Let's play a game: Guess the Problem.

"thebigbossyboss" (thebigbossyboss) 02/10/2015 at 07:34 • Filed to: None

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My Car (2003 Cavalier 2.2L ecotec 5 spd "bro truck edition") is in the shop. It refuses to idle properly, it surges when I start it, and then can't find a consistent idle constantly moving between 800k-1500k rpms. It then seems to either misfire, or stutter when accelerating. It sounds awesome, but it's very hard to drive. Consequently last night we dropped it at the mechanics, and hopefully should be able to collect it later today.

Chime in with what you think the problem is below and if you're correct, or even partially correct, I will later grace you with one bait of your choice.

Here is the vehicle in question the day I finished "bro trucking" it.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 07:36

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Dirty MAP sensor or bad Coil Pack

Makoyouidiot > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 07:38

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Mass Air Flow sensor, methinks.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 07:39

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Temperature sender to the ECU or EGR modulator.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Makoyouidiot 02/10/2015 at 07:40

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The 2.2 doesnt have a maf sensor, it has a map sensor

Aaron M - MasoFiST > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 07:40

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I'd check the MAF and the idle air controller. If the IAC is acting up, the idle will hunt like crazy and the car is going to stutter and die anywhere near idle, though it should even out above say 2000rpm.

thebigbossyboss > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/10/2015 at 07:44

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It does seem fine above about 2k rpms I'd say you're on the right track. However it's only like 3F out, so the mechanic can do the checking, I prefer warmth!!

Aaron M - MasoFiST > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 07:52

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Don't blame you at all on that one. The IAC on GM cars is somewhat notorious for failure, though I'm not sure exactly why.

thebigbossyboss > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/10/2015 at 07:54

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Weird. These cars are either the worst cars ever built, or totally bullet proof depending on whom you ask.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:01

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I would say Mass Airflow Sensor is dirty but chances are the mechanic picks it up as faulty O2 sensors or fouled injectors.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/10/2015 at 08:01

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had a gummed up IAC on my Alfa 164-S, it would idle high, then cough and die. Could barely get it above 2000 RPM, but once it was it ran fine, but would tend to die unless held above 1800 or so at stoplights. Ran super rich, surged, etc. Took the IAC valve off, soaked in carb cleaner, the gasoline bath overnight, then carb cleaner again. Ran like new. Its funny how much those little valves make a difference.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:06

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My experience with Cavaliers is that they're road cockroaches...things may break and the car may piss you off, but it will take an incredible amount of abuse and never actually die. The GM sensors are an issue completely apart from the mechanicals, in part because they're so interchangeable that a sensor issue will completely supersede the reliability of the overall car. The MAF sensor and EGR valve on my Pontiac Bonneville died, and in the junkyard I picked off my replacements from an Oldsmobile Aurora and a Pontiac Sunfire. Not the same engine, not the same platform...but the same crappy sensors.

thebigbossyboss > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/10/2015 at 08:07

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"Road cockroach"....that is a good nick name. Hilarious the sensors are crappy throughout the GM lineup.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:08

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You know what they say..."an American car will run badly longer than European cars will run at all"

CalzoneGolem > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:11

1

A family of squirrels living in the air box.

CalzoneGolem > Aaron M - MasoFiST 02/10/2015 at 08:12

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I have often heard this about the Cavalier specifically.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:13

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Both at the same time. GM - guaranteed to run worse longer.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:20

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PCV valve. My monte carlo had the same symptoms when the PCV valve crapped out. 10$ at autozone later, all was good.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:30

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Another vote for the IAC. I had the same problems in my S2k, and it drove me nuts trying to figure it out. I actually had the valve go bad, and no amount of cleaning did the trick, so it had me fooled for a while into chasing ghosts. Replaced it, and it ran shiny again.

CB > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 08:49

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Confusion created in the car by having two tachometers.

ApolloX75 > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 09:17

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I'd check the MAF. I would also check and clean the throttle body; clean the contacts of all the weather pack connectors (particularly to the overly bitchy throttle position sensor) and reset the ecm to relearn.

Also a good idea for a standard plugs and air filter tune up, particularly if the throttle body was all gummed up.

uofime > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 09:38

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Cobalts with that engine love getting dirty IAC passages in their throttle body. Blast it with some carb and choke cleaner and see if that fixes it. Then check your PCV to see if it is operating poorly but as intended (GM spec) or broken.

thebigbossyboss > ApolloX75 02/10/2015 at 09:50

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Changed the plugs last year.

ApolloX75 > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 10:14

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Nice, but if its running too rich or too lean those plugs'll be gummed up already.

Another thing I forgot to mention is a leaky fuel pressure regulator. The diaphragm inside can become brittle over time and seep enough to cause rough idle and other strange symptoms.

Also ment to say dirty MAP, not MAF. Androids.

Makoyouidiot > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 02/10/2015 at 11:08

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Ahh, my research tells me you are correct, never knew that about the 2.2

Jimmy Tango > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 11:38

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that park job and you blame bimmer driver? lol

Mass air flow sensor.

thebigbossyboss > ApolloX75 02/10/2015 at 12:10

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No worries. Due to the fact I live in a place where it hasn't gone about about 10F so far in 2015, I have handed the car to the mechanics whom I trust, and we will see what they tell me. It sounds like the consensus is dirty MAP sensor.

thebigbossyboss > Jimmy Tango 02/10/2015 at 12:11

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Oh!! The reason it was parked like this, was because prior to this day the car was a low rider. Since we made it into a "bro truck" I decided to do my best "bro truck" parking impression.

ApolloX75 > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 12:32

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Regardless I hope it works out for you, having a sick car is no fun.

thebigbossyboss > ApolloX75 02/10/2015 at 12:34

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It is not fun. Pre 6am busses only have one kind of people on them, Grumpy haha. I much prefer to be grumpy in my own car.

thebigbossyboss > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 02/10/2015 at 12:35

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What's the difference?

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 12:59

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Nothing in particular. A name mostly

Jimmy Tango > thebigbossyboss 02/10/2015 at 14:59

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haha that's good. Good luck on diagnosis/fix your car.

For the record I don't have problem with people throws a blanket statement on bimmer drivers.

Okay nvm, I do.

thebigbossyboss > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 02/13/2015 at 07:43

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Bad coil pack. You win. What would you like as bait?

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 07:44

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I want 1950s-1970s Manufacturer concept drawings

thebigbossyboss > ApolloX75 02/13/2015 at 07:44

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Sad to say, but you were incorrect, it was a bad coil pack on cylinder #4. $129 dollars later, and the car no longer sounds like a tractor. Although you were partially correct, in the spark plug #4 was toast.

thebigbossyboss > Makoyouidiot 02/13/2015 at 07:45

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Sadly you were wrong, it was a bad coil pack on cylinder #4.

thebigbossyboss > CB 02/13/2015 at 07:45

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Nope.

thebigbossyboss > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 02/13/2015 at 07:47

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Nope. It was a bad coil pack in cylinder #4.

thebigbossyboss > uofime 02/13/2015 at 07:47

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No siree bob, bad coil pack in cylinder #4.

thebigbossyboss > CalzoneGolem 02/13/2015 at 07:47

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Nope.

thebigbossyboss > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 02/13/2015 at 07:47

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Bad coil pack in cylinder #4.

thebigbossyboss > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 02/13/2015 at 07:47

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Bad coil pack in cylinder #4.

thebigbossyboss > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 02/13/2015 at 07:48

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Nay good sir, Bad coil pack in cylinder #4.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 07:50

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Hmm, odd. I would be expecting it to just not spark on that cylinder, which should affect the entire RPM range, not just idle, especially since I fixed this before on my friend's sunfire.

thebigbossyboss > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 02/13/2015 at 07:52

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It seemed affected up to about 2.5K rpm. I guess it was still working on occasion. Not really sure.

thebigbossyboss > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 02/13/2015 at 08:38

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This is harder than normal.

GM:

Chrysler:

Ford.

CB > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 08:57

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Damn.

uofime > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 09:37

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good to hear that was solved.

Did it throw the code for that, or did you just look at the plugs and figure that out?

thebigbossyboss > uofime 02/13/2015 at 09:41

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CEL was already on due to evap leak but it was throwing the code as well. Mechanic said that the plug was borked. I like to work on my own car and have in the past, but I live in what appears to be the arctic (currently: -10F) so in winter if it has a problem I just come crying to the pros haha.

ApolloX75 > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 11:34

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Ahh coil packs, the hit and miss component lol.

Glad you got it fixed up.

Makoyouidiot > thebigbossyboss 02/13/2015 at 18:36

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Ahh. Hopefully wasn't too bad costwise.

thebigbossyboss > Makoyouidiot 02/13/2015 at 18:40

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$129 for parts and install. Not so bad.