things will work a couple of times before the corrosion kills them. If they are disassembled and cleaned by a pro, you might save them. It takes a special bath to clean a motor or alternator, and all the stuff in there with them.

First things first. If there is water in that transmission it is getting worse as you are reading this. Check the trans dipstick. If it is milky in color, the water was mixed with the trans fluid, and it will need a good flushing. If the fluid is still normal color, it means that the water has not been mixed, and is still just sitting in the bottom of the transmission. Before you worry about anything else, get the water out. If it is a standard, just drain from the bottom of the case till empty, and refill to normal level.

As for the engine starting, the only components needed for the engine to turn over are the battery, good battery cables, a starter solenoid, a starter motor, and 12 volts to the starter solenoid, at the large post, and at the small terminal when the starter is desired to engage. Do you have a test light? If not get one. (or a volt meter) First, check for power at the large terminal post of the starter where the battery cable is attached. If that is good, have an assistant turn the key to start while you check for power at the small terminal of the starter. If the first check is bad, check battery cables and ground cable from the battery. If the second test is good but the engine does not turn over, you will need the starter repaired. If the second test shows no power, you need to check the firewall connector, neutral safety switch,(or the clutch safety switch if it is a standard shift) and power in and out of the ignition switch. Power in will be by two separate red wired. Power out to the safety switch and solenoid will be purple. Good luck.

First thought: corroded starter brushes/bearings. If you know about cars, you should know how to bypass the solenoid to check starter spins? Any poor connection there will not let enough power through to turn the engine.

"It ran great until I got it home" - how far/long? pushing water through the oil system, gearbox, clutch, etc wouldn't be good for any of it. Did you change the oil filter? Remake cleaned electric connections? - any protection will have been washed away.

Have you turned the engine by hand to check for valve stem damage/ bad timing/seizure due to lack of oil while driving home?

check your starter, most older model cars it is still on bottom and likely where you are getting your problems. The clicking sound is likely battery or starter circuitry. If it turns over and doesnt start then I would suggest coil problems, but first you need for it to crank. check your starter and then try.

I'd check the gas lines/tank also!

Good thought, but not needed if it will not turn over.

Why do you suppose the most unusual snags always seem to happen to Chevy Cavaliers? I mean, there are whole forums on this one make and model? Was this the only car to ever be designed by aliens or something?

I don't think we can blame this particular trouble on the car being a Cavalier.

We responded to one, and then when someone does a search we pop up. When he asks, it makes it easier again for others to find us. Sort of like a contagious disease.