I have a random electrical gremlin in my daily driver that is a huge pain in the ass. Basically this happened in the spring and is now happening again. If it is cold outside and is damp outside the car will keep cranking over but will not fire. If I then come back later it will start up like nothing was wrong. The car does not throw any codes during this. It never happened over the summer even when it was pouring rain. So its a combination of cold and wet that causes the problem. And it randomly happens at the worst times when I don't have time to try and figure it out, then it starts working again and I can not force the problem to happen. Has anyone had this problem or can point me in direction to the most likely cause? I have the weekend to try and get this fixed. I will be getting the battery tested and probably replaced today, but beyond that i will be randomly replacing ignition parts, so some direction would be greatly appreciated.

Couple car facts:
2002 sunfire se
2200 motor
155,000miles





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turning car into beast

If it is cranking but not firing check the wiring harness at the coil for a open bare wire. That was my problem on my 2200. The wiring harness was rubbing the motor and over time it rubbed a bare spot in it. That or check out the coils.

thanks, i'll check that tomorrow.

I have the same problem as you. Dont know what to do yet. Its cold here in fla now and my sunfire wont start. all the electrical things seem to be ok according to firestone. They used there diagnostic tool and cant find anybad codes.

I have a couple ideas.

(1) I had a 1994 Toyota mini pick-up with the 2200RE motor in it once that had the same problem. I performed a complete tune up on it replacing the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and coil. That fixed it. I took the coil and had it tested and found a crack in it that when cold, it opened up but when warm swelled shut, therefore in the fall when I had my problem, the moisture got into it and caused a hard start or no start condition. When I did get it started, it ran crappy, but not enough to throw a code. Once it warmed up, it ran like nothing was wrong.

(2) I also had a 2002 Escort ZX2 with the Z-TEC 2.0L engine in it with the same problem as teh Toyota. I replaced averything on that to no avail. I took it to Ford and they found a chaffed engine harness that when moisture got to it, it arced or shorted to the fuel rail and cause a misfire and poor running condition, sometimes setting a misfire DTC. Once the engine and engine compartment were up to temperature and everything dried out, it ran like nothing was wrong.

So those are a couple ideas worth checking into. Granted they weren't on a GM, let alone a Cav, but they are ideas worth checking into. Good luck and let me know what you find.



Some people have brain storms, others light drizzles. And then there are those that have droughts.

My 03' would die (read: sputter/putz) in the rain. Replaced the fuel pump harness and plug and was good to go.

When the car wont fire see what kind of fuel pressure your getting, and go from there. If you have good fuel pressure...then your not getting spark, so I would start at the coil, and the wiring go to it, and so on, and so on.

I wouild suspect the fuel pump wiring under the back seat. Mine had said issue for the longest time before I figured it out!

Thanks for the tips, I will have to try them out.

It still had the original battery in the car, and a friend mentioned it could be the crank sensor. So I replaced both and it seemed to fix it. The car was fine for the past month. Then this weekend it warmed up into the 40s and was raining all weekend, so I figured I would leave the car outside so it would wash the road salt off. Go to start the car last night to go watch UFC, and once again, just cranks and nothing. Temps dropped into the 20s today, go out there and the @!#$ fires up like nothing was ever wrong. Again it happens when I had no time to try and track down the problem, and then it works fine again. I'm leaning toward a spark issue, not a fuel issue, because every time it finally fires up, there is a stronger smell of gas, so I am guessing it was spraying fuel the whole time, just not igniting.

When the temperatures outside are moderate, try spraying down the engine compartment with water. I would recommend getting an clean empty spray bottle and putting a table spoon of salt in it and filling it the rest of the way with regular tap water. Spray down the engine, especially around the sensors and ignition system. This may take a few attempts on a few different occasions as you don't want to do them all at once otherwise you'll be right where you are at now. I would start with the ignition system. Let the saltwater solution soak a little bit before trying to start, then spray the area you are on again before cranking. When your issues duplicate, your in the right area. Then all you have to do is isolate to make sure you have the right sensor or component causing your issues.

Another thing you may want to try is unplug all of your sensors and do a terminal tension test on them. You will need to have the mating terminal to do the test accurately. You can check for corrosion at the same time and make sure there is no "greenies" in the connector. If so, clean the connector before doing the terminal test. If you have a loose terminal, tighten it before plugging in the connector. You may also want to put a little di-electric grease in every connector you open. It will increase the seal against the elements. And speaking of seals, inspect the integrity of all of your weather seals. If the seals look questionable, replace it. If you can't find a replacement seal, I gone as far as a small bead of silicone sealer. However, you may not be able to remove the connector without damage should you need to later.

You may be able to find replacement seals through the dealership. In NE Ohio, try Classic Chevrolet. I think they are in Mentor or somewhere in that area. They are a major supply warehouse for most of the Chevy dealerships in NE Ohio. If they don't have it, they may be able to find it for you. If they can't find it, there is an aftermarket company in the Pittsburgh area that repairs factory harnesses. I'm sure they would have the correct seal. The problem here is that I have no idea what their name is or their phone number. My wife found them on Google though so you may want to try that avenue.



Some people have brain storms, others light drizzles. And then there are those that have droughts.

I had a VERY similar problem with my girls old 97 sunfire with the 2.2 in it. When damp it would not start but pouring rain would be fine. no CE lights at all either. When dry out, car ran fine. Turns out the crank and cam sensor wires had bare spots on them, and I replaced the engine harness, and it fixed it no problems. That might be a little deep for you, but I would try the spray bottle trick. Remember tho, the harness for those two sensors are behind and under the motor on the drivers side. Spray those down nicely and it may show the problem. I sold the car to a buddy of mine, and till this day the car runs good, he works with me, and said his son drives it, and it hasnt given him any issues. Goodluck!