Hello (again) all , it has been a while since I posted a question . My daughter's 97 cavalier (2.2 auto ) suddenly lost power a coupe of nights ago , it will not pull and barely idles. I did all the usual checks ( fuel , fire code check ) and overall that's fine .From the start I suspected mechanical timing so I did a compression test ( #1-60 ,#2 -47 ,#3-52 ,#4-57 ) . Since there are no signs of head gasket problems ( no oil/water mixing ) I believe the chain has jumped a tooth ( or more ) . Are these interference or non interference engines ? The car has 220k on it and other than this problem it needs both rear wheel cylinders ( sticking) , Flex pipe repaired and a tps sensor ( has code for it and map sensor and of course o2 due to leaking exhaust ) . I did put a good tps sensor on it prior to compression test just to be sure that wasn't the problem but even after resetting codes with obdII scanner it still showed same codes very quickly. Everything reads as it should through the scanner so I don't believe the ecu is bad , I'm hoping the timing problem is throwing false codes. From what I can see through the spark plug holes no carbon has been knocked off the pistons and I cant see any other sighs of valve and piston contact but it is still a possibility if it is a interference engine. Should I replace the timing chain or just get another engine ? I found a 98 Cavalier 2 door in fair shape with a blown head gasket ( still runs ) that comes with a spare engine for $500 but cant hear the spare engine run. IF ( big word ) the spare engine is good I could later repair the blown head gasket and have a "extra" car but IDK. ANY advice or experience will be greatly appreciated. I considered moving on to another car for her but over the past months I have replaced entire ignition system , belts , tensioners and put new tires on it. Again Idk what to do.

When you check compression, shouldn't you be seeing around 100psi in each cylinder?

I dont think they're interference engines, I've never heard of anyone bending valves in the rare instance that you hear of a broken timing chain.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

Yea those numbers are way low but fairly even across the 4 cylinders which leads more towards a jumped chain rather than a blown head gasket.

They are non-interference engines.

Thank you , that will help with deciding what to do with it. lot a miles on it but been a good ol car.

New chain/tensioner fixed it right up , thanks again all. Car hasn't ran this well in a while. Having a couple of other issues but I am glad this one is resolved.

What other issues are you having?





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

Low idle , not to the point of dieing but too low. I checked for vacuum leaks on lines I could see but I haven't got a vacuum line routing diagram. No codes though. It pulls good and seems to have more power overall than ever . The other issue is the wipers , they only work on high. I took the switch out and cleaned the contacts and it checks good. I believe I read something about a control modal for the wipers , does the 97 have this?

How are you checking the switch you should have different voltages comming off each point to set what speed the wipers are at... the most common problem i have ran into with the module is the wipers will stop in the upright position rather then in the down position more then likely sounds like a switching issue to me...


Erik Packard

After cleaning contacts in switch I used a multimeter ( continuity setting ) to make sure it was switching. The wipers only work on high and will not return to down position . I can try another switch but oddly enough after unhooking battery ( I read a post telling how to reset module ) and hooking it back up the wipers work correctly one time and then problem begins again after turning switch off.

Do our cars have a module right with the wiper motor? If that's the case, incorrect park could be caused by a bad motor. But it sounds electronic to me, that's why I was wondering if the module goes with it (never had to mess with mine).

As far as the idle goes, what is the car idling at?





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

Low , around 450 rpm ( no tack ) but it doesn't die when in gear. It wouldn't hurt anything I don't guess but the oil light comes on when in gear. It goes back off if you manually hold idle at 750 rpm. I'm not sure whether or not the main ecu controls anything to do with wipers but I believe the car has or soon will have to have a new ecu .I say this because it is keeping the alternator powered on all the time ( hum from alt that quits when ecu fuse is pulled , See my other thread Your text to link here...) though I can still scan and read what the ecu is doing with obdII scanner . Could be the cause of low idle as well.No cel though.

The ECU is supposed to be able to control it. On the auto's I think there's a sticker under the hood that says it should be between 450 and 650rpm.

I'm pretty sure there is a set screw on the 2.2 at the bottom to stop the throttle. You can adjust that and get a slight bit of adjustment out of it. Go too far and it'll jump up over 1000. With my 5spd before I did the swap I cranked the screw up til the idle took off real high. Then started slowly cranking back. You'll get so far, then all the sudden you'll hear the idle speed drop real quick, and that should be about where you want it.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

Thanks , I was considering moving that but I didn't want to make the IAC go nuts.