car question

[newdaddy1223]

i drive a 2002 cavalier..... it's always been pretty reliable. lately the battery light has been off and on. it seems to come on when i'm driving uphill and more often in the AM when it's cold. the both the battery and the alternator are relatively new-- had to replace them in the last 2 years or so. any ideas?

[SFASH]

Since this developed recently the alternator/battery system needs to be checked. A red light in the cold morning and when going uphill indicates a problem. Occasionally this means a loose belt..that would be nice. Otherwise you're risking a dead battery at the worst time.

[Amos_with_goats]

I would recommend changing the belt and the belt tensioner. The tensioner is a known failure item on the cavalier.

(+1 on SFASH)

[Lefty]

If it's still starting ok in these temps we've had up here I'd lean towards it being a computer problem, but I'd definitely check the belt before taking it in.

[newdaddy1223]

thank you to all the responses......... we had a wind chill last friday of 27-37 below zero and I had to get the maintenance guys to jump start the car. it's running ok now though..... money's kinda tight right.... hopefully it'll last til payday

[Buck shot]

Something else to check that some of us (myself included) seem to miss is the connections on the battery and the ground cable.

They get pretty dirty and sometimes get loose so that they don't make enough contact at times.

[newdaddy1223]

it's weird, but since the weather has gotten a lil bit warmer, i haven't seen the battery light on.

[Reynolds357]

You can get the battery and alternator tested free of charge at most auto parts stores.

[newdaddy1223]

when my fed refund comes in i will..... my mechanic has his shop right next door. he's good and i can trust him as well. i do still hafta have him replace my left turn signal- yes i know.... around cars i'm not much good.

[Gregg]

Something else to check that some of us (myself included) seem to miss is the connections on the battery and the ground cable.

They get pretty dirty and sometimes get loose so that they don't make enough contact at times.

Yep and this is free and easy to check. Open the hood make sure there is no grey/yellow dry foam like substance aroung the terminals (if there is wire brush them) wiggle the cables attached to the battery (if they move tighten them).

[MaddJack]

it's weird, but since the weather has gotten a lil bit warmer, i haven't seen the battery light on.

Cold weather has a big impact on batteries. Sounds like the problem could be a dieing battery. Check the water in your battery and if it is low, re-fill it up with DISTILLED water(don't use tap water). If your battery posts are corroded, clean your battery posts with baking soda and water. You could have a loose battery connection down at the starter.

Or who knows, the problem could be located somewhere by the gas tank.:lol:

[newdaddy1223]

ok.... new problem...... last year was kinda bad and i neglected to get the oil changed and today it died. it was making a noise like something had popped in the manifold. after it died the oil light came on. we had it towed to the shop that i've used for the last 4+ years. i'll call him tomorrow and fill him in.

[Gregg]

Yikes, that is not good. Prayers for only minimal damage and easily fixable, might need a miracle.

[wheatbread]

ok.... new problem...... last year was kinda bad and i neglected to get the oil changed and today it died. it was making a noise like something had popped in the manifold. after it died the oil light came on. we had it towed to the shop that i've used for the last 4+ years. i'll call him tomorrow and fill him in.

Doesn't the oil light normally come on when the engine is not running...? The light should indicate no oil pressure which, if the engine is not running neither is the oil pump, thus, no oil pressure ;)

Not that this will minimize what may have happened but I don't think the light is an indication of the problem unless it came on while the engine was still running.

[newdaddy1223]

my mechanic said he's gonna replace the timing chain and hope there isn't any more damage inside.

[wheatbread]

Do you happen to know what engine you have?

Timing chain sounds a bit curious to me mainly because I would be bit surprised if you had a chain over a belt or belts depending on the engine. If it is the timing chain or belt, that should not cause internal damage since it is not internal.

If you know and trust your mechanic I'm sure you'll be fine. If you have any questions about the mechanic, I might be able to help with some questions to ask or answer any about his diagnoses.

[Buck shot]

It should not cause damage unless it has overhead cams but then it would have had a timing belt. I don't know of any engines with overhead cams and a chain (not going to the cams anyway)

Hopefully if the chain jumped that will be it. If not maybe the mechanic will find another simple problem :)

The light should have came on when the motor quit turning as wheatbread said. If you just drove it a year without changing the oil, i doubt you caused this problem (unless you drove across the country several times :lol:). It is not good for the motor but today's oils hold up a lot longer than the oils did twenty years ago.

[Jollyrogers]

Best case scenerio it just needs a timing belt (or chain) worst cast it bent some of the valves and your mechanic will have to remove the head and replace the valves that are bent.

[newdaddy1223]

it was just the timing chain.... was pretty expensive tho.... $666.09...... good thing i'm not superstitious! ;)

[wheatbread]

it was just the timing chain.... was pretty expensive tho.... $666.09...... good thing i'm not superstitious! ;)

Glad that's all it was, did the .09 fix the oil light? :lol:

[newdaddy1223]

Do you happen to know what engine you have?

Timing chain sounds a bit curious to me mainly because I would be bit surprised if you had a chain over a belt or belts depending on the engine. If it is the timing chain or belt, that should not cause internal damage since it is not internal.

If you know and trust your mechanic I'm sure you'll be fine. If you have any questions about the mechanic, I might be able to help with some questions to ask or answer any about his diagnoses.

I found the specs.....

Standard Engine 2.2L 115 hp I4
Horsepower 115 @ 5000 RPM
Torque (lb-ft) 135 @ 3600 RPM