help

[birdhunter39]

my sister's car is broke down again , it's a 2004 Chevy cavalier , 2.2 euro tech engine , Saturday the radio stopped working , i put a CD in and it started working again , well then we went to park and the car died , i checked the oil it was 1.5 low . put some in and the engine is turning but not starting , i put in a new starter and battery ( the battery test read 3.5 ) , but it still does nothing , we smell gas , now when i look at the gauges when i turn the key all the needles are bouncing up and down including the gas gauge . update the new battery is already dead and the key was only turned twice

Edited August 30, 2010 by birdhunter39

[92xj]

Check all your ground wires. Disconnect them from the block, firewall, battery, etc and clean them all and reconnect making sure you get very good metal to metal contact. Spray over them with dielectric grease. That is where I would start if I replaced what you have.

[redkneck]

Did you check your alternator? Been a lot of starters and batteries changed over the years when the alt was the problem. Low voltage can cause havoc on the electronics of cars these days. Ben's idea is also a great place to check. Definitely sounds like a voltage issue.

[wtnhunt]

Sounds like an electrical issue to me as well. Would start by checking all the electrical connections I could find, make sure they are clean.

[Shaun_300]

Sounds like a bad ground to me, check all your grounds going to and from the battery and engine/chassis grounds. Also seen mice do some wire eating under the fuse blocks. Another good place to check.

[Goinghuntin]

Also seen mice do some wire eating under the fuse blocks. Another good place to check.

It's happened to me before.

Nathan

[Shaun_300]

Now that I was thinking about grounds, reminded me about a 2004ish Cadillac Deville I had a few months ago with WEIRD problems due to a bad engine - body ground. It was all corroded and only a few strands of wire holding it on. It was towed in for a no start, brought it in, battery was stone dead. Charged it up tried to start it, all the gauges on the cluster went absolutely insane (it was a digital cluster) Wouldn't start, fuel pump would run all the time, even with the key off and out of the ignition. Also the cluster would stay lit with the key out of the ignition. Man it did all sorts of crazy things. Ended up being that ground.

[birdhunter39]

update , car still isn't running . a part time ( retired auto mech ) came over the other day and he's puzzled , so any how i was thinking well let me try and start the car up at night to see if i can see any spark and i seen a electrical spark. from where i was standing over the car it appears to be near the starter . tonite I'll jack up the car and see where it's coming from for sure .

[birdhunter39]

i found out where the sparks were coming from the starter wires were loose , tighten those up and still nothing , thursday it's going into the shop

[birdhunter39]

i took it to the shop on 9-11 and at first they said it might be the timing belt , but got the bad news , it's the engine . that's what i kept telling her all along . to put a engine in not sure if it's new or used it's going to cost $ 1600 .

[SourthenILdeerhunter]

sorry to hear it jeff!

[birdhunter39]

thank you

[Shaun_300]

Man that sucks Jeff! Those ecotecs are usually pretty bulletproof. That'd definitely be a used engine. I just had a customer with a blown engine due hitting something, putting a hole in the oil pan and running the engine with the oil pressure light on until it stopped. GM rebuilt engine was $5200, GM new engine was $7200, used engine was $1200. (+labor)

[birdhunter39]

latest update , i was talking to another auto shop guy , he said that if your pullies are turning that the engine isn't locked up so he's coming over tomorrow to do a few tests on it . i was thinking the same thing

[birdhunter39]

went to another shop on this car , i know it's still not running , but took it to a 3rd shop and they said timing chain and a head , thats going to cost $ 1200 for parts and labor or to put a used engine in it'll run$ 1400 .00 . my question is this , is it that hard to put a timing chain on and a head ?? question 2 : how do i know this used engine is good ??

[Shaun_300]

Timing chains and a head is a pretty big job on an Ecotec, or any DOHC engine for that matter. Some special tools are required for the job and it's definitely not a job an average Joe can do at home. If you decide to fix the engine, you should have a new waterpump put in when they have it apart (it's driven by the timing chain). If it leaks down later down the road labor alone just to do a waterpump is close to 5 hours, I'm sure they wouldn't charge you any extra to throw a new one in when it's apart. I know I wouldn't.

With a used engine it's a gamble. If you can find one with low miles you're pretty safe. Plus they come with some warranty on them if it does fail. Like I said the ecotec is a really good engine. So chances of getting a bad one are slim to none. I have seen a few break timing chains but only in 2002 model years. Since then GM has a better chains for them and never seen another one go. The reason you need a head is because when the timing chains break, the pistons come up and slam the valves which bend them and ruin the seats and guides. Another route you could go is getting a used head for it, that'd take a fair chunk of the price down.