I just got my hands on a '94 Sunbird 2.0L 5-speed.

I'm a newb so these are gonna be newb questions more than likely.

-I can drive manual fine, but I don't know about the people before me (or their children)... is there anyway to (cheaply) see what kind of shape the clutch is in? I've been driving it for a few months now and it's been fine but I just happened to think of it recently.

-If I were to switch up to the 3.1L v6 what kind of work am I looking at, and is it really worth it? The car has decent accel, great on gas... only thing i'm curious about is the transmission. I can get a parts car for $200 (engine is good, body is all rusted to @!#$), pull the engine and sell the rest to the local junk yard for $100, but it's a 3.1L auto. so whatever you can tell me about that would be good.

-Anyone know what kind of transmission is in these things, what the compression ratio is, and the horsepower/torque they have. I checked the newbie thread but it doesn't have the 2.0L OHC motor listed, just the OHV.

-My ABS light is always on. I've never owned/driven a car with ABS before. My friend says that it shouldn't be on unless the ABS is actually engaged (it's on after I start moving or shift gears, and after that it never goes off, even when idling). Is this telling me there's a problem?

- What kind of bolt pattern is on the wheels?

- Is there anywhere I can get an owner's manual or a .pdf version of it or something... Curious to find out what kind of oil I should be putting in the car.

-Anyone ever swap a back seat out? I have subs that I'd like to throw in, but I'd like a folding back seat. There's one in the local junk yard, but I'm just wondering how difficult it'd be to swap out (I know I'll have to cut the bar out between the trunk and the rest of the car).

I think that's it. Don't laugh just 'cause I'm a newb. Thanks.

Welcome! You should also check out www.v6z24.com as its more of a 2nd gen based site than here.

Harashi wrote:I-I can drive manual fine, but I don't know about the people before me (or their children)... is there anyway to (cheaply) see what kind of shape the clutch is in? I've been driving it for a few months now and it's been fine but I just happened to think of it recently.

Not without seperating the engine/trans to take a peek. If it feels good, leave it alone, its not really worth the effort just to check.

Harashi wrote:-If I were to switch up to the 3.1L v6 what kind of work am I looking at, and is it really worth it? The car has decent accel, great on gas... only thing i'm curious about is the transmission. I can get a parts car for $200 (engine is good, body is all rusted to @!#$), pull the engine and sell the rest to the local junk yard for $100, but it's a 3.1L auto. so whatever you can tell me about that would be good.

Easy engine swap. You would need the wiring harness, ECM, etc. The OHC trans won't bolt to the 3.1 unfortunately, so you would have to swap the 3T40 over as well. They both use all the same mounting points.

Harashi wrote:-Anyone know what kind of transmission is in these things, what the compression ratio is, and the horsepower/torque they have. I checked the newbie thread but it doesn't have the 2.0L OHC motor listed, just the OHV.

Here is a link to the 2.0 FAQ

Harashi wrote:-My ABS light is always on. I've never owned/driven a car with ABS before. My friend says that it shouldn't be on unless the ABS is actually engaged (it's on after I start moving or shift gears, and after that it never goes off, even when idling). Is this telling me there's a problem?

If it comes on during the check gauges phase of start up, goes off, and then comes on when you start moving, you have a speed sensor problem. The ABS light should never come on unless you have a problem. It won't come on when the ABS activates. I don't know of any car that does that.

Harashi wrote:- What kind of bolt pattern is on the wheels?

5x100, as mentioned in the sticky at the top of the forum.

Harashi wrote:- Is there anywhere I can get an owner's manual or a .pdf version of it or something... Curious to find out what kind of oil I should be putting in the car.

Try Ebay for an owners manual. I can't tell you offhand what oil to use, but I would guess 5W30.

Harashi wrote:-Anyone ever swap a back seat out? I have subs that I'd like to throw in, but I'd like a folding back seat. There's one in the local junk yard, but I'm just wondering how difficult it'd be to swap out (I know I'll have to cut the bar out between the trunk and the rest of the car).

Lots of people swap to the fold down back seat. It requires removing the entire non-folder, cutting some reinforcements out of the way, adding some reinforcements, and bolting in the folder using all the same bolts (a total of 2).

Thanks. I wasn't sure if the bolt pattern was the same or not... only seemed to cover 3rd-gen cars.

As for the ABS thing... yeah it comes on when I start it, then disappears, then once I start moving (not immediately after, but within about 30 seconds) it comes on. Does the speed sensor affect anything other than the ABS system? And is it difficult to fix/replace the sensor?

Thanks for the help though, I appreciate it.

Wow James, you must have alot of time on your hands. Anyway, I totally agree with you on the ABS deal. Most of the time when there's a problem with ABS it's the speed sensors. Either getting jammed with mud or whatever, over time they stop working correctly and if you replace them, your ABS light will most likely go out. As for your engine swap, I would probably keep the 2.0 and see what it will do. Mantapart.com has alot of parts for 2.0OHC engines, and with the lighter weight and higher rpms with the OHC, it might work out nice

Sorry, should have said no, the speed sensor doesn't affect anything but ABS. On the outside end of the front axle, there will be a ring with notches, and a plastic sensor mounted near the ring. just disconnect and replace the sensor

Christopher McClenny wrote:Wow James, you must have alot of time on your hands.

I have no life. You can quote me on that

You should find out which sensor it is before you go buying anything new (the front are around $80 each, and the rear are integral with the bearing and go for about $120 each). The code will tell you for example- RR out of limit, meaning the right rear is reading way off. Its mostly the front sensors that go bad though. I have yet to see a rear sensor go before the bearing. Fronts are easy with only one little bolt holding them in. be careful not to break the locating tab off the sensor when you take it out, or you will end up having to drive it out afterwards. rears require removing the entire brake assembly all the way to the axle.

Christopher McClenny wrote:Wow James, you must have alot of time on your hands. Anyway, I totally agree with you on the ABS deal. Most of the time when there's a problem with ABS it's the speed sensors. Either getting jammed with mud or whatever, over time they stop working correctly and if you replace them, your ABS light will most likely go out. As for your engine swap, I would probably keep the 2.0 and see what it will do. Mantapart.com has alot of parts for 2.0OHC engines, and with the lighter weight and higher rpms with the OHC, it might work out nice

Yeah, I was thinking about it a bit today, and for the cost of buying a new transmission to fit a larger engine it's probably not worth it... definitely will drain more gas, too.

In any case I had an issue with my car in which some fool before me tinkered with the engine and welded a gear for the timing chain onto the engine I guess (What the mechanic told me), so they had to re-weld it to replace my chain when it went. Problem is they say they can't do it again, so in the next year I guess I'll be looking for another 2.0L OHC to replace this one. I could buy a new car I suppose, but this one is mint shape and it took me several months to find one that was a standard coupe and in good shape (in my area, anyway).


In any case, thanks for the help. I'll get my friend to hook it up to the computer at his shop and see what error code it throws then take care of the problem.

Just another quick question... I was looking at some manufacturer's for wheels, but none of them list Sunbirds... if I check what's available for a '94 Cavalier though it should be the same right ? (You said they had the same bolt pattern I think, just don't want to misunderstand anything here).

yea all j-bodies use the same bolt pattern and offset.

Alright cool, thanks.

Another thing... anyone know where to get tinted paint (like, for tail-lights and such) into Canada? It's legal to have, but I've been told people aren't allowed to sell it inside the country.

actualy the oposite. its legal to sell, but not to have. if you put it on lighly just to darken them a bit, then you probly will be ok, but if you spray em very black, you will get hassled.

check at a parts store. the most common is VHT Nightshades.

VHT Niteshades you should be able to pick up at Canadian Tire.

Im actually dropping a 3.1 into my 2.0 Sunbird in the next week or two. If you can find a Cavalier with a 3.1 or 2.8 MT, you can use the 2.8 transmission with the 3.1...

Oh alright that's cool then. Yeah I just wanted to smoke mine out just a little bit. I'll ask my friend who works at Canadian Tire but I could've sworn he said they don't carry anything like that.

As for the swap, never thought of using the 2.8. Thanks, I'll see if I can find one of those.