2002 Chevy Cavalier Won't Start And/Or Turn Over

I have to wonder if all these posts, and there are many, with regards to all the ills of the Chevy Cavalier are real or a prank.

That leaves two possibilities

If they are real, maybe the best thing you can do is tow the thing to one of those car dealers that advertise some ridiculous trade in allowance for cars that would be better off euthanized and roll the dice on something else.

The second possibility is that this is indeed a prank and we should all have a good laugh, however, it is getting a bit stale.

However, if it is real and you refuse to trade it in I would start by disconnecting the battery, then check all of the ground wires from the battery. It won't hurt to check the red wire that goes from the positive battery terminal to the fuse block, too. Loosen all of them up, clean the ground lugs and the mating surfaces, and retighten the retaining bolts and screws.

Next, locate the engine management unit or computer and pull the wire harness connectors off. They are usually secured by a bolt. Just pull them off, inspect for corrosion, and reinsert them a few times to break any oxidization. If there is visible corrosion you may need to try a spray contact cleaner. Make sure the connector is absolutely dry when you reinsert the connector.

Disconnecting the battery will reset the computer if it got goofy from a bad connection and cleaning the connections will prevent it from happening again. 99% of the time this will fix the problem.

This is not a prank for me.

I work a lot this week, so i going to try this, this weekend and see if that helps any.

Why did the alternator fail? Maybe the battery was bad and took the alternator out?

I agree that you should disconnect everything, remove the battery, get it tested, check all the grounds you can find, and you may want to get that "new" alternator checked as well.

I replaced it bc the ball bearings were going out in them. you could hear them just grinding up. The guy at Auto Zone said this one is bad just from the sound of it.

Okay. I think you will find that the fixing grounds and the engine management computer connections will resolve the problem.

Not only has this (exactly as you described it) happened to my wife's car, but a close friend owns his own service shop and has seen a large number of these types of failures and it is almost always a faulty ground or connection.

Best of luck!

Ok, thanks, I will try it this weekend and let you know.

or look into next?A tow truck then a scrap yard.

Sounds to me like the battery isn't being charged. The symptoms of gauges going crazy happens on my car when the battery is nearly flat.

What made you think the original alternator was faulty? What did the charge warning lamp do? Failure to charge may have been down to something else, eg bad contacts, or maybe it was the alternator but the replacement was no better. Are you sure the replacement was OK?

I would charge the battery for a few hours with a mains charger, keeping an eye on it to ensure there are no loads which shouldn't be there. While that's happening, check the drive belt tension. If it then starts, check the voltage, it should be about 14 volt after a few minutes running if not immediately. But if my theory is right the voltage will be down (about 12 volt). In that case do what AH suggested. Or do that first, but don't do both at the same time or you won't know what cured it (if either does).

If voltage is still low get the alternator checked or try another.

Just possible the battery is on the way out, but you wouldn't expect that to cause the on-road failure you describe.

I replaced it bc the ball bearings were going out in them. you could hear them just grinding up. The guy at Auto Zone said this one is bad just from the sound of it. We tested the new one at autozone before we left and they said it was good. So we might have to get battery and/or alternator checked again....

Mmm...interesting that you had the failure right after changing the alternator (which was presumably charging OK, just noisy).

But you've got a few suggestions about how to tackle it. Let us know how you get on will you?

Yes, guy at autozone said it tested good but we know it was bad from the sound and it shook the machine he was using. So then we swapped it out. Yes, I will let you know how it goes this weekend and see if it starts working again or not.

Any news on this?

As others have noted, check your connections.

A loose ground or loose battery connection may also explain the lights flashing and flickering. As the alternator was just changed, ie fiddled with, check the connections there as well.

When the battery connections aren't secure and you have intermittent disconnects, it really wreaks havoc on your car's electronics and light bulbs.

When you get it running again, check your external lights, dash lights, brake lights, etc. It's possible, when the battery is disconnected (during the intermittent episode) the nominal 12 volts you should see can shoot above 18 volts or more. Light bulbs don't like that.

Check wires & or insulation, there might be loss connection or could be grounded.

Internet auction sites (names withheld) are great for problems like this. One simply lists the vehicle with photographs illustrating its condition, then a few days later someone shows up with some money, swaps it for the vehicle, and takes the problem away.

It's probably in a spot you can't see, and was disturbed when the alternator was changed out. That would be in the cast lead/crimp connections of the ground strap and positive wire from the battery. As corrosion forms the individual strands start forming high resistance joints, overheat, break, and then overload and overheat the remaining wires. The overheating anneals the strands making them brittle, and when the wires are moved during a repair, even more break until the remaining strands act like a fuse and pop after a few high current starts.

You can't see this damage without a cheap analog multimeter so your best bet is to wiggle and tug on the heavy leads from the battery, alternator, and ground with the lights on and watch them flash. Twenty bucks worth of cables and you'll be good as new (in Cavalier terms).

Read all the recommendations from fellow members. I would like to add, that I did not see anyone mentioning to check the engine fuse, which is the only one that would prevent the starter from turning (and eventually starting) although you have power.

Experienced it first thing, after buying new battery, towing the car back home , tearing all wiring harnesses and anything in between. just to see a 20 cent item being at fault..

Just saying..

It is a fact that if you disconnect the battery whilst the engine is running, then the alternator voltage will rapidly climb to 40v or more as its output is no longer being smoothed by the battery .

A classic sign of this happening is the gauges going haywire, wipers racing off the windscreen, light globes blowing, computer self destructing etc.

You don't have to purposely disconnect the battery for this to occur, a faulty connection anywhere in the battery main circuit (battery to earth and battery to alternator) will cause this problem. This includes an open circuit in the battery itself.

Check for loose connections in that circuit first, and hopefully you haven't destroyed too much.

I think there is a case to start banning certain makes of cars from CR4 as this case.

This model, due to its awful history (why would ANYONE even take one as a gift, let alone give real money for one), is covered by literally hundreds of other web sites for every problem possible........

What do you Guys think....? No more Chevy questions?

That's very cavalier of you Andy.

I've even got the hat for that comment!!

Well Speedy/ not too speedy at time of writing,

If you have been paying attention to this forum for quite a while, you should have considered getting rid of the vehicle a while ago already.

Please clarify "I had power and everything still just wont not turn over". How do you know you had power ? How did you know you had enough power ?

The whole matter of "of a sudden my car highlights and gauges started going crazy flashing and turning off and on" doesn't compute well from where I'm sitting. ....but the whole saga seems to be a product of a faulty alternator/ voltage regulator. Generally this is a shop repair, unless you have/ have access to, the expertise and measuring equipment required to effect the repair.

1. Alternator charging fuse is open/blown. (Fuse box)

2. Fusible link is open/blown. (Located in-line with the alternator output wire just before the wire attaches to the starter solenoid.)

3. Megafuse is open/blown. (Used on some vehicles instead of a fusible link and is usually located in or immediately adjacent to the main fuse box under the hood.)

Caution: You need to identify what is causing the alternator to fail otherwise this will keep happening. It could be a bad battery or a short in the starter or other condition that can cause a fire and extensive damage to your vehicle.

Thanks I will have to try this.

I would take a look at the ignition switch connector. Not the switch itself but the connector below and behind the steering column. The contacts are susceptible to corrosion and can cause the problems you describe.

Thanks I will have to try this also.

Have you searched this site for Cavalier? If you had, you would know the answer is a tow truck to the junk yard!

If you buy me a new car, i will......

The first rule of auto repair is: The last one that touched it screwed it up. What changed since the last time it worked correctly? The alternator was replaced. Go back to each and every bolt, not or wire connection that was touched when the alternator was replaced. Be especially critical of both ends of both battery cables, and the connections on the back of the alternator. Good luck.

Last time I used that reasoning, he was about 6" and 60lbs bigger than me, and he he wasn't too interested since he's already been paid. I decided to call it quits!

OK. Then you, or someone you trust needs to follow the suggestions posted here. Or, you can have it towed to Ft. Lauderdale, and I will check it out for you for free.

All of you regulars that are complaining about the flood of Cavalier posts have no one to blame but yourselves. I challenged all of you to post what brand of car problems you wanted to see. Who bothered to post any suggestions? NO ONE. Now live with the Cavaliers.

True, true....

BUT THERE ARE SO MANY!!!

Can we have a different make and model? Please Daddy Bob, PLEASE?

OK. I have a Renault Fuego. It was in a shed of a house I purchased. It will not turn over. Can anyone tell me the correct air-fuel ratio for the fuel injector system?

I'd get it turning over first before I started worrying about that. It might start and run fine. Though if it came free with the house it's unlikely!

I have a 65 Ford Galaxie convertible. It is rusted almost in half. It was then burned to the ground. Is it worth rebuilding? Is anyone interested in buying it?

I remember those! Nice car...sorry, no sale this time.

2002 Chev Cavalier - Perhaps all electronics and electrics have been stock since 2002 , and not failed , but 13 years later , failures are beginning at the alternator . It's unlikely that a replacement alternator would cause electrical damage further down the system , what's more likely is , the added voltage/amperage your replacement alternator put into your electrical system caused a relay or regulator to fail. The Chev alternator for that year has an integral voltage regulator and rectifier bridge , I'm certain , and I believe since the 2002 Cavalier is a computer controlled electronic fuel injection system , that your electrical glitch may be in one of the more expensive modules . The fact that you have a live carging system , but that there is no started circuit or engine guage circuit suggests that the module which is suspect is the electronic ignition module itself . Dodge calls these modules the FCU ( fuel control module ) . Perhaps use a local mechanic , and locate the electronic ignition module , and price out a replacement . That may just be your only problem .

Hey Everyone,

Finally got to my car and fixed it. One Problem was the PMC fuse under the hood was blowen keeping it from starting. After replaced that it started right up, but didnt want to stay running. Once fixed that we check the alternator and it was bad would not even run on the tester at auto zone, then we also took the battery in the same time just to get it tested to and they said it was bad too. SO got new of both replaced them and now running good so far!

Thanks for the help everyone

Great! Good to hear and thanks for the feedback.

ITS ALIVE!!!!!

Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for letting us know. I lost a lot of sleep worrying about some of these posts.

Soooo,

I had the same problem, after recently having idler pulley and alternator changed. So, I checked the under hood fuses and swapped some relays, read these articles, and planned to check the under-dash fuses, sprayed all the connections on the starter/solenoid. Came back in the morning, got ALL my tools and lights ready, and thought, "Awww, what the heck, let's try the key one last time," and the car started.

So, now my dilemma is; "Do I RISK breaking one of the connections that has been rusting, corroding, and salt-sprayed for 14 years??" Just to check the connections is a HUGE risk! The ol' ride is due to be parted and crunched in a few months. And, hey, to all you Cavalier bashers out there... This ol' ride gets great mileage, rides smooth, holds 4, burns no oil with 170k miles, has plenty of power, and has been very reliable. It's almost impossible to go anywhere where you DON'T see these reliable ol' things... soon they'll go the way of the Nova, Pinto, Maverick, and Slant-6-mobiles... but these ol' rides'll have 100k more miles on them before they retire.

Welcome to the site. The issue you face is complicated. Is is likely that you are facing a poor connection,,,,, somewhere.

It could be in the fuel pump supply, the ignition system, or the fuel injector system.

One of the common areas for poor connections on this car seems to be the harness coming out of the ignition switch.While the car is running, try reaching under the the lower dash and finding the wires routed on the top of the steering column. grab them and gently try to shake them. if the engine stutters or dies, you know the problem area. You just have to remove some of the lower dash trim to get access to the area. Once the area is more accessible (it will never be as easy to access as you want) start the engine again and try moving each wire separately. Pay attention mostly to red, pink and orange wires.

If the initial shaking does not cause any engine stuttering or stalling, you can cross your fingers, and hope, or install some test lights. LEDs to be more exact. Under the hood there should be a single RED plastic connector located either on the firewall between the brake master cylinder and the outer fender, or the outer fender on the driver's side between the LF wheel and firewall. This wire connector has one wire that is connected to the fuel pump. Connect the positive wire from a LED to this, and insulate with electrical tape. The other wire on the LED goes to a good ground.

Now find the wires on one of the fuel injectors. In a place on the wires that is not close to anything, scrape a small section of insulation off of each of the two wires. Be certain that each of the bare spots on these wires can NOT touch anything, not even each other. With the engine again running, take the second LED (different color for ease of diagnosis) ground the negative wire from the LED, and one at a time touch the positive wire from the LED to each of the two wires from the injector. One injector wire will cause the LED to light up, the other wire will cause the LED to flash, or flicker. That injector wire is the one you want. Now twist the LED positive wire tightly around the bare spot on that injector wire and tape it securely with electrical tape. Now tape around the bare spot on the other injector wire. Finally connect the negative wire from the LED to the SAME ground point as the first LED negative wire.

Finally with the engine OFF, you must find the pink wire that feeds the ignition system. it will be attached to the coil pack, or the distributer. Same thing again. Positive wire from the third color LED to the pink wire, and the negative LED wire to the same ground as the first two.

Now get something to fit the LEDs to. A Styrofoam cup, a part of a paint stirrer, anything sturdy enough to keep the LEDs from falling all over the place. It is best if it is inside the car and visible when starting.

Now when starting the engine up, all of the LEDs will light up. The ignition one will be flickering, but this is what is expected. If any of the LEDs do not light up when trying to start You will have found the failing system. A good start for repairing it.

If none of the LEDs light up, you may have a bad ground causing your "no start" condition.

If you find either the fuel pump or the ignition LED fails to light when trying to start, a test would be to jump from the battery positive to the positive connection for that LED. That should temporarily allow the car to start till you repair the fault. Only jump for a few seconds to test. Driving like that invites a short circuit, and fire.

Good luck, and post results as you go.

BTW, Do you know the history of TV Tommy IVO?