1998 Chevrolet Cavalier

PATTERN OF OVERHEATING AND VEHICLE FAILURES IN 98 CAVALIERS. A SECOND CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS IS NOW BEING REVIEWED RIGHT NEXT TO MINE AT FOX CHEVROLET TIMONIUM. 410-667-6666. CAR WITH 100,049 MILES OVERHEATED FOR FIRST TIME AFTER ORDINARY FLUSH AND FILL 2 DAYS PRIOR. (THE SERPENTINE BELT AND AN OIL CHANGE WERE ALSO PERFORMED FOLLOWING A COMPLAINT OF SMELLING ANTIFREEZE NO OTHER EVIDENCE OF ANY COOLING PROBLEMS) FOLLOWING THE OVERHEATING, THE CAR WAS PROMPTLY PULLED OVER WITHIN 2 MILES AND FLATBEDDED BACK TO THE SERVICE STATION. AFTER REPLACING THE THERMOSTAT AND WATER PUMP (SIGNS OF LOW COOLANT FLOW - TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL IN THE UPPER AND LOWER HOSES) CAR CONTINUED TO OVERHEAT. THE CAR WAS FLATBEDDED TO THE DEALER: NO LEAKS OR DAMAGE WERE FOUND IN THE HEATER CORE, RADIATOR, HEAD GASKET, OR CYLINDER HEAD. DEALER CONCLUSION IS THAT THERE ARE MICRO CRACKS INSIDE THE ENGINE BECAUSE ENGINE GASES ARE MIXING WITH THE ANTIFREEZE, ALTHOUGH OIL IS NOT ENTERING THE COOLING SYSTEM. DEALER INSISTS ONLY POSSIBLE REPAIR IS AN ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

DT: CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A MALFUNCTION WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. AT ANY SPEED, WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED, ABS KICKS ON AND DOES NOT CATCH, BUT STARTS TO JOLT. BRAKE PEDAL SEEMS TO CATCH/RELEASE OVER AND OVER, WHICH CAUSED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. ALSO CAUSES ROLLING FOWARD OR BACKWARD IN ANY WEATHER CONDITION OR UNDER ANY DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES. CONSUMER HAS BARELY HAD AN ACCIDENT UP TO THIS POINT. VEHICLE HAS ROLLED INTO TRAFFIC SEVERAL TIMES AND CONSUMER WAS FORCED TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *TT

WHEN THE WEATHER BEGAN TO WARM UP LAST SUMMER MY CAR STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS STARTING. I WOULD TURN THE KEY AND MY ENGINE WOULD TURN AND TURN BUT NOT FIRE CORRECTLY. AFTER A FEW TRIES, IT WOULD FINALLY START UP. I DIDN'T THINK ANY THING OF THIS PROBLEM AT FIRST, BUT AFTER A WHILE IT STARTED MISFIRING LIKE THIS QUITE FREQENTLY AFTER THE WEATHER BEGAN TO GET REALLY WARM AND HUMID OUTSIDE AND I HAD PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN MY VEHICLE THAT DAY. I HAVE HAD ALL THE RECALLS FIXED ON MY CAR, INCLUDING THE RECALL FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT THIS PROBLEM WITH STARTING MY CAR STILL PERSISTED. ONE DAY I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND IT DIDN'T START AT ALL AND IT ENDED UP MY BATTERY HAD DIED AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ABOVE STATED PROBLEM, BUT I'M SURE THE ROUGH STARTS WERE NOT GOOD ON MY BATTERY EITHER. I FINALLY MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AFTER I HAD THEM INSTALL A NEW BATTERY AND THEY KEPT IT FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. NOT SUPRISINGLY, THE DAY AFTER I GOT MY CAR BACK, IT STARTED ROUGH AGAIN. I BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE MANUALS THAT HELPS YOU IDENTIFY AND CORRECT AUTOMOBILE PROBLEMS YOURSELF, SO I HAVE REPLACED COOLANT SENSORS, SPARK PLUGS, SPARK PLUG WIRES, AND FLUIDS, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTED. IT IS NOW FEBRUARY 2005 AND THE WEATHER IS COOLER OUTSIDE AND I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS THUS FAR. I'M AFRAID WHEN IT STARTS TO GET WARMER OUTSIDE, THOUGH, THAT I'LL BEGIN TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. IS THERE ANY HELP THAT I CAN GET WITH THIS PROBLEM? ARE THERE ANY RECALLS OR HAS ANYBODY ELSE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM? THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP.