Car has roughly 140,000 miles on it
new clutch, engine is supposedly great etc...
What kind of numbers should I see if I do a compression test on this car?
The owner said each cylinder tested at 110 PSI, which seems pretty low to me. Is this normal for a cavalier?
Is there anything else I should look for on this car before buying it?
I just need this car to drive me reliably on the highway everyday.
Thanks a lot for your help everyone!
A common problem for these cars is the firewall leak, under the cowl at teh base of the windsheild the sealant gets old and brittle and falls out of its place on the car and that lets water leak into the car and your floor will get wet. Usually its on the passenger side, but it can happen to both, its an easy fix just replace all the sealant under the cowl and it'll stop leaking.
Other than that theres not too much more I can think of thats wrong with these cars to look for.
Welcome to the org
Um...Rust in the rear fenderwells?
Know what I mean?
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1992 3.1L Chevy Cavalier Z24
No one EVER suspects the Cavalier.
Proud Second Gens -- There's no replacement for displacement!
Your supposed to remove salt build up
]
J's usually dont rust out to bad in the rear fender wells, still something to look for though, I was surprised when I saw that in your thread a few days ago steve, thats insane, I've never seen it that bad on a J. But in a grand am, lol thats completely diffrent, if you ever get one of those watch out for that for sure.
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1997 Cavalier Z24
1992 Cavalier Z24 - *RIP*
"I consistently feel like something's missing out of the new cavvy. I'm pretty sure its 2 cylinders."
yeah that is sad, i had a car rust out on me too Steve.. after ya put so much time / money into them, it most definately sucks.. but i got over it though. Very nice 3rd Gen u have there!
one more spot i've seen a few J's rust out at is (hard to explain cause i dont know the proper names for the panels) but say if you're sitting in the driver / passenger seat... and looking below the door hinges, springs, etc... i've seen a few starting to rust out down there when i was looking around for my current J. also the very bottoms of the doors (from the inside). but hey, i live in an area where we have alot of snow and therefore alot of salt is used.. u may not have to worry about that!
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/ <=== my '91 Sunbird LE 2.0 4cyl
check the welds along the firewall, check for leaks along the rearwindow/trunk
wicked
In all seriousness, do what everyone else said. Also check the very bottom of the door on the inside for rust. Then, make sure you do some hard braking to see if the tranny is starting to slip (if its an auto). Try taking a few corners at slightly higher speeds than normal to see if the suspension holds up. You can be easy on the car after you've bought it, but if you're going for a test drive, beat the hell out of it and see if it holds up.
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1997 Cavalier Z24
1992 Cavalier Z24 - *RIP*
"I consistently feel like something's missing out of the new cavvy. I'm pretty sure its 2 cylinders."
