I have an 03 cavalier (ecotec, 5speed). It has 26k miles. It seems like it has exsessive play in the driveline. If you are letting it idle through a parking lot and give it just a little gas and let off it bucks and shakes a lot. I know this is normal for manual cars to an extent. My truck and my vette are both manual, and neither do it this badly. I shut the car off in gear and rocked it back and fourth (to check the engine mounts, but didn't notice the engine moving too much. Any other ideas? Last time I had this problem was with a 160k mile blazer (manual). It had about 1/16 play in the rear end. This car has way to few miles to have that kind of a problem. I have been to the track a few times with it, but mostly it just drives me around getting 33mpg mixed driving (2500rpm shifts).

Any ideas where all this movement is coming from? Will stiffer mounts make the problem worse? Just wondering if anyone knows of a "common" reason among these cars to do this, or if it is just my car. I am all stock suspension wheels, ect.

Thanks.



2004 Cavalier. Razzi. (Sold)
1998 Corvette. Some mods.
1992 Typhoon. Lots of mods.
1994 Civic VX 44MPG

That's normal for this car - my car did it from day 1.

I know someone at GM who calibrates drive lines, and he said for cheap cars it is a low priority at GM to remove the drive line resonance. The easiest way to stop it once it starts is to press the clutch in, and then let it out slowly.

FireHawk wrote:That's normal for this car - my car did it from day 1.

Agree. My car has always done the same. Just push in the clutch if necessary to stop the bucking.

Thanks, that is what I figured. Yeah, the clutch thing is what I have been doing anyhow. I guess I just spent too many years with cars with 50lb clutch and flywheels. They probably help it to remain at constant momentum, plus they were not cheaper cars like the cavalier.



2004 Cavalier. Razzi. (Sold)
1998 Corvette. Some mods.
1992 Typhoon. Lots of mods.
1994 Civic VX 44MPG