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Pontiac Sunfire Starting and Stalling Problems

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Comments

  • suerte41suerte41 Member Posts: 2
    How did this turn out for you? Did replacing the TCC Solenoid solve the problem you were having?

    I have a 2004 Sunfire and I have had very similar problems that you described. My car usually starts on the first try most of the time, but on 3 different occasions in the past month it has not started for me. The time between failed start-ups has shortened. One night I tried for an hour to start it and it finally started. Ran well for 2 days and then the same thing happened; I stopped at gas station and it wouldn't start again. I had it towed, the dealership said it was the fuel pump and I paid way too much money to get a new fuel pump installed. That worked for about a day. Then one morning it wouldn't start again...and after 20 minutes, it started. The dealer couldn't find any problems and couldn't find any "computer codes." Just 2 days ago, my car wouldn't start and I finally got it to start, then I was going about 25 mph and it stalled once I applied the brakes, at about 0-2 mph. Everytime I try to start it and it won't start, it spins and tries to turn over, and sometimes catches, but only for a second, then turns off.

    Does replacing the TCC Solenoid fix this problem?
    Is it easy to troubleshoot this by unplugging the "square" plug on the transmission, like the "about.com Auto Repair" articles states?
    Please...I need help with this...this is my only car.

    thanks.
  • lcrgallcrgal Member Posts: 3
    never had a problem before this morning. the motor is turning over but it will not start. at a loss. is there an in-line fuel filter or something i can check myself? HELP.
  • wiresmanwiresman Member Posts: 1
    :sick: Dude my daughter has a 2001 that is doing the same thing, she thought the trans was going out. I drove it and it runs fine, excellent power, no idle problems, but if you cruise with it at any speed then it starts missing and sometimes violently it usually drops 1000 RPM, does it in 4th or 3rd but not when I put it in neutral and hold rpms the same, or when I let off throttle completely. It only misses bad while steady cruising, I can wiggle the accelerator up and down a bit while cruising and it wont miss at all. The big prob for me is that no CEL or MIL is coming on. It has only 54,000 miles on it ! oh yeah its a 2001 Sunfire 4 Dr, 4spd auto with 2.2 OHV engine, no wonder I got it cheap. She is scared to drive it and doesnt have money to have shop fix it. So if you fixed your problem please clue me in, thanks. I usually NEVER have shop repair any vehicle of mine but I fear I may be becoming time and technically challenged :). I am figuring a vacuum leak (although I can't hear one with hose, and starting fluid didnt change idle either), or sensor feedback resulting in a lean condition, but no MIL and only 53,000 miles? I appreciate all and any replies in advance ! Thank You ! OBD II....doesnt know jack! :lemon:
  • kidpreachercarkidpreachercar Member Posts: 1
    I had a similar problem a few months ago with my 2004 Sunfire. I went to start my car on Saturday morning, and it wouldn't start. I would try to start it, it would spin, and start, but every time I let off of the key it would die. After taking it to the dealer (it was still under warranty), the dealer said that the wires on the ignition switch are very thin and apt to short. On my switch, the wires would only make contact while in the start position.
    I don't know if this would help your car, but it's worth checking out.
  • laura97leelaura97lee Member Posts: 1
    I am having similar problems with my 2001 Sunfire with about 103,000 miles. I had taken it to firestone b/c the car died and wouldn't turn over at all. They told me it was that the entire fuel system was fried. That costabout $800 to fix. Worked okay for half a day. Started driving it again and the whole car would just turn itself off. Then I took it back in and had an oil change and a tune up and they replaced my relay switch for the iginition. This didn't fix the problem at all. Car is still riding and driving quite rough. Car will stall out when I have to drive the car a lot and always seems to happen in rush hour traffic. It happens at very low speeds. The ETS (Traction Button) will turn itself off and then then engine light will come on and next thing you know, the whole car is off. Turn it back on immediately and put it into gear and when I do that, the car violently jerks. Sometimes when trying to go, the car will hesistate and acts like it is going to stall. Newest problem just happened this past weekend. Pushed gas pedal all the way to the floor and the car stayed in 1st gear and wouldnt shift. Had to turn the car off and turn it back on and it again would violenty shift into gear. I have spent over $1100 bucks on the car in the past month and firestone can't seem to tell me what else is wrong b/c they say they can't find anything with all the computer testing they have done. The car turns itself off, so there must still be a problem. I am taking to a Ponitac dealership next week, if the car even last that long. Any ideas on what the problem might be?? :confuse:
  • nixmikenixmike Member Posts: 1
    have a 2002 Sunfire...right out of the blue this morning...it won't start...never happened before. It will turn over but then cuts out. Battery seems to be fine as lights turn on so it doesn't seem to be a battery problem. What could it be...alternator all of a sudden? Never had a problem before.
  • jayleensmamajayleensmama Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 1995 standard pontiac sunfire off this guy who wanted to get rid of it for a hundred bucks. he said it needed head gaskets on it. i thought hey good deal. i had head gaskets replaced on a toyota camry a few years ago and it was like 500 bucks. I in the end get a car for 600 bucks. Well it turns out that when the headgaskets go, it forces other things to go as well like the radiator and some other junk. I have it sitting in my parking lot. It runs, but I was told I wouldn't know for how long so i just have it there. I need to get it fixed, but does anyone have a main idea on how much it will cost me to get it fixed? Because of the headgaskets water leaks right into the oil. PLEASE HELP!!!!!! I NEED A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
  • possunfirepossunfire Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1998 Sunfire 2.2L with 171,000km - all was well with the car until this week. I've started to notice a shudder like the car is missing. I'm having a hard time pin pointing when exactly the car does this since I've noticed it during acceleration and also while cruising at highway speed. It hasn't come close to stalling but keeps missing a beat seeming at random intervals. No engine warning lights at all & no overheating. Haven't noticed any starting issues either. I have noticed that when it's acting up and shuddering/missing I've noticed some loss in power when I put my foot down, it seems to temporarily resolve if i give it lots of gas and gets up into the higher RPM range.

    I've been going down the most obvious path to see if I can rectify the problem - new plugs & wires, air filter, fuel injector cleaner. Although I can feel the difference in performance with these new parts and it idles much smoother, the underlying problem is still persisting. I've noticed the fuel filter has the under carrage oil protection gunk on it so I'd say it's been at least 5 years since it's been changed if at all. I made an attempt to change the fuel filter today but the quick release ring won't budge and probably needs a mechanic to cut it off and replace the filter intake elbow also.

    I'm almost at the end of my short list of things I can diagnose/fix myself so I thought I'd post my problem before forking out the big bucks to a mechanic. $75 with no gaurentee it's even going to be fixed - who has that kind of money?!
  • ladymyladyladymylady Member Posts: 21
    Just reading up on problems with all GM cars caused by radiator and Dex cool coolant (orange stuff) blowing gaskets...leaking etc..

    did you check to see what's in your radiator?

    google Consumer Affairs GM Dexcool

    hundreds of complaints..

    one guy says he solved the problem:

    M L of San Rafael CA (08/26/06) *WE'VE FIXED THE PROBLEM(S)!!
    And while it's irritating to look back and see how much $$ I've needlessly thrown at my '92 K1500 Chevy Blazer, several radiators, head gasket, heater core, trans cooler lines, uptake gaskets, pretty much everything that has come into contact with cooling fluids has either corroded or slowly disintigrated. All due to what turns out to be a basic electrical design flaw at GM.
    radiator guy hates Dexcool, suspects that perhaps it's the electrolisis that causes the Dexcool to turn to a jelly goop.
    Says the higher the amp reading in the radiator, the more goopy Dexcool seems to be.

    My story: The original radiator in my '92 Chevy lasted a good while (hint: older radiators had A LOT more copper in them). The trouble really all started and in a big way, after replacing the original radiator. I did pay the $500.00 for the new GM radiator. (hint: the newer made radiators have little to no copper in them. They are mostly aluminum and steel) Within a couple months, I started having to dump money into my K1500 Blazer, LOTS of it!
    When radiator #3 started leaking, I got fed up with my mechanic, who kept saying, it's a high milage vehicle. I should expect this. Not thinking it was even slightly odd that everything seemed to be connected to the cooling system or somehow come into contact with it, even though nearly every repair seemed to require draining the radiator?? So, I looked for the oldest, greasiest, busiest, radiator shop in my area. First thing the guy did, after hearing the list of repairs I'd made, was to drop a probe in the radiator to check for a charge, in other words, electrolysis. An acceptable reading is .03 amps. I was running at .38 amps!! Turning the engine off it would only drop it to .27 amps.
    So, he replaced leaking radiator #3, and rechecked it,.. .58 amps!! It went up! He shrugged and said, new one must have even less copper than the last one. I've seen a lot of these GM's with this crap going on. I've been doing this thing that seems to fix this problem. Then an off-duty local cop pulled in with his Blazer, newer than mine. We got to talking, he'd had most of the same problems and this radiator guy fixed it for him 3 years ago, and hadn't had a problem since.
    Here's what my guy did...
    #1 - Attached three, braided ground cables, randomly to the radiator and the block, and grounded them.
    #2 - Then took a piece of copper pipeing aprox 3 long, with the same hollow as the heater-core hose, soddered a copper ground wire to the side of it. Midpoint on the hose running from the radiator to the heatercore, he spliced this small copper pipe into the line using hose clamps. Then using the ground wire he had soddered to it, grounded it to the engine block.
    #3 - Drained and refilled the cooling system with DISTILLED water and GREEN coolant. Dexcool in his experance is CRAP, and I quote him. He did all this very quickly, then dropped the probe into the radiator and poof .02 amps! It cost me $100. He has me come in to recheck the amps once a month. And still 6 months later, .02 amps, and no new problems. I was averaging 1 problem per month, a leak here, a suspicious gasket there. Now nothing. So, it seems to me that there are really two problems. One affecting the other. A cooling system grounding problem, electrolysis resulting in corrosion and dissintigration of parts and gaskets. And then Dexcool which is unstable in an electrically charged enviroment and turns to goop. Maybe I'm wrong but my '92 K1500 Blazer now has 212K miles on the original engine
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    Just bought a 96 sunfire with the "big" (4.2?) motor. It won't start without giving it some, or alot of gas pedal. It has died at idle, with the AC off, but seems to keep running if the AC is on. I replaced the TPS, did as a friend suggested and disconnected the battery for a few minutes then reconnected and cycled the gas pedal. And I adjusted the throttle cable in a little. Daughter loves it other than it dying at stop lights. Any ideas?
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    Well, apparently disconnecting the battery cable for a few minutes did it! Also, driving for a little bit helped. I've driven it for two days now and it starts right up every time.
  • dotsom8263dotsom8263 Member Posts: 2
    i bought this car brand new in may of 2003. I have had nothing but problems with this car!!!!!!!! I have had a lot of electrical issues. My wiring harnest was cut in half after i had it for about 8 months. Took it in to get it fixed. Took a week to get it back. Now that I have had more problems and looked under the hood thoroughly myself, the wiring harnest has been taped back together!!!!! Now at 60,000 miles, timing chain stretched which broke the "plastic" guide. Had to replace the guide and the timing chain. IT gets better!! Since the car jumped time. I had to replace ALL 8 intake valves. Everyone of them was bent. Now the car isn't getting any spark!! Now I have to replace the ignition control module. Mind you that GM states that you don't need to change the spark plugs for 100,000 miles....BULLCRAP!!!!! I took mine out and there was nothing left of them!!!! I am very frusterated with this car. i have had nothing but problems. When I went to have the valves replaces, they told me that the HEAD bolts were one time use only and would have to replaced. i believe the whole car is a one time use!!!!!!! Good luck to all of you sunfire owners out there. I would not recommend this vehicle ever. As soon as I get this one running, I am buying a foreign car!!!!!
  • dotsom8263dotsom8263 Member Posts: 2
    Oh and to add a few more. I also get the clunking and popping noise in the front end. It also has died several times while turning corners, which really sucks when you go through an intersection!! I have been pulled over for headlights, brake lights, etc.... due to all of the electrical problems. I could honestly keep going on forever!!! Can you tell that this car has really got me upset. Oh and the book value on these cars is horrible. You may as well just throw them away. I still owe 5,000 on mine and it isn't even worth 2500 as a trade in.....?????? K. I am done complaining for now. HEY IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS TO WHY MY CAR ISN'T GETTING ANY SPARK BEFORE I PAY ANOTH 125.00 FOR AN IGNITION CONTROL MODULE , PLEASE TELL ME. GOD KNOW YOU CAN'T TEST ANY OF THE EXPENSIVE PARTS!!
  • gooduckgooduck Member Posts: 3
    hi, my name is mike and i have the same car, and the exact same problem. We tried changing out the throttle position sensor and a couple of other things, but like you, I am still lost for an answer. Have you found any solutions yet? If so, I am desperate for them and would appreciate any advice you may lend me.
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    I replaced the Throttle position sensor, no help, then the idle control selenoid, thought it helped. Had started it without giving it gas pedal and it took a while to start, and when it did, it sputtered alot, till after a few seconds I heard a clank sound up front. The it idled great. Still hard starting as far as I know, but daughter won't let me touch it for fear of being stranded for 10 minutes! I'd like to look into the clank thing.
  • possunfirepossunfire Member Posts: 2
    I found an amazing local mechanic that fixed my problem very quickly. According to him I was having a missfire on cylinder 3 due to a faulty ignition pack. After swapping that out the problem was much better but still a bit of a rough idle. A little more investigating and he ended up also replacing the crank position sensor and fuel injection sensor. My car now runs smoother than it's ever ran for me, I'm very happy with it and should get another 70,000km out of it hopefully. Total price on the repair was $500 which I think is reasonable for the work he did. My advice is to find a good mechanic as he really didn't seem to have much trouble with this repair where other lesser mechanics were left scratching their heads.
  • gooduckgooduck Member Posts: 3
    No one seems to know what a fuel injection sensor is, or no part store at least. If you would, could you tell me the actual name or different name of the fuel injection sensor that your mechanic replaced?
  • bates4380bates4380 Member Posts: 2
    I have somewhat of the same problem with a 99 sunfire Gt put mine stalls imedialety if i turn the ac on or rehook the brake booster vaccum line anyone got any ideas i have tried everything from sensors to electrical nothing is working.
  • cathylynn1510cathylynn1510 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Sunfire with 32,000 miles on it, and for the past 3 years it has worked great. This summer all of a sudden it stalled out when I was driving down the road and I barely missed causing a really bad accident. I took the car to carmax where it is still insured and they replaced the fuel pump. A week later, it wouldn't start, and carmax explained they had installed a faulty fuel pump and needed to replace it again. It ended up that they replaced it 3 times. A few days later it stalled out again and would not start. Basically this went on for a month and I had to get a rental car. Then once it would not start again, I had to get it towed from my house and again carmax said they could get it to start. Finally, it would not start for one of the mechanics and they then said it had nothing to do with the fuel pump, instead it had something to do with the magnetism of the starter (I know nothing about cars). So I finally thought they fixed it, on the way home the air conditioner went out (typical). Went 2 weeks thinking the problems had all been solved and then of course it would not start again, and they said it was due to a malfunctioning battery. In the process of trying to move to another state, my check engine light came on again today and I was supposed to move tommorow. I'm not sure if this is kharma but this car really is so unreliable and makes me feel unsafe.
  • bates4380bates4380 Member Posts: 2
    talked to a mechanic today about my car he said that it could be the iac value pigtail broken wires within wiring hareness so to everyone that is having a problem check that the part can be order through dealer only my car has sensor problems hope this might help someone with their car problems.
  • youloveme4955youloveme4955 Member Posts: 1
    Someone pls help me out. Ok here is what happened. I was driving my little Pontiac Sunfire GT through a parking lot, when i hit a huge frickin speed bump, and the bottom of the car totally smashed into the speed bump. Didn't sound good. But I didnt think much of it. Then when i got to my next destination and began to leave, I started the car and it sounded like a diesel engine. Also, when i tried to hit the gas, it didnt do anything. It was just rolling. It wont let me accelerate. My friend works on cars, and he couldn't figure out what it was right away. Does anyone have any ideas on what might have happened?? Because it was perfectly fine before I hit that speedbump.
    Thx
    AlliS
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    1996 Sunfire GT, I've replaced the TPS and the ICV. It passed emissions, but to start it you need to use the gas pedal, a cloud of smoke, and it runs rough till you hear a clank sound from under the hood, I think closer to the rear of the engine, but I can't find it. It does not stall with the AC on. I did replaced all the plugs, and the cover the plug plug into, but not the coil. No ODBII codes. Any ideas?
  • bfd18bfd18 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 98 Pontiac Sunfire as well, and I also have the same problem. I have a temporary solution, but I'd like a long-term, one time fix to the problem.

    I did the exact same thing as you did...went to the mechanic and had new plugs, wires, fuel filter...all of that, and the problem was still there. Basically all of these problems started happening when ethanol became mandatory to be mixed in with your gas. The ethanol gums up your fuel injection system.

    To get rid of the problem, fill up your gas tank and add 2 bottles of fuel-injection cleaner/gumout. The problem will go away. Gas treatment won't do it. The burned ethanol gums up the fuel system. As long as you keep adding the injection cleaner to your fuel system, your car will run fine. But if you quit adding it (like I have at time), the problem will again surface.

    What I'd like to know is what exactly is sooo sensitive to the ethanol, and can this be replaced so additives aren't constantly needed to keep the Sunfire running smoothly
  • mrsjplkmrsjplk Member Posts: 1
    About a month ago, our 2003 Pontiac Sunfire (63000 miles) wouldn't start. My dad towed it into his shop (large machinery mechanic) said he could not hear the fuel pump. My brother took off the gas tank and dipped the pump into a bucket of gas & it began pumping. My daughter had trouble with it a couple weeks ago starting but a friend got in & started it right up. We used it Sunday with no problems. Went out to start it this evening & now it won't start again. Not sure if it's the fuel pump or related to the computer ???? Also wondering if it could have anything to do with some kind of security system. Radio/cd player is now locked up. Any suggestions???????????? Please help - dad is very sick & can't work on it & I am trying to put 2 kids through college = no $$$$$$$$$$$.....
  • alpharecon91alpharecon91 Member Posts: 23
    this is probably a stupid question but have you tried changing the spark plugs?
  • sevenxover20sevenxover20 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 pontiac sunfire was doing gas treatments each time i filled up weekly, then forgot to do it last two times and now my car stalled out on me and won't start can't seem to figure out if this is the problem or not but it happened before and we did a complete tuneup and oil change and began the weekly treatments and the car worked fine is the ethanol causing my problem no one seems to know
    any one please help i am now without a vehicle and having it towed tonight to my house from where it stranded me but dont want to spend $241 on a new fuel pump. We did not change the fuel filter though so doing that tonight.....PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!
  • mykulcmykulc Member Posts: 1
    I just had the Fuel Pump replaced in our '03 ,and it would NOT start before. SO if your car is sporadically starting I would say it's a "spark" problem. Keep it simple 1st. Check the battery connections, tighten them. Look at the cables make sure they're good. Your radio/security is hinting at a battery power gap. If this doesn't do it..The the next time it won't start get someone to hit the starter w/ a rubber mallet, while you crank it. ( you could have a flat spot in the starter which would show up here) You can lie down in front and it' under the motor, in the middle, right up front. Looks like a tin can w/ thick wires coming from the top. A 10mm wrench will tighten the brackets that hold it on too. If that's not it I'd move to the ICM (Ignition Control Module) about $100 if you need one. It's right on top of the motor, and says 2.2L Ecotec on it ( it's actually the little silver piece the size of a cell phone with the harness attached. It's easy to take off and on. Just loosen the 4 bolts, unclip the wires, and bend the bracket holding the lines 'up' to get it out. Some Napa stores have testers for FREE that can tell u if it's bad. (So, NO, contrary to popular mechanic belief, u don't have to pay $90 and have the whole car hooked up) This would be a good start and not really cost you anything to check except some time and dirty hands.
  • fawlty317fawlty317 Member Posts: 3
    i recently bought a 96 sunfire and i done know much about it yet but the check engine light recently came on, it could be the sensor thats in the manifold, i had to heat up a bolt to try and get it out and i may have fried the sensor too. my question is would that sensor cause the car to idle rough at low rpms? it seems like its running way too rich now, theres a bit of black smoke that comes out and a little bit of black flecks. i know its not oil though. when i rev it high it smooths out but even when cruising on the highway at lower rpms it will run a bit rough, but downshifting and gunning it clears it right up. anyways might that be the problem or something else? any help would be great
  • tripleceetriplecee Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I have a 2001 sunfire and had almost the same exact experience. My car was doing that same stuff. Do you have an alarm system by any chance? When alarms are installed, they splice into the ignition wire with this cheap splice clip that over time will seperate the wire and prevent it from doing its job. It sounds to me like, its your ignition wires. They're thin and apt to short I guess.

    Fixing my car last winter was a nightmare. I did every thing everyone said I should but it was just the ignition wire that wasn't making contact any more.

    My car has been running great for the last 6 months but I just ran out of gas and now it won't fuking start again. It was the ignition wire last time, I wonder wtf it'll be now. Argh!

    Anyways look into the ignition wire thing, its the answer.
    I just mistakenly posted this on the wrong question, so sorry, but I wanted to address this guy so here.
  • jdcallahanjdcallahan Member Posts: 2
    My 1998 sunfire convertible INTERMITTENTLY won't start. It doesn't crank at all, all electric stuff works fine, lights, windows everything, appears to have lots of power, just the engine wont even try to turn over.. so far I've replaced the fuel pump ($650) and had the ignition recall performed for free by my local dealer.. the fuel pump CAN be heard humming when the key is turned, but won't start, I've pounded on the gas tank with a hammer and got it to start after about 30 tries.. not sure if it's related to the pounding or just coincidence... PLEASE HELP
  • beckyc72beckyc72 Member Posts: 4
    Ok this is a 2004 sunfire it starts then stalls, then just simply wont start at all, weve had it towed probably 5 times now the fuel filter, fuel pump and battery have been replaced. Works for a day or 2 but then wont start again.......Help since its out of warranty has about 75k miles on it and i really cant afford to take it to a dealership.....I will never buy another pontiac again
  • suerte41suerte41 Member Posts: 2
    I had same problem with my '04 Sunfire. We changed the fuel pump 3 times before the problem was fixed. The dealer installed the first one, then could not get it to mess up on them, so they refused to try another one. I had to take it to a non-franchise auto repair shop and it messed up for them. They installed the 2nd fuel pump, which was defective, and then the 3rd one was the charm. Good luck.
  • beckyc72beckyc72 Member Posts: 4
    well the fuel pump we purchased from auto zone, and which was funny that when we walked into the store, they had about 100 of what we needed sitting by the counter and pontiac hasnt issued a recall on this problem yet? lol anyway my husband said that since the fuel pump was already installed into the car by him, it cannot be returned and i dont have another 250.00 to get another one
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    THIS IS A FIX FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW! No codes...The car needs a little gas pedal to start, stalled on me once and my daughter several times. I actually though she was just saying it to get a new car! Passed emissions though. I did a complete tune up, to include spark plugs, plug wire thingys, coil cover, air filter. Still needed a little gas pedal to start. Changed alot of sensors, crankshaft, camshaft, IAC, gas pedal position sensor. No help! The other day I changed the coils and the ignition module. Yesterday, it wouldn't go over 40 mph down the highway and stalled unless you keep the gas pedal depressed. HAd a code for missfire, which reset and never came back, and now the car won't start.WHAT I FOUND FINALLY IS... The new coils had grease in the contacts which shorted out, only running on two cylinders, and the fuel pressure regulator was not regulating, letting too much fuel into the injectors! Cleaned out grease, replaced fuel pressure regulator. Runs great now.
  • lisa_68lisa_68 Member Posts: 2
    Did you ever figure out what was wrong with your Sunfire? I have a 95 that just died while I was driving down the road. It would turn over, but it will not start. It has spark & we can hear the fuel pump whirring. We sprayed carb cleaner past the flap in the throttle body & it still wouldn't start (ruling out the fuel pump). I had absolutely no problems with it before this....No rough idle, no sputtering or weird noises.....nothing....it just died.
    Thanks!
  • willjmcwilljmc Member Posts: 3
    i recently bought a 97 sunfire it idles rough at low rpms? it seems like its running way too rich now, theres a bit of black smoke that comes out and a little bit of black flecks. i know its not oil though. when i rev it high it smooths out but even when cruising on the highway at lower rpms it will run a bit rough, but downshifting and gunning it clears it right up. what could this be respod to my email willjmc@hotmail.com
  • f16bmathisf16bmathis Member Posts: 6
    I'm surprised no-one has replied yet. If the engine won't crank, it has nothing to do with the fuel system. Usually when the motor won't crank, but the lights, ect. work, its either the starter, or even easier is check the battery and starter connections for corrosion. Try beating on the starter next time. It also could be a bad starter selenoid. I found it easier to replace the whole starter, last week.
  • jdcallahanjdcallahan Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the reply, it turned out to be a anti-theft issue that I guess is common with this make & model.. my shade-tree mechanic ripped the whole system out.. it's a 10 year old car with 85k miles on it.. I'm not too worrried about it getting stolen :)

    Since we ripped out the anti-theft thingy about a week ago, it's starting and running fine.
  • lisa_68lisa_68 Member Posts: 2
    I just found out what was wrong with my 95 Sunfire....My timing gear was torn up....Thank goodness I have a mechanic that will wait for the payment until after I get my tax check.
    Thanks anyway! :)
  • green0886green0886 Member Posts: 12
    My wife has a 2003 sunfire.Here recently it has started acting up. The check engine light comes on and the code refers to the upstream o2 sensor had this code twice so i replaced the sensor.Now the problem still exist .You fill the gas tank up runs fine till you get closed to the 1/2 tank mark then it starts idling ruff wont go above 2000 rpm and some times just dies. Then you wait maybe 5min or so and it starts up and runs fine. So we fill it up with gas again and the hole problem starts over. Taking it to a mechinic today just wanted to see if anyone else has had the same problem.Any help would be appreciated!!! :sick:
  • buskebuske Member Posts: 5
    I have this problem on 3 different brands of GM front drive cars now. Each had the same problem of dying and not restarting or just not starting. On the bellhousing bolt there are wires attached. cut the wires and reattach them to the bolt with new ends. 3 cars and 3 wins. Also cured start but not run condition. No codes were presnt when this happened. The wires appear good but truly are not. Try it. Cheap fix if it works!
    Let me know!
  • buskebuske Member Posts: 5
    I just posted an answer that might help
  • beckyc72beckyc72 Member Posts: 4
    Well ty i will pass that info on to hubby....The car just spend a week and a half at a dealership and since they couldnt get the car to NOT start to run diagnostics they finally just had me come pick it up, so im sure tomorrow it wont start again :(
  • green0886green0886 Member Posts: 12
    Thanks
  • mikea328mikea328 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem and have narrowed it down to low spark on one bank of the plugs, but I haven't been able to figure out why I have low spark?? Just wondering if you had this problem too.

    Mike
  • mandi89mandi89 Member Posts: 1
    I have a '96 Pontiac Sunfire 2.2 and it is having severe stalling problems. It stops running while downshifting, while going 50 mph, and while idling. We've changed the fuel filter, oil, oil filter, spark plugs and wires, we've checked the TPS...and no result. Does any one have any suggestions?? Thank you.
  • beckyc72beckyc72 Member Posts: 4
    ok heres what weve changed so far...Fuel filter, fuel pump, battery and ignition control module. That didnt work so we took it to the dealership but before that my husband unplugged and replugged in the wiring that goes to the fuel pump or whatever i think its called the wiring harness. the dealership had the car nearly 2 weeks and could NOT get the problem of not starting to happen. Weve had the car back almost 2 weeks not and have not had any problems with it so maybe a loose connection? Try that if your having the same problem and see if it works for you also ! Good luck :)
  • brittanisbrittanis Member Posts: 4
    I really need some help if anyone could help I would really appreciate it. This is the 4th time I had my car in and have paid close to $1000 and it is still not fixed! Here is what is happening:

    I brought it in because it was shaking and felt like it was pulling until I get to 2 rpm then it feels like it kicks in and goes. If I go to a stop light it sometimes shakes really bad and if I do not put it in park or neutral it will die on me. After I take it into the shop and reset the check engine light it will work for a little while like a quarter of a tank but then it happens again and I have to bring it in.

    I have replaced the ignition coil twice. Had new spark plugs and spark wires put in. I got a new O2 sensor. PLEASE HELP!
  • green0886green0886 Member Posts: 12
    I had almost the same problem when the gas was at 1/4 of a tank it would skip and jump and finally just go dead the problem was the fuel pump $514.00 installed.The check engine light came on twice and once it said o2 sensor the other time said fuel to lean.But the problem only happened when the fuel was at 1/4 of a tank the reason being the fuel cools the fuel pump so when its low it over heated due to other problem with the pump.But i've had it on for 3 weeks now and no problems(knock on wood).
  • brittanisbrittanis Member Posts: 4
    It sometimes happens when I am at a 1/2 of a tank... do you think it still might be that? I was also wondering if I keep replacing my igniotion coils, what might be ruining them??

    P.S. Thanks so much for the response I really appreciate it... I was kinda getting to the point of no where else to turn to find the answer until I saw this!
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