Fed51

Sorry guys.... had the timing chain replace... problem solved. wish it were something less expensive, but at least it's fixed.

classicmustangchick

Car ran fine, put 1/4 tank of gas in it (had about 1/2 tank total when got home) drove 20ish miles of freeway home. Let the car sit a few hours got in it, car was very lethargic within 2 blocks of home. So far I've replaced the crankshaft sensor at the recommendation of the part store, cleared the codes and it did not fix the problem. I have a new fuel filter and some Lucas gas treatment which is my next plan of attack along with checking the sparkplugs.

Idles rough, you can put your foot to the floor on the gas pedal and very unresponsive.

Current mileage is approx 125K bought used a few months ago so don't know much of the past on the car, also has a recent oil change.

While changing the sensor noticed it has a small oil leak needs a new belt due to cracking.

Fixing the car for a friend and as you can tell horizontally apposed four cylinders are not my strong point.

EinST

Welcome to the forum. I'm not sure what you mean by "horizontally apposed four cylinders" but the Ecotec has a regular L4 configuration. You may want to start with a cylinder compression test. Be sure to make a note of the condition of the spark plugs while you're at it.

classicmustangchick

Sorry meant horizontally opposed engine didn't grammar/spell check... I work mostly on rear wheel drive cars (Mustangs) and they tend to have v8's that are put in a car "normal" which is different from most front wheel drive cars that are put in side ways (called horizontally opposed) with the transmission next to the motor rather than behind it, plus the cavalier doesn't even have traditional spark plug wires...so this is a lot different than I'm used to and nothing is in the same place because chevys and fords are like Italian and French languages, they're similar but they don't sound look or mean the same...at this point in the game I'm dealing with an unfamilar car...give me a mustang and I can pretty much tell you where the factory flaws lie and solve the equation much faster, right now I am dealing with which option outta nearly 30 is my best choice to replace with out just starting at the cheapest parts and working my way up...I'm not looking to rebuild the entire system if I don't have to, just want to figure out what the best option is to start with and save my friend some money than throw 100's of useless dollars in parts at things that aren't the problem.

For Example if the Coil is known to go out then that would be a better place to start than the injectors...but I don't know the weak point that tends to cause this code...I've been all over the internet and there doesn't seem to be something consistently causing the problem my hope would be that someone here has worked on many of these beasts and would have a better understanding on where to start...

EinST

The "horizontally opposed" engine is when you open up a 60° or 90° V engine to 180° flat. I've only seen those engines in Porsches and old Subarus. What you're presently looking at is a transversely mounted L4 engine which is almost universal in front-wheel drive vehicles (and AWD derivatives), plenty of Fords included.

Now, I suggested the cylinder compression test because that's the quickest way to establish the health of the timing chain and valves. If you get lousy compression (< 100 psi or so), you'll have to start tearing it down. As for the condition of the spark plugs, you''ll be looking for some sort of a failure pattern.

Nealman87

I just done my head gasket. I have replace the spark plugs wires Oil.now i keep on getting a p0301 code. i ck the number 1 spark plug/WIRE its good. o yea the car is jumping and shaking very bad now .....WHAT ELSE CAN IT BE?

EinST

Welcome to the forum. What was the reason for the head gasket replacement? What do you mean by "good," i.e., how did you check the plug and wire?

Nealman87

it over heated and water went in to the ENG....thats all fix just shakes very bad and ck light come on the code is p0301.. we ck the #1 spark plug & wire its good.. so what can it be now?

Nealman87

We grounded out the sparkplugwire and there is spark coming form the #1 wire

EinST

Healthy spark? If it's orange or yellowish little jump across the gap, that's not enough. Compare it against spark from another wire. Also, is it really just cylinder #1? Double-check the spark plug wiring. Also, check for fuel from injector and cylinder compression.