1997 Chevy Cavalier Wont Start

TECHINTRAINING

MEMBER
1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

Engine Mechanical problem
1997 Chevy Cavalier 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 188000 kilometers

OK here goes. About a month ago my car started leaking fuel around injector 1. So I replaced the o rings on all injectors and then it stoped leaking. In the meantime it would occasionally backfire, I assume thats from the leaking injector. Worked for a while, then it started running on 3 cylinders. Thought it was the bad injector again, but I did a compression test and cylinder 3 only had 30 PSI of compression. So I continued to drive it and it was working ok as long as you maintained steady speed. Then when I was driving it out to school, it quit! Dead. I towed it to my school and put it on the hoist. Compression test again and all was good 165 in all 4 cylinders. Tested injector drivers with noid lights and all seem to be working. Checked for cranking vacuum, and got Nothing! Should be 10 inHG min. Hmmm so, car wont start, and I think its because it has no vacuum, but not sure how to check for the location of the vacuum leak. Just a guess but I think that the vacuum leak is in the vicinity of the intake manifold as it was backfiring, into the intake I assume, and blew the gasket. But not Positive. Where else can I check for leak in vacuum. Any help will be greatly appreciated. THanks

4 Replies

BLACKOP555

MECHANIC
10,371 POSTS

To check for a vaccum leak have someone crank it and you should listen for a hissing sound then use a piece of fuel line or a car probe to find it. If you can get it to run you can spray starting fluid on the hoses and around the manifold and if the idle changes you have a leak.

But I dont think its bad enough for it to make the vehicle not start, since you had 30 psi on that one cylinder, check to see if your timing belt and chain is still good, if thats good and the vehicle hasn't jumped time or anything then check to see if your valves are sticking.

And you should have at least 15 in of hg!

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Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 AT 7:20 PM

TECHINTRAINING

MEMBER
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Thx Thought same thing with timing. Checked it all was ok, but the tensionner was a little bit sloppy so I replaced tensionner. Replaced intake manifold gaskets too. Still not starting and it sounds like its not getting fuel. Would that cause a low cranking vacuum? What about pluged exhaut? It was runing very rich, could the fuel have plugged the catalitic converter. If I unhook the exhaust that should elimanate that problem right?
Thanks its been almost a month without this car running. Running out of ideas. I also did recheck the compression and it all seems normal now. Someone told me that the backfiring it was doing may have got a piece of carbon stuck in the valve and caused the first low compression reading in cylinder 3.
Thanks

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Monday, March 24th, 2008 AT 11:46 AM

BLACKOP555

MECHANIC
10,371 POSTS

Getting no fuel will not cause low cranking vaccum. Plugged exhaust willhowever lower your vaccum after the engine has been ran a bit, unless it is very badly plugged. If you unhook the exhaust before the cats it would eliminate just about all backpressure of the exhaust. The rich fuel is what wrecks convertors due to the excessive heat it puts into the convertor and burns it up!

Can you get a fuel pressure test and volume test done on it?

Also are you getting bright blue spark on all cylinders?

And how comes your search for the vaccum leak?

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Monday, March 24th, 2008 AT 2:03 PM

BLACKOP555