1994 Cavalier Issues

[dfnkt]

Hello All.

I have a 1994 chevy cavalier RS with 190K miles. The engine lately is having some issues. When you start the car up it idles a little rough and as you put it into drive and accelerate there is a sound of the car "missing". The acceleration is also severly degraded in the lower "gears" (it's automatic). Upon leaving my driveway and mashing the pedal you can potentially reach 25mph on a zero grade road in about 2 1/2 blocks.

It seems like I had a similar issue last summer which replacing the spark plugs (which I made sure were gaped correctly) seemed to correct. Wondering now if I need to consider taking it in to have it looked at and possibly what could be wrong?

I haven't but many miles on it since last summer since I drive it approx 20 miles round trip to work and home 5 days a week. Perhaps it needs some sort of belt or new plug wires

Edit: Just finished replacing the fuel filter, spark plugs, and changing the oil. The air filter is pretty clean and the plug wires themselves look good. Had a cracked insulator on one of the plugs. Car is running pretty solid right now, no more misses and it no longer drives like a beater. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Vette73]

Hard to say. Also what motor???


Take the plugs out first and look at each. Are they all the same color and are they black or a white color?


Also when is the last time you replaced the fuel filter, plug wires, PCV valve, clean the throttle body and IAC valve, etc...?

 

[dfnkt]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Hard to say. Also what motor???


Take the plugs out first and look at each. Are they all the same color and are they black or a white color?


Also when is the last time you replaced the fuel filter, plug wires, PCV valve, clean the throttle body and IAC valve, etc...?

2.2L 4 banger AFAIK. Not sure the plug wires have been changed since I got the car in '99. The fuel filter could use a changing i'm sure. About the PCV valve, throttle body, and IAC valve I do not have experience with these and not sure when anything was done with them.

Do you have a recommendation on where to buy said parts as well as a detailed guide on replacing them? I don't consider myself a mechanic but i'm very DIY inclined.

 

[Vette73]

Get haynes manual at Advance/AZ. Not the best but will show you the fuel filter, PCV valve, plug wires, etc...


For parts if just buying a few like that then same place Advance/AZ. If you are trying to save a couple bucks and replace all then Rockauto.com

But for that motor the parts should be cheap.

 

[exdeath]

You can check basic vitals with a spark tester and fuel pressure gauge and by visually inspecting components like plugs and cap/rotor or even throwing money at basic things like fuel filters. But if you don't immediately find any problems there, it starts to get more complicated in a hurry.

Because 1994 = pre OBD II but still all computer controlled = pain in the ass because you are blind and don't have the convenience of the computer telling you a sensor is not trustworthy or to tell you where a misfire is. An oscilloscope is your best friend here, for anything that you can't quickly isolate with basic troubleshooting.

 

[dfnkt]

I'm probably going to pickup the guide/manual and start with examining the plugs, i'll probably replace them regardless just to check it off the list. Will also be replacing the plug wires as I don't know that they have been changed since i got the car in '99 (and 100K+ miles ago). Will also give it a new fuel filter and finish it off by changing the oil (needs done anyway). If the "missing" issue is still present I will investigate further with the manual as plugs, plug wires, and fuel filter is about the limit of what i've attempted before.

 

[dfnkt]

Does any of that fuel tank additive stuff like Gumout work? I'm not expecting it to fix any problems but does it hurt?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: dfnkt
Does any of that fuel tank additive stuff like Gumout work? I'm not expecting it to fix any problems but does it hurt?

Won't hurt but won;t do much other then take money out of your wallet.

Get a can of Carb cleaner and spray out the throttle body.

 

[ChaosDivine]

Originally posted by: dfnkt
Does any of that fuel tank additive stuff like Gumout work? I'm not expecting it to fix any problems but does it hurt?

Personally, I like SeaFoam better if I was going to use any additives.

 

[SJP0tato]

Originally posted by: dfnkt
2.2L 4 banger AFAIK. Not sure the plug wires have been changed since I got the car in '99.

This can definitely be a source of your problem. After that many miles/heat cycles, the insulation on plug wires starts to break down. Then the electricity will take the path of least resistance out the side of the wire onto the valve cover/engine/whatever closest ground the wire happens to be touching.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Check the wires. Also, not sure if that uses coil packs or a distributor, but check that too. If it is a distributor cap setup, the cap and/or rotor may need replaced.

I had a coil pack go bad recently and cause a miss.

 

[dfnkt]

Updated original post.