God damnit.

I love my 99 Cavy 2200. It's a fantastic commuter car and I now put close to 20,000 miles a year on it. Just had it tuned up 2 months ago and it purred like a kitten. The engine has about 80k on it if even that because it used to be towed behind a land yacht wherever it went.

Two nights ago I was driving off the freeway and it died at the light at the end of the offramp. Started it up again - it made a horrible rattling sound and then died again. I got it started again long enough to get it off the ramp and down underneath the overpass, but I had to keep it at around 3000 rpms to keep it from dying. No CEL, no warning, absolutely no problems at all with the car and then this happened.

It was towed to the shop and it's taken them 2 days to get to the point where they THINK they know what the problem is. It's either a broken piston, a rod bearing, or both. The spark plug in the number one chamber was damaged from something in the cylinder, and this is why they think the piston is shot.

I have a few options at this point, and I was hoping the ORG could give me some advice.

Option 1: Pay about 3 grand for my engine to be rebuilt. I'm leery about this because if my 2200 failed this bad with no warning at all, I'm not sure I want the same engine in my car when it could just break a few months down the line again with no warning

Option 2: Pay about 3 grand to have a rebuilt 2200 with a 3 yr unlimited mileage warranty dropped into my car to replace the current one

Option 3: Get an engine swap to a different year, maybe an Ecotec or a 2.4L. I might consider this route more closely if the 2200 has a history of breaking like this.

I want to do this right. I can't get a new car because my finances are stretched to the near limit as it is and I cannot afford to take on a new car payment and the increased insurance. 1) Which one of those options would give me the least problems, 2) Should I get a second opinion from another mechanic or possibly the dealership, 3) Do I want the local mechanic or the dealership to do this work on my car, and 4) How much do you think I would be expected to pay with a labor rate of about 85 an hour? I want to make sure I'm not getting screwed on this.

Till this gets fixed, I'm driving an 87 Fiero GT that is alot more powerful but averages about 15 miles to the gallon.

Thanks alot for your help, ORG.

~Steve

for 3 grand you can get another used car.......
i got my 96 auto for 1700 i think and it had 71k on the clock

i think youd be ok to just get a new piston, and rod, and get the head fixed. just as long as the crank and cylinder bore are checked VERY well for damage, and the head is x-rayed for cracks. the 2200 arn't really well know for major falures like this. my mom has a 99 cav with a 2200 with about 13000 on it, the only things i've ever done to that car was two wheel bearings and a water pump. that and a lil lifter tick, fixed with 10w30 motor oil

if you really want to spend that much then do it but i sure as hell wouldn't. If your looking into an eco swap which in my opinion are more reliable and alot more can be done to them I sell for about half than what your going to pay for to rebuild your motor. Also why dont you looked into a good used replacement motor I can get you one with low miles as well. If your interested at all PM me or email me and Ill help you out. Im very reputable on this site =)

How difficult is it to do the Eco swap for a dealer? Would I need to replace the transaxle as well or will the stock '99 work with an Ecotech?

After talking with the dealer the head mechanic basically whistled and said "Wow, I haven't had a phone call like this in years. The 2200 almost NEVER has catastrophic failure like this."

Lucky me.

I'm trying to see what my options are at this point. I might just up getting another car, if I can find a place that finances based on current income instead of credit score. It's pretty bad at the moment.

The dealer told me I would be looking at about $4200 total to get the engine swapped with a rebuilt one, so the local mechanic it is.

GM, you'd be able to get me the motor, the harness, and the ECU for about 1500? Dang, I'd have to consider that.

First off 99% of places dont rebuild engines anymore. They come in a crate and are just swapped. The above poster saying you need a new a piston etc etc., so if your piston is damaged it took the crank with it, the crank spec is normally .003 out of round.

Secondly I would say get a second opinion before doing anything. A trans shop misdianoised a trans problem in my friends, it turned out to be ignition wires and they were trying to sell a new trans. All we did was mist the wires with water and we found the wires had holes in them, causing a misfire, but in the car it was a bad shudder.



- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new