Hello,

I am definitely the girl that knows nothing about cars. My car, a 2003 Cavalier with over 100k miles on itwouldn't start one afternoon abouta month ago so I pumped the gas and tried again and it started but shook real bad so I turned it off. When I got out I smelt something I hadn't smelt before, almost like a burning but not exactly. Later in that week I tried again and the same thing happened. Before I left for my holiday vacation I was going to move it into the drive, but this time it was definitely dead, and even if I could get it started it would die right away.

My first reaction was the fuel system, but I am also wondering if it could be the timing belt... any ideas? It would be helpful since I'm having it towed in to be checked out tomorrow and I like having an idea of what's wrong before handing it over. Thanks!

 

When is the last time you had a tune-up?
Doesn't sound like a timing belt. Sounds more like a misfire issue. Whether is a bad coil, spark plugs, ignition module etc. The smell you noticed was probably extra gas that built up when it didn't start right away