Weigel21

Alright, I have a 99' RS which was used as a rig rocket before I got it, the body has a fair amount of rust and the interior is thrashed. Car has 180k on it at this time but overall, seems to run ok.

Now, my question, locally there's an 03' base model for sale that "won't start". I went to look at it to get an idea of the condition of the car, for parts if nothing else, and it's interior is much nicer. This car has 100K on it and along with not starting, someone recently broke both driver side windows, though the aftermarket tint is holding the glass in place.

Only testing I did upon looking at the car was check fluids (all seemed good, though oil was a tab bit low and fairly dirty), fuel pump sounded like it was activating, and the starter was turning the engine over, though it didn't appear to be too rapidly (could have been due to the dead battery and us having to use jumpers from my car to it.

Could pick it up for $500, maybe less if I haggle with him on the price, but the question is, is it worth it? Is it worth buying just to swap interiors? I'll admit, it would be kind of nice to have an interior that doesn't smell like oil and grease, but I don't drive my cavalier but 20-25 minutes a day during the week to and from work, nothing more.

Or, should I actually try fixing the 03' and if so, where do I begin. Other than fuses and relays, I'm not so sure there's anything "I" can check easily or cheaply. Guy said the car drove him to work and then just wouldn't start at the end of the day. To me, this sounds like it's more than likely an electrical issue rather than a mechanical one. Still, I'm by no means a mechanic.

Given where I live, I have nowhere to really work on the car other than out in the driveway and I know it won't be but a few days before I get a notice from local law enforcement to either tag/insure the vehicle or remove it from my property. So, i have but limited time to either fix and tag the car or tear out the parts I want and scrap the rest.

tech2

the 03 has the 2.2 ecotec while the rs99 will have a quad four 2.4l. the engine electronics, theft system won't swap over but most suspension and interior stuff should.


I'd just fix the 03 and drive that. most crank no start issues are either fuel pump or ignition module/coil related. As long as the po didn't run it low on oil and jump the timing chain.


the ecotec is a great engine and you ultimately do the supercharger top swap


the risk of buying a car that won't start or drive makes it a $500 car imo

Weigel21

Thanks for the response. I knew ahead of time that the engine and electronics are not compatable, though most everything else is. I'd have sort of liked to have swapped the instrument cluster if I went the route of using it for parts (as my odometer messes up quite often, damn electric odometers), but I know they are not compatible. So, interior and probably the front sway bar (no idea why my 99 RS hasn't got one).

My RS doesn't have the Quad 4, but instead the 2.2L. I think the Quad 4 was only available in the Z24, but I could be wrong. Still, even though both cars have a 2.2L engine, they are different. 95-99', 00-02' and 03-05" are the year spans of compatible engines, if I'm not mistaken.

My 99'RS does have at least a couple creature comfort the 03' I'm looking at hasn't. Mine has power windows/mirrors and the remote for locking/unlocking the car and popping the trunk. The 03' is a plain jane from what I saw.

Given I can hear the fuel pump, I doubt it's that, but it "could" have a clogged filter. Still, the car wouldn't start with carb cleaner sprayed into the air intake tube. So, I "doubt" it's fuel related. Given i haven't yet checked for a spark, not sure why I didn't check, it could potentially be a bad coil. I've also heard of the being instances of the crank sensor failing, which results in a no start situation.

Timing chain may have jumped a tooth, can't deny such a possibility, though I'm not so sure it would have been a result of low oil, based off the car merely being 1/4 quart or so below the full mark.

Seems I hear/read that a lot of components on these cars are designed to go around 100k. Fuel pumps, timing chains, crank sensors,water pumps, etc etc, many people seem to have 80-120K on their cars when these go.

It's sad, I had an 88' Tempo that had 80K on it when I got it and just over 200K when the the head gasket went. In between this, I replaced a thermostat, starter, and the ignition switch (long story).

Also had a 94 Corsica that went from 140k (bought from original owner who never replaced any major components of the car) to 210k with having to replace two hubs, power steering pulley, fuel pump, and coil packs.

Seems things are lasting less and less. The 99' Cavalier I have has had all four hubs replaced by me and I can tell the head gasket is leaking externally a little (really aught to replace it "before" it truly fails).
No idea what all has been replaced before I bought it.

A car that doesn't run for an unknown reason, IMO isn't worth much over scrap price either. Talked the guy down to $450 and will be going to look at it once more and likley buy tomorrow afternoon.

And you said something about one ultimately doing the supercharger top swap. May I ask why you put it as though it's a must for all? I'm not too sure how cheap it would be to get my hands on a discontinued dealer only part, at least I'm pretty sure I read that the super charger was only available though the dealership and had to be installed by them as well. Can't imagine there's an abundance of them floating around and I'm not sure how easy/difficult it is to install such.

tech2

-only if the chain tensioner is fed pressurized oil which it is.



-the head on 2200's are the thinnest I've ever seen

-there are used cobalt s/c out there. Its the best bang for your buck that you can pull from out of a bone yard

Weigel21

Bare with me. So jumping a tooth from being 1/4 quart low is a real possibility with the oil being a little low, though within the allowable range?

Yeah, the head on my 99' is quite thin. Didn't really look at the ecotec.

As for the supercharger, I'm doubting it's just a bolt on project, so I'll have to find a how-to to see what all it actually takes.

tech2

no where did I say 1/4 liter down in oil would cause the timing chain to skip. while your reading about the top swap, look up how the timing chain tensioner on this model works. good luck with that.

Weigel21

Yeah, the tensioner is hydrolically powered, in which pressure is applied to reduce the slack in the timing chain when the engine is running. Or at least that's how "I" understand it. Perhaps I need to actually look into the workings of it to really know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, it was due to my beleif on how it works that I ASSuMEd your response of "-only if the chain tensioner is fed pressurized oil which it is." mean that if it was low on oil, the chain could slip a tooth. And then I ASSuMEd (once again) that you were insinuating that being a little low, say 1/4 of a quart, it's possible the timing chain could have slipped.

Also, I see you said liter, which makes me wonder, where it is you hail from. You a canuck? Not that it really matters, just curious due to the usage of liter.

Weigel21

Well, engine has no compression, so I'm betting it's got more wrong than just a broken timing chain. So with that, I believe this is the end for the car and it's now going to be stripped for parts and hauled off to the scrap yard.

tech2

whatcha think happens to exhaust valves when the timing chain skips on an interference engine. the po ran it low, wrecked it and topped it up for prospective buyers.
used engines are cheap. someone will drop one in for $500 and have a good car.