1998 Sunfire 2.2L Won't Start

Is the tank full? Jus askin

Tank is half full.

Which half?

Well if he is on planet earth and the car is setting upright then i would guess the lower half.

Then it's twice as big as it needs to be!

Here's are pics of the MAP sensor and the end of the rag after pushing it in the MAP hole.

I would disconnect the battery for reset.....valves might be burnt....head might be warped.....do you change the oil regularly?.....what's the oil look like?....I would clean the air flow control flap thingy, make sure it is moving freely....

Oil is changed regularly. It is dark colored but not black.

The valves are not burnt enough to worry about. The head is not warped. The head gasket is not leaking around the cylinders, and the valve timing is correct. All of this is known because of the compression test readings.

Are the injectors firing? Have you checked fuel pressure While cranking? Have you squirted good fuel into the intake and tried t start it? What do the spark plugs look like? Are they wet with fuel? Is the fuel filter free flowing?

The injectors passed the noid light and resistance test but I didn't take them off and check them out. Other answers are on post #19.

OK, if the noid lights are flashing, then there is a signal to the injectors. That says that the cam and crank sensors are working along with the ECM. I would question weather the gasoline is water contaminated, and frozen. Can you check fuel pressure at the fuel injector rail?

This morning I'm going to recheck the fuel pressure by the rail, the pressure while trying to start it and then I can look at the spark plugs. I'll let you all know what I find out.

What do the plugs look like?

If you try to start it are they saturated or dry?

I don't have a clue, but I commend you on your well worded, thorough opening post.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/gm/2.2L/how-to-diagnose-misfire-codes-1

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/gm/2.2L/how-to-test-the-map-sensor-1

I have used that website before. It actually helped me fix my truck. I tested the map according to the instructions and it checked out.I didn't have a pump so I created my own vacuum.

Agree with Lyn (#7), but please format your posts for readablility, e.g.

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Not a Cavalier but it's evil twin. Car over heated and stopped running.It has spark to all 4 cylinders.

I did a compression check. #1 - 120,#2 - 110, #3 & 4 - 130. Put a code reader on and it gave me 5 codes.
P0117-Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Circuit Low,
P0125 - Insufficient Coolant Temperature For Closed Loop Fuel Control,
P0140 - 02 Sensor Circuit No Activity Detected (Bank 1 Sensor 2)
P0141 - O2 Sensor Heater Circuit (Bank1, Sensor2)
P0335 - Crankshaft Position Sensor'A'Circuit.

Changed the Crankshaft Position Sensor. No go. I checked the relay and it was good. I have power to the relay. I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. Unfortunately the fuel return line got a kink in it while trying to connect it.

I tried to start it anyway and it ran really rough for about 10 seconds and quit. It ran long enough to give me a 0452 code. Found out the kinked hose could cause it so I replaced the kinked part of it with a piece of fuel line and hose clamps. Did a fuel pressure check. It topped out at 42.

I did do a noid light test and all the fuel injector connections are good. Resistance checked the injectors and they all passed. From what I understand if there is no gas coming from the pressure regulator when the line is removed then it's good. And there is none.

I have read about the theft protection might be the culprit, but can that be ruled out because the car started and the noid lights flashed? Took the MAP sensor out and it looked like the end was plugged with crud so I cleaned it and checked it and it was ok.

The TPS checked out ok. I tried to clean out the hole the MAP goes into and the rag also had a bunch of crud on it. I'm pretty sure there's no MAF sensor on it. If you search on any auto stores website there is never one listed. Any idea's? And lighting it on fire or giving it away isn't an option just yet.

Thanks.

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PS You can get a paragraph break without yhe extra blank line by holding down [SHIFT] while keying [ENTER].

That's more like it!

Question to OP - did you find out what caused the overheating, and fix it? If the engine is badly damaged it not be worth worrying about the other issues.

Will do JohnDG. Thanks.

The car was low on antifreeze. REALLY low.

Over heating does a few things.

The first sign is the car will run badly.

The second thing is possible head warpage and/or head gasket damage.

A leak down or compression test usually spots that, but not always. I prefer a leak down test as it does a better job of spotting issues.

However, I think there is more going on here than what meets the eye. You may have a compound failure here and it may serve you to rethink the problem from a fresh perspective.

Once again, the visual condition of the spark plugs is a valuable clue as to what is going on inside the engine.

I missed your comment on the fuel filter being replaced. Sorry. You have no fuel pressure at the fuel pressure regulator. Do you mean the line that returns excess fuel to the tank? Could you have crossed the feed and return lines to the tank?

I don't think I switched them. I put the connectors on the same lines the old fuel pump connectors were on.

I didn't check the fuel pressure while cranking.

Haven't checked the plugs because I haven't tried to start it for a week or so, so the plugs are probably dry.

I live in Wisconsin and it's been single digits to below 0 for the last few weeks. The car is in the garage but the garage is not heated so I haven't done much on it this week. It's suppose to reach 20 tomorrow so I try some things then.

Thanks for everyones help and suggestions so far.

-4 outside as I leave for work. Stay warm everyone.

Ok. This is weird. This is exactly what I did.

Remove f/p relay and turn car over for 4 or 5 seconds disconnect neg. terminal.

Hook up my pressure tester. Put the relay back in. Turn car on 3 times without trying to start it. Pressure while f/p was going was 45. Pressure was 40 after. I let it sit for 10 minutes and pressure was 36.

Here's where it gets weird. Turn it over to check starting pressure and the car starts. Runs for about 6 seconds and dies but I didn't have any of the intake stuff on the throttle body. It did read 48 when trying to start. Hooked everything back up and it wouldn't start again.

Plugs were clean and smelled like gas. They were a little wet. When I tried to start it again, foot off the pedal, foot on and repete for about 15 seconds the engine did "pop" a couple of times. Kinda like a backfire.

Replace the relay for the DME. They are cheap and sometimes the contacts will stick or not make.

A Sometimes smacking the relay with the butt of a screwdriver will jolt it to life and that is how you know the relay is failing.

Overheating and plugs wet (they shouldn't be wet with gas) are what tells me you may have a fuel system problem. The overheating could've damaged a seal/gasket or a fuel injector. These cars spray fuel into the intake manifold, then the valve opens and air/fuel comes into the cylinder. If the ratio it too rich, the engine won't start or will run rough.

So, try cleaning the spark plugs (all four) and reinstall. Then try firing her up. If it starts and runs okay for a little while, then you know there's too much fuel getting into the engine. You may or may not see black exhaust, but if you do, it'll verify your rich air/fuel ratio.

If it doesn't fire up, pull the plugs and check for wetness. If it's dry, but you smell gas through the plug hole, then the fuel system is probably okay.

The next step is checking the spark. Remember that overheating the engine could've damaged some wiring or sensors and a 17 year old car may have brittle wiring/sensors.

I copied this from another thread, but since I wrote it, I think it is safe to repost. Most of this will apply to your car also.

There should be an easier way to test for power to the fuel pump CIRCUIT, not necessarily all the way to the fuel pump, but at least the wire that leads to the pump. Under the hood on the driver's side, above the wheel well going towards the master cylinder, there should be a light tan wire that has a red plastic terminal cover hiding a female spade connector. It may still have black paper tape securing it to the remainder of the wiring harness. Test that as you turn the key to the on position, as mentioned above. If that wire is live for the few seconds after the key is turned, then it is time to test for fuel pressure. If you can not test the fuel pressure, simply use a squirt bottle to introduce some fuel into the intake manifold. You can use a vacuum line to do this. If the car now runs for a few seconds each time you squirt some gas, you can now concentrate on why no fuel is going to the engine.

This can be as simple as a clogged fuel filter, or as bad as a defective fuel pump. On your car, the tank does need to come out to remove the pump. Sorry. Put, you have nothing to loose by tapping the bottom of the tank with a rubber mallet. If it starts to run, try to run it out of fuel to lighten the weight of the tank.

Good luck.