Ok, so I'm new on this forum but not new to the online car forums and how they work. I've come with a mission and a purpose to get help and suggestions on what to do with the mess that is my Cavalier...

So here's the rundown on whats going on. In Jan I purchased a used '99 Cavalier with 107,000 miles on it. It seemed to be in good running condition and all it needed was a tranny flush and front brakes. So I took care of that. About a month or so ago the low coolant light came on, so I put coolant it in. One would have thought that would solve the problem but it progressively got worse and I blew out the motor... it overheated, warped the heads, and so a junkyard motor was put in that had 73,000 miles on it. The coolant problem was still happening until finally I replaced the hose assembly that links the radiator to the motor to the coolant reservoir (I think that how you spell it). Cool, that was done took are of the cooling problem, but when the new motor was put in it triggered the check engine light. The codes read that it was the map sensor and the cam shaft sensor. Both were replaced, still the light is on.
The codes were cleared and they came back... then the stalling started. At high speeds about 20 mins of freeway driving to be particular the car starts to chug and then dies. It will start back up but unless the speed of travel decreases the car dies again and its harder and harder to start up again. Also, the car failed its emissions test.
Here's what's been suggested to me as to what the problem/s might be:
~ wiring (the check engine light)
~ catalytic converter
~ TCC solenoid sensor (checked that, didn't help with the stalling)

So, I'm here to see if anyone has experienced similar problems and what you've done... or if you have any suggestions on what to do.
Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks,

Joanna


I've tried searching for answers to some of this stuff on the forums already and didn't co me up with much...so if there's a post about this somewhere please direct me there! Thanks again.

Okay so bottom line basically.

Your CEL is on for cam sensor and MAP sensor?

What is the code, low input, hight input, no signal?



On the highway when this chugging happens, does hitting the gas harder help? Does it seem to be not getting enough fuel.

I assume this at speeds above 45mph, so the TCC is fully locked up, correct?

Your dont have any other CELs for TCC not locking up correct?



When a car comes in, the first thing I do is fix hard faults, also called one fault trip CEL codes. Those right there need to be fixed before you fix other issues.




- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new

When I scanned the car it gave the codes for the map sensor and cam shaft sensor. Both have been replaced as well as the crank sensor. Not sure why I had to replace the crank sensor but my friend who's a mechanic said it wouldn't hurt.

When it starts chugging hitting the gas helps for a split second, then it chuggs harder and eventually kills the car.

I heard that it might be the TCC solenoid, so I tested that by unplugging it and I drove the car home from work which is about a 20 min freeway drive and the car killed out int he same spot it normally did the previous three days in a row.

There were no codes for the TCC at all. Even after all the sensors were replaced the CEL still comes on. So could it possibly be a wiring issue?

One other thing to consider is that I failed my emissions test. I tested at 1.6049 grams/mile of HC and 0.6 is passing, also 24.5781 grams/miles of CO and 10.00 is passing. I was good on the NOX at 0.4855 grams/mile and 1.50 is passing

I was told to check the cat and see if it was either damaged or clogged. I heard that if it was clogged that it could cause the stalling. Is there any truth to that?

I used to have a 91 Grand Prix LE and has a stalling problem where it would stall when I tried to take off from a complete stop. I took it in and it turned out to be a clogged feul filter. I was considering checking into that for my car in this case, but the circumstances are a bit different. Would that be a good way to go?

Thanks so much for your help!

Take the car to auto zone. Have them write down the Codes on a piece of paper for you. The code will Look like (P07021) or such. Post back when you have the codes =]