Your thermostat is probably the cheapest place to start. then maybe your coolant temperature sending sensor. did you let it run low on coolant? if so, it may have an air pocket in the water jacket. you'd need to bleed all the air out of the lines with the bleeder valves on the coolant lines. if your coolant did get to low with out any warning, you should probably replace your coolant level sensor on the coolant bottle. make sure your fans are coming on. start the car with ac off, let the engine warm up and see if the fans come on. if not, turn the ac on. If the fans come on with the ac, you could have computer problems. I have a cavalier setting at my house that runs fine, but over heats. My wife let it run super hot one day, and it was down hill from there. I sunk probably $1000.00 in to repairing it, only for it to continue to over heat. I flushed the system, refilled, bled, replaced the thermostat, the temp sending sensor, coolant level sensor, water pump, radiator, had the head shaved, took it to the local dealership only to be told that there was no problems found, that it wasn't over heating, just the gauges needed to be recalibrated. (idiots) The coolant bottle kept. emptying, every time my wife would try to drive it. I was told by a questionable source that the cylinder wall was cracked allowing combustion pressure to enter the coolant system forcing the coolant to out of the bottle. I wish you luck.
It's a 12 volt motor for the fan...with the car cold, not running, and no key in the ignition...check to see if the fan will turn by spinning it with your hand...more than likely it is seized (the motor case may have actually rotted and swollen) and needs replacement...other than that...you may have a bad relay or temperature sensor.
SOURCE: 1995 chevy g30 van
If vehicle was left outside or in an unheated garage, there is a strong possibility that condensation has contaminated your fuel. Easiest way to check is to remove fuel filter and pour contents into a glass jar. If you see two different layers of liquid in the jar, the bottom part is water. Replace with new filter and drop the tank. Remove sending unit. pour contents into a large container and clean out inside with clean dry rags. Remember, fuel is dangerous to work with and fumes travel pretty far on the ground. So, no open flames electrical stuff, cigarettes etc for a good perimeter around work area. Generally, you can re-use top 3/4 of fuel you removed by syphon. Don't use remainder in your vehicle. Part can be used for lawnmower etc as long as you only take the part above the water line.
SOURCE: 2005 Chevy Cavalier Electric Window Wiring Diagram
Tom,
See this alot. Sorry,It appears that is a symptom of a bad motor. If it moves an inch or so,then nothing,after a few minutes another inch or so,it's motor time!
SOURCE: 1996 chevy cavalier. problems starting and running
Actually i doubt the switch is in default here. Especially that if i'm not mistaken the theft light on those was only on the monsoon radio systems and only tells the status of the theft lock on the radio. And if the theft lock light on the radio comes on it's because it thinks it's being unplugged. Taking that in account and reading all the problem you have with the car, i'm strongly leaning toward a grounding problem. So check the negative post on the battery to be sure its not moving or broken in any way, and verify all the grounding wire and straps and replace them if needed. Not many people know this but the ground wires on a car are 100 times more important than the positive wires. Without the grounds, the current has nowhere to go on any components, so that means even the spark plugs stop sparking. If all the grounds are good, just check the battery itself and the alternator just to be sure they are not causing these problems. And if all else fails, then it would be option to change the ignition switch/cylinder. Pretty sure though that you can find one in a scrap yard for less than 150$, those cavaliers are practically raining everywhere in the scrap yards, and you can also use one from a pontiac sunfire which is the same car. Also, you can use most switches from other GMs in the same years, like a grand am, grand prix, lumina, etc. Just make sure that the car you take it from has basically the same equipment more or less than your cavalier so that the zenith has the same number of wires as yours and same positions also.
SOURCE: 2004 cheverolet impala 3.4L engine
Sounds like you have an air;lock in your cooling system.Try placing a bleeder on the return hose to the heater core ........looks like a small tap
139 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×