Anyone here have a late model Cavalier?

[Solid Snake]

I got this car a few months ago (a 98 model) and I noticed some strange things about it, maybe some other Cavalier owners could share their experiences with the car. I have the plain jane 2.2L inline four model.

1. Whenever I start the engine there is a sound coming from underneath the dash like a cable being pulled and a clunking sound.

2. The clunking sound is obvious during hard braking and when the tires spin on rain, snow and ice. Maybe it's the ABS system.

3. The engine gets REALLY loud and resonates close to the redline. So loud, I can't hear the horn over it.

4. The engine shakes horribly at idle.

5. There seems to be better acceleration in 2nd gear than in 1st.

6. The car has a tremendous understeer.

7. The stock tires smell like rotten eggs after a few minutes of hard driving.

[flash4master]

im not going to pretend to know a thing about the cavalier, but heres my guesses.

1. not sure...
2. does the pedal pulse when it clunks? could also very well be a binding suspension joint somewhere.
3. drive like a granny
4. idle is most likely too low...bump up the idle or check the motor mounts.
5. heck if i know...maybe the powerband is better suited for this gear.
6. not sure with a fwd (shows what i know about chebby, the cav is fwd right? i hope so)
7. tires? i know it can smell that way if excess gas goes through the catalitic convertor...could also lead to believe that the motor is running rich causing some of your other troubles

[Solid Snake]

The idle speed is good. Under hard braking it feels like the pedal stops fighting you and just sinks into the floorboard. Definately the worst implementation of ABS I have ever seen. The tires are definately the cause of the stench because even if I accelerate slowly and take corners really hard I can smell the tires. It feels like there is very little torque in the higher RPM's. Maybe this is due to a restrictive air filter. Most of the torque is in the 3500 RPM range so I just let up on the pedal and let it shift into second.

[nunyadam]

sounds like a bad vaccuum booster for your brakes. check all of your vaccuum lines . loss of vac will cause most all of your problems.

rough idle . fading brakes, lousy shifting.

nunya

[Gomer]

that first sound you describe happens on my 92 lumina when the ABS is doing its diagnostic check at startup. Pretty normal I think. As for the late model cav... I've heard of lots of issues with the ABS on those cars.

[flash4master]

you arent going to feel as much torque up top...the torque tends to be down low to get you off the line, then up top the horsepower takes over

[brandon184]

Any GM that's been owned by someone in this household has had persistant ABS problems. Which is just two Chevy Blazers, on which individual sensors would quit - which would not only result in ABS failure - but complete overall poor performance on the brakes as a whole.

- Brandon
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[XT]

You said you motor Shakes horribly, might want to check the motor mounts, they could be cracked.


XT

[prttybean]

I have a 2000 Cavalier and the only thing I've noticed is that the engine is loud during acceleration.

I have traction control on mine. I prefer to call it car-no-go. It pretty much doesn't go anywhere from a dead stop if there is poor traction. I live in WI. In the winter there isn't a single stinkin' intersection in the state that has any traction I have to pump the acclerator repeatedly to get the stupid car moving. I hate this !@*&^)& car!

[Richard Cranium]

If the brakes go to the floor the problem is most likely a bad master cylinder.

When the brake booster goes bad, the pedal gets hard and stopping takes tremendous effort.

Any ABS system need "Flushing" from time to time.
This directly from State Farm Insurance.

Not a quote but close;

All cars/trucks with ABS braking systems need the ABS antilock system flushed. To do this, get on a rain slick road, slow down to 10-15 mph. Hit the brakes hard enough to lock the wheels, the pedal will pulsate. This flushes fresh fluid through the system keeping corrosion down.

They also went on to say not to do this except when safe, i.e. no other cars, level ground etc

I find that I need to be going about 30 or so for it to work properly.

My Corvette flushes the fluid automatically. When backing up during the first operation of the day and less than 4 mph, the ABS system engages a pump to circulate the brake fluid.

It is also a good idea to totally drain and refill the brake fluid every 2-4 years, brake fluid is an "anhydrous" mixture, meaning it has NO water in it and it also has a great affinity for water. Any time it is exposed to air, it gains moisture. This causes rust in the braking system.