1997 Chevrolet Cavalier

MY 97 CHEVY CAVALIER HAS BLOWN THROUGH 3 HEAD GASKETS, 3 WATER PUMPS, 3 HEATER CORES AND 3 THERMOSTATS WITHIN THE 3 YEARS I'VE OWNED THE CAR DUE TO COOLANT LEAKAGE OUT OF A PLACE THAT NO MECHANIC CAN SEEM TO FIGURE OUT. ALSO, THE ENGINE STALLS WHEN THE CAR IS IN IDLE AT RANDOM TIMES. I'VE BEEN STUCK LATE AT NIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN THE COLD WITH MY INFANT DAUGHTER SEVERAL TIMES AND NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *LA

I HAVE A 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. IT ONLY HAD LESS THEN EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND MILES ON IT AND THE ENGINE BLEW UP .I WAS TOLD THE REASON WHY WAS BECAUSE IT HAD A DEFECTIVE ROD IN IT. I HAVE ALL THE PARTS ECT YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A DEFECT IN THE METAL IT GOES ALL THE WAY THREW THE ROD. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SUCH A NEW CAR WOULD BLOW UP . I TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THAT CAR I HAD TO FIX SOME THINGS THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IS A JOKE OUT HERE THEY ARE WORTHLESS THY MISTREATED ME TOO. I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO OR SOMEONE CAN DO ABOUT THIS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH DENISE BOOZER P.S. THAT'S APPR DATE WHEN IT HAPPENED. *NLM

1997 CAVALIER=HEAD GASKET BECAME WARPED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED=$900. THERMOSTAT REPLACED 3 TIMES SINCE PURCHASE, WATER PUMP REPLACED TWICE. CAR RETURNED TO DEALER EVERY THREE TO SIX MONTHS FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM INVOLVING OVERHEATING AND COOLANT LEAKS. PROBLEM CONTINUALLY REOCCURS, EVEN AFTER IT HAS BEEN DEEMED FINALLY REPAIRED. *AK

MY MOTHER HAS A 1997 CAVALIER WHICH SHE BOUGHT USED. SINCE SHE HAS HAD THE VEHICLE THERE HAS BEEN TWO RECALLS AND UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON MY PART I FOUND ON YOUR SITE 5 MORE TOTALING 7 IN ALL. SHE BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST OF 2001. WHEN THE CAR REACHED 109,000 THE OIL PUMP WENT OUT AND SHE HAD TO SPEND 3,000 DOLLARS TO GET ANOTHER ENGINE PUT IN, AND SHE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE CAR PAID OFF. WITH THESE NEWER CARS 109,000 IS NOTHING AND EVEN IN THE OLDER VEHICLES I HAVE NEVER HAD AN OIL PUMP GO OUT WITH THAT LITTLE BIT OF MILES ON THE ENGINE. I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE MECHANICS THAT I HAVE TALKED TO AND THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF THESE PARTICULAR ENGINES BEING THE 2.2 LITER WITH BAD OIL PUMPS IN THEM. THIS IS THE REASON I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT FOR MY MOTHER. MY BROTHER HAS A 2000 CAVALIER WITH 239,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS NEVER HAD A BIT OF PROBLEM SO MOST LIKELY IT WAS IN A PARTICULAR YEAR OF VEHICLE THAT BAD OIL PUMPS WERE INSTALLED. HE ALSO HAS THE 2.2 LITER ENGINE. SO COULD YOU PLEASE FIND OUT IF THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM BECAUSE I SURE WOULD LIKE TO GET MY MOTHERS MONEY BACK BECAUSE SHE IS ON A FIXED INCOME. *JB

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED, AND STALLED. THE SPARK PLUGS MELTED. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THE HEAD WARPED, CAUSING EXCESSIVE INTERNAL EXHAUST HEAT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE RELAY SWITCH, REMOVED THE HEAD AND RESURFACED. THE ELECTRIC FANS DON'T TURN ON. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THE FAN RELAY, ECT SENSOR, AND FUSIBLE LINK SHORTED(REMOVED REPLACED). THE VEHICLE HAD SURGED AND DIED OUT. THE SENSOR CONNECTOR CLIP BROKEN AND WAS REPLACED. THE CONSOLE UNDER THE RADIO HAD CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START, DUE TO MULTIPLE DTC PLUGS FOULED. THE VACUUM LINE HAD BROKEN, AND THE CONNECTORS WERE RE-PINNED. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START UNTIL THE ENGINE COOLED DOWN. THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT CHARGING AND THERE WAS POOR BATTERY CONTACT TO THE TERMINAL. THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED. BETWEEN THE SPEEDS OF 25-30 MPH, THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO REV UP. THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AND THE COOLER LINES WERE FLUSHED. THERE WAS NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND OR THE DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN. THE TENSIONER WAS REPLACED/RESEALED, THE TIMING CHAIN WAS GREASED, AND THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED. SCC

I HAVE A 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER THAT RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE (1998) THE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER AS PER THE SERVICE CONTRACT DID THIS. SKIP AHEAD TO NOW (2003), THE CAR DEVELOPED A COOLANT LEAK. IT WAS LOOKED AT AND TESTED BY MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD HEAD GASKET. I CALLED THE DEALER THAT REPLACED THE ENGINE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. I ASKED ABOUT THEM FIXING THE HEAD GASKET, AS IT SHOULD NOT BE LEAKING (THE ENGINE HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT) THEY SAID NO. I CALLED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED BY A GM DEALER AT THE COST OF $79.95. THIS WAS DONE, THE DEALER SAID IT WAS A BAD GASKET AND/OR CRACKED HEAD. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT ONLY A SHORT BLOCK WAS INSTALLED THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. MY COMPLAINT IS THIS; I'VE BEEN LIED TO BY MY LOCAL DEALER. THE CAVALIER HAS THIS KNOWN DEFECT. GM HAS DONE NOTHING TO TELL ME ABOUT IT, BUT THEY HAVE ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT IT TO THE DEALERS. AND NOW THEY WON'T REPAIR THE VEHICLE, NOT WILL THEY OFFER TO PAY ANY PORTION OF IT'S REPAIR. I WOULD LIKE ANY AND ALL HELP IN FORCING GM TO FIX THIS. *NLM

I HAVE A 1997 CAVALIER (THE WARRENTY BEGAN IN FEB. '97). JUST RECENTLY FOUND OUT I NEED THE HEAD GASKET REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1200. NOTICED THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH IN 96'S. MY CAR HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT, AND FROM WHAT I'VE LEARNED, A HEAD GASKET SHOULD LAST ABOUT 10 YEARS OF 100,000 MILES. I WOULD LIKE CHEVY TO GET INVOLVED AND PAY FOR THIS, SINCE IT OBVIOUSLY SEEMS TO BE SUCH A PROBLEM WITH CAVALIERS.