i drive a 2000 pontiac sunfire se with the 2.2 ohv and an automatic transmission with101762.
ive been planning to swap it over to an ecotec with a manual trans i was going to use my tax returns to
pay for the swap but now my car is starting to quit on me i drove it 10 miles to the store parked went in came out the car started and i put it into reverse to back it out and it died i started it again and it sounded really funny like it wasnt running on all the cylinders so i get out and start checking connections and i had spark in all 4 cylinders i had my puddy try and start it again it ran for 6 secounds and it sounded like crap again and i could smell like a sulfer smell coming from the motor so we towed it home and when we got there we tried starting it again and it ran fine its been a week and it just did it again and it will only start after i killed the battery trying to start it i gave it a jump and it had trouble but it started and ran fine so i need to figure out what is going on i cant have it dyein on me on my way to work so any help would be greatly appreciated
tim

If I remember right... the sulfer smell usually comes from a plugged cat... If your car is running way too rich for some reason... it will cause the cat to break down and make that smell.. but sometimes it just happends with age... or enough moisture has gotton to it.... If your O2 sensor is working... you should be throwing a code if your running way to rich... but if your CEL isn't on.... I'de take the car to an exaust shop and have them check it out... you probably just need a new cat installed.

yeah well the thing is i replaced my cat a year ago so i think its still good but i pulled it off today and looked inside and it still looks brand new so i put it all back together and cleaned up all the battery connections the grounds for the starter i think there is something wrong with the electrical system i drove it 16 miles today before i pulled off the cat and on my way to pick up my check my car kept dieing i would be driving with cruise control on and the car would just die so i would pop it into nutural and try and start it i would have to try 6 times and throttle the pedal for it to start or ill be cruizeing along and ill go to accelerate and ill push the pedal to the floor and i wont accelerate itll just die so any ideas would be greatly appreaciated im confused???
tim

p.s. foamy ROCKS!!!

forgot to add it has also been slowly eating the coolant because the oil is red and the fluid was really low i think the head gasket is blown but i topped off the fluid a mounth ago and it hasnt moved.
tim

im not sure if this will help you my 95 2.2 had a head blown when i bought it, it wouldnt fire i pulled the computer and cleaned the plugs and put it back in it fired up but ran on 3 cyls and would drive good one min and want to die the next like yours by the way you discribed and it didnt seem to use coolent but the oil was milky then the motor just lock up

yeah i know my dash wireing harness got fried when i first got the car back in aug/04 the install guys at audio fourte @!#$ it all up and it blew all the fuses so i no longer have a driver side door swith foor dom light and i know the airbags wont deploy anymore the list just goes on and on so maybe its starting to effect the motor the harness got fried when it had 40 thousnd miles on it but since i cleaned the battery plate ground and my battery ground i think its been runnig better kinda hadr to tell so i dont know im still confused im off to go change the oil.

thats a good idea crazy cav ill give it a try where exactly is the computer in the sunfire i think its in the passenger side kick panel area am i rifgt?

okay i changed my fuel filter today and checked the compression and the numbers are going from passenger side to driver side 1=103 psi. 2=100 psi. 3=100 psi. 4=105 psi. i dont know if these are normal but i cant seem to get the car started anymore after i changed the filter is there a trick to repressureize the system because i tried to start it for an hour it would start then it would die right away then it would just go back to just the starter turning it over so any info would be greatly appreaciated
tim

the only "trick" that I know about after changing the fuel filter, is to cycle the key to the "on" position for a few secs till the pump turns off, and do that 3 times, the car should start, maybe stumble and then should run normally.


This is my 5 cents worth, (normally is would be 2 cents worth but I have adjusted it for inflation)

Car I drive:
99 Chevy Cavalier 2.2L 5 spd man (My daily car)
98 Ford Escort ZX2 4 spd auto

yeah i tried that last night i cycled the key on/off and i switched the relays around and i disconeccted the ground to see if that would work but i didnt im off to go see if i have spark is there a fuel line some where in the engine bay that i can cycle the key to see if the fuel pump is working thanks for all your help so far guys.
tim

(scratching head) jsut say you didnt cycle it its should start like Admdata said it might stumble but it should just not start you might be having a wiring problem. the computer should be on the pass side behind the front bumper. pull the bumper makes it alot easier to get to.

well if you were scratching your head before you will now. i decided wtf why not replace the pump so i jacked the car up pulled the gas tank pulled the assembly out pulled the assembly apart drove all over town getting pissed cuase not a single store sells just the pump they only sell the assembly the prices jumped bad between each store napa wanted $250 the gm dealership wanted $300 car quest wanted $365 and kinneks wanted $400 and remember this is all for the same part so i gave up called a junk yard they wanted $70 but i couldnt get till tomarrow so i was pissed i need the car to start my new job today so i decied to put it all back together and mess around with it and test it and it starts sprying fuel so im thinkin what is going on so then i decided to put it all back together i get the tank in and all hooked up put the car back on the ground hooked battery back up cycled the key and this time i can hear the pump cycled the key 2 more times and then started her up drove her 5 miles and back home seems to be running good again so im lost must have been a short some where or something but im gonna drive it more before i make any real judgement calls yet thanks for all the ideas guys.
tim

did you here the pump hum before you took it out, when you cycled the pump? you may have a bad connecton or the pump could be on the fritz. i have a simular prob with mine it runs, but some times acts like its out of gas knowing its not. i shut it off and restart it ,its fine well some what lol to bad you dont live closer id give you my pump i got a extra one and a life time warrenty so im set if thats whats my problem is, but hopfully you fixed your problem

no i didnt hear the pump when i was cycleing it before. yeah i hope it starts to run better untill i can save up for the swap. yeah i tried looking at lots of other pumps but none were even close. its not to bad out here im just surrounded by hondas!