20 Most Recent 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier - Page 6 Questions & Answers

Its a two wire sensor mounted in the side of the head near the radiator hose.

Is the child lock on the drivers door set to on?

Fig. 1: The thermostat is located in the lower radiator hose on the 2.2L engine







When adding coolant, it is important that you use GM Goodwrench DEX-COOL® (orange colored, silicate free) coolant meeting GM specifications. On these vehicles, if silicated coolant is added to the system, premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine coolant will require change sooner; at 30,000 miles or 24 months.

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Properly drain and recover the coolant until the level is below the thermostat.
3. Unfasten the coolant outlet-to-inlet manifold attaching bolt and nut, then remove the outlet.
4. Remove the thermostat. Clean the inlet manifold and outlet mating surfaces.

To install:

1. Install a new O-ring onto the thermostat
2. Place the thermostat in the inlet manifold.
3. Attach the coolant outlet to the inlet manifold, using the bolt and nut. Tighten to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm).
4. Refill the engine cooling system.
5. Connect the negative battery cable, then start the engine and check for coolant leaks.

Hope this help (remember rated and comment this).

Go to http://serpentinebeltdiagrams.com/2003-cavalier-2-2l/ They should be the same as shown in one of the two diagrams.

I personally do a little list of things when blasted with major chaos like that. You've left out about a thousand things sooo... Is the car still running did this happen when you turned the AC on or did it come out of the blue? have you done work on anything recently? Seems funny you'd mention AC when a lot of people might just say I went out to the car and Bam! or I'm drivin down the freeway and it all went dead! indicator panel and dash are fuse protected and the ground switching usually have hot already there and a switch applies or denies the ground, with no blown fuses sounds initially like my old favorite: Positive RED battery cable. some of my weirdest electrical issues ( real head scratchers ) have been a pos short or pos denied (due to corrosion// sometimes the corrosion is up inside and can't be seen) Anyway without knowing some crucial details can't really go much further. If you have done some work on say AC or Fan sw or blower resistor pack; retrace your steps. Might try disconn Batt pull high amp fuses reconn Batt check cables while you're there :-) and one by one putting fuses in {correct slot of course} you might just find it that way...let one of us know I'm curious on what you find~~~ hope it helps 77mitchase77@Gmail

Hi there! If you're saying that the fan is weak (maybe it only works on high or low, and is very weak on any other setting...or is weak on all settings) there is a good chance it is your "HVAC Blower Motor Resistor". This was the case on my 99 Cavalier a couple years ago. This part is prone to corrosion and melting. It is the bridge piece between the power to your fan, and the fan itself. This resistor basically gives you the ability to make your fan on your A/C or heat blow at variable speeds. (i.e. if the power supply went directly to your fan without this piece, it would only give you two speeds: on or off. This part lets you "resist" how much power is being given to your fan and put it on High, Med High, Med Low, or Low.) I am actually a car repair novice, but I've done a LOT of self instruction on this particular car (99 Cavalier) because it's an excellent model, and has not given me too many problems. I have done a lot of minor work on it myself, including this part. The HVAC Blower Motor Resistor (found here, also available other places: http://goo.gl/GHDZCx) is accessible and easily changed even for a novice and if you have some time and are fairly nimble (I'll explain this in a minute), you can get this changed really cheaply. The part is about $20 and took me about two hours (with no help like I'm giving you, so maybe shorter for you). The trick is it's location: it's tucked up behind the glove box right above the kick panel on the passenger side. If you go to the passenger side and remove the carpeting from up behind the glove box, peel it down, and peer up behind the glove box, it will be up there (I forget if there are any doors or panels in the way, but if so, they are easily removed. Just keep track of what screws come from where). The "being nimble" part I mentioned before was because the passenger seat didn't go back far enough for me to squat and get a good look in there, so I eventually found myself "sitting" upside-down on the passenger seat, on my back, with my head tucked up near where the part is located (where your feet normally go) and my feet up near the headrest (putting the seat reclined all the way back to make it as flat as possible). Maybe there's a better way to position yourself in the cabin to reach this part, but I couldn't find it. You'll need a ratchet set, a screw driver, maybe a knife to clear the carpeting back, and some time and patience. (Forgive me if you discover you need another tool...this was over three years ago that I changed this!) This type of twisting-ratchet tool was lent to me at the time, and it was WAY easier than a traditional ratchet handle, considering how hard the part was to reach: http://amzn.com/B000HEKV1W . I couldn't swing a traditional ratchet wrench back and forth, so this twist-style was a life saver! This part, once unscrewed from its harness, pops out, can easily be swapped for the new one, and as long as you kept track of your parts (not too many in the way for this repair), you'll be back together very quickly! I hope this helps, and that this is in fact the part you need to change.

Try rotating your steering wheel. Give as many firm rotations as it will allow with the engine off. Try turning your key as you are rotating the steering wheel. Usually this is the problem.

You have a bare wire that has sat against a part of the frame work under your dash. It has probably been rubbing for quite some time and has finally rubbed the insulation down to the bare copper. there's a chance of it coming right off the fuse box . One way to isolate issue would be to see if the fuse is labeled "Dash or Panel or Gauges" along WITH radio. If they are, start close to the fuse box there next to the door. if radio is the only thing on that fuse then do the upside down twisty back contortion flashlight thing and find your raw wire. Could be small and hard to see, so reaching in and follow wires w/ your fingers would need to happen. ( Or you could bribe a child or skinny person to do it ;-} ) Good Luck!

You didn't say if engine is idling rough or not.It could be as simple as cleaning the throttle plate, or throttle position sensor, Or just a tune up is needed.

Clicking instead of starting? The clicking is usually the starter solenoid being pushed out to the flywheel. If your engine isn't turning then it means that either your battery is too weak to turn the engine or your starter has malfunctioned or maybe engine that your engine has locked up.

Recommend you either jump start the car or use a battery charger with the start function to see if it is the battery or starter/engine lock up. If the engine still does not turn over. Take off your serpetine belt and try to rotate your engine with a large socket. If the engine rotated, then it is most likely your starter/solenoid that is bad. If the engine would not rotate by hand then something inside the engine has malfunctioned and it will take some serious work to get it operational again.

Using a long screwdriver to change to position manually is the obvious solution. This tech assumes you've tried and failed.with electromagnetics involved you would need to get back in control of the moving devices. First remove the fuse that controls the door locks now try screwdriver. N/G try removing the pos+ batt lead now try manual manipulation. all else fail door panel off / eyeball what's binding up / component replacement. Hope it helps

The engine computer needs to be programmed to the car.

I would guess it is your wheel hub, but if it occurs while the car is on and not moving, it might be your a/c compressor. When they go out they make a terrible grinding noise.

Most of my issues that involve harness schematics I ended up at the public library believe it or not. extremely cheap and you dont have to have that big book growing dust because you'll never use it again. On the other hand if you see yourself using it 2-3 times a year just buy the specific book ( i like Haynes) at your local auto parts store. library books are in "Reference" section. ( if you're sneaky you can copy it on the copier) hope it helps...