Chevrolet (Geo) Prizm

prizmdjjr · October 2001

I have a 1999 Prizm Lsi with 33000 miles and a 3spd auto w/ OD. It has an engine noise when cold and underway that sounds like a dull clicking sound as if a lifter or bearing isn't getting oil. There is no noise I can detect when idling and reving the engine. It goes away after 4-6 blocks and doesn't return unless the car sits for quite awhile. Does this sound like a typical noise for this engine? Any ideas on the cause. The Chev dealer did not have an answer and there are no tech bulletins on this noise.

hawkbert · October 2001

I took my car to a local respectable chain repair shop (Jensen) and asked "Can I schedule a time to have the timing belt inspected?" The mechanic came out, popped the hood of my car, looked at the belt on the left side of the engine and said my timing belt was fine. Does this sound right? I didn't think you could see a timing belt without taking stuff apart...

tazereli · October 2001

i suspect that the mechanic was looking at your serpentine belt that drives the alternator, water pump, powersteering pump etc. he wasnt looking at your timing belt.

prizmdjjr · October 2001

The engine noise as explained in #504 has a dull knocking or clicking sound when the engine is cold. It can also be heard (I think) when the engine is rev'd fairly high in park. It is not heard when driving until about 10mph. If the engine is warmed before driving for about 4 minutes there is no noise. Any ideas?

Boris2 · October 2001

prizmdjjr,
Pretty much every engine would sound weird when run cold. It's not quite lubricated properly until the oil warms up to the required temperature, and that, in most cases, explains the knocking sounds. I know there is nothing about this in the manual and a lot of people don't let the engine to warm up for couple of minutes, but I'd highly recommend that.

I was always warming up the engine on my Prizm and sold it with almost 70K mi on it running like new. My brother who is drives Acura Integra (supposebly one of the most reliable cars around) pretty much killed the engine at 35K mi. It still runs pretty nice, but the noise comming from the engine is terrible. His problem is that he starts driving pretty much at the same time as he turns the key. It looks like the car starts moving even before it fully started.

steve05401 · November 2001

i have an opportunity to purchase a '94 Prizm (base model) w/air and automatic/82000 miles-- for $1000-- an awfully good price, i think.

anyone with a 93 94 95 with thoughts on reliability, please? thanks.

Boris2 · November 2001

I haven't heard anything bad about them. Early 90s Corolas were pretty good if not say more, so it should be pretty reliable.
I'd take it to a good mechaninc first anyways though.

csandste · November 2001

I'd say that's an excellent price for that car. I remember paying $2500 in 1998 for a 1990 with slightly more miles and (as I remember) that was book for a private sale.

cdguy · November 2001

Anyone buy a 2002 Prizm? Did you get the 0% financing? If so did you also go below MSRP? Just wondering how much Chevy is dealing with the soon to be canceled, well built Prizm.

hawkbert · November 2001

I've got a 1995 Prizm LSi with a nasty rattle coming from the passenger side door. The sound seems to be coming from behind the first beige vinyl trim piece below the window because if I press my finger on a certain spot on the piece the sound stops. What can I do to fix this?

jodar96 · December 2001

This year is the last year for this car. Toyota will be building new body style '03 Corolla's alonog with new Pontiac Vibe at the Nummi Plant in CA.

I had a 95 Geo Prism LSI with 1.6L engine and 5 speed. Loved the car. The only two complaints; Lack of front seat leg room. I am only 5 10, but I felt very confined after an hour drive. The second complaint was the heater that NEVER got hot, just barely warm. The GM dealer was clueless after checking the heater twice.

GM is dropping Prism, because the market is getting crowded and competitive. Prism is stealing sales from GM's own Cavilier and Saturn S series.

I paid $8,600 for mine in 11/97 when it had 26K miles, and sold it for $7,700 in 5/99 with 63K.

het123 · December 2001

Can someone recommend a reputable service center in Nashville Tennessee (NOT Bill Heard)?

hawkbert · December 2001

I have the exact same car, with the exact same problem. I discovered that turning on recirculation made the air hot.

jim1940 · December 2001

I have a 98 Prism Standard. I have replaced the weather stripping around the trunk but still find water under spare tire and wheel wells. Any else having this problem or know the cause or fix?

mrsubway1 · December 2001

Just found out that this is the last year for the Prizm. I have a 96 Prizm that I am very pleased with. I hate to see GM stop making them. Truth of the matter, the only reason I bought a GM car was because Toyota made the guts.

I have about five grand in GM points and am wondering if Toyota is going to build any more cars for GM. If not, I may have to buy a 2002 Prizm just to use up the credit.

I would appreciate any info anybody might have or if somebody can point me to a site where I can find out.

Thanks.

csandste · December 2001

to the Pontiac vibe.

gweilo · December 2001

How well does it do in the snow?
Does it have decent acceleration with the auto trans?
How many miles is a normal lifespan for this car?
Thanks

jodar96 · December 2001

On Thursday December 13th, GM stopped producing the prizm. The joint venture(GM/Toyota)started building Prizm in Nov.1988. They built close to 1 million prizms.

So if you are interested in buying a prizm, you need to get it soon, since you can't order it with the options you want.

Boris2 · December 2001

gweilo,
Some info that you might find interesting:

>How well does it do in the snow?
With stock tires it performs pretty much like a professional skier :-) With snow tires it's very good... I went through 3 winters on my Prizm and it was superb. I had a little bit wider tires: 185/60-14 if I'm not mistaken, and for snow tires my choice was WinterKing - they are relatively in-expensive and are GREAT on snow.

>Does it have decent acceleration with the auto trans?
Can't tell you anything - mine was 5sp. Based on my mom's Corola it's nothing special - a little sluggish but adequate. I've heard that 4sp auto is a little bit better on Prizm than 3sp.

>How many miles is a normal lifespan for this car?
I sold it with almost 70K mi. and it was going very strong.
Problems that i encountered:
1. Poor original tires - had to change them at around 20K due to vibration.
2. Front brakes needed to be replaced by the time I sold it - never did so :-)
3. CE light went off at around 45K - some sensor went bad - fixed under ext. warranty.
4. Light knocking sound from the rear periodacally during cold days - never located, never really bothered me too much, goes away when it gets warm
5. Vibration at high speeds due to the front rotors (see. #2)
That's it! I was getting an average of 35-37 mpg. The best one was around 50 mpg (was driving 30mph for about 5 hours) and the worst one was about 28 - VERY cold winter :=)

cdguy · December 2001

If you want one, better think about it soon. Still plenty of automatics, but supply will dwindle now that production has stopped. I bought the 5-speed LSi. The dealer had to trade with another to get it. They had almost 100 on the lot, but no 5 speeds. I paid invoice, and got the 0% financing.
If you want a little pep, choose the 5 speed. There is plenty of power for real world use. This is no sports car, though. If you must get an auto, do yourself a favor, and get the 4 speed.

hawkbert · December 2001

Since this is the same car as the Corolla, and the Geo Prizm board gets relatively little traffic, I thought I'd post here.

I've been dissatisfied with the brightness of my headlights lately, so I bought some replacements. Getting to the bulbs is proving to be a bit of a problem, though. I can't find any way to get the front cover off, and I certainly can't get my hand behind it to pull the bulb out. Can someone post a process or a link to a process for replacing the headlights? Thanks!

uvula · December 2001

I have a 2001 Prizm LSI 4 speed auto w/ 15,000. In the city I get about 21 - 23 mpg. Highway is good at 37 - 39. Is city about right? Thanks.

Bill (CT)

Boris2 · January 2002

hawkbert,
The process of changing the bulbs is kind of painful on a Prizm (unless I was doing it wrong)
You need to take off the battery to replace one and a cover for the air intake (if I'm not mistaken) to get the second one replaced.
That's the most awkward design I've ever seen, but not much you can do...

Good luck !

britton2 · January 2002

I have a '01 Corolla LE - 4-speed auto - I think our cars have the same engine - I get between 30-32 MPG in the city - I usually use 89 octane gas - on the highway, I got 38.7 MPG on my last road trip - but I was speeding a little (75MPH) - you might want to make sure your tire pressure is right - I keep mine inflated to 32 PSI - good luck

swedeeb · January 2002

I just bought a '99 Prizm base model with 69,000 miles on it and wanted to get the 60,000 mile service done. The dealer (in Chicago) quoted me $526!!! Anybody have alternative prices for this service?

csandste · January 2002

Toyota dealers tend to be even more expensive, but you could call around. A good quality independent shop is usually the best place to go for non-warranty work.

tomcat630 · January 2002

Look in the owners manual for what the 60K service consists of and then go to an independant mechanic or service station. Save hundreds of dollars and maybe cna even do some things yourself!

csandste · January 2002

You'd be suprised at the extras a lot of dealers throw in.

Boris2 · January 2002

As far as I remember, the major things it consists of are: new spark plugs, radiator flush, oil change and brake inspection. Plus inspect, check, inspect, check, inspect,... (most of this stuff is "visual inspection")
New spark plugs would run you about $2.5 each (Dealer price)... Antifreeze - $5, Oil change - $25 - dealer price... Visual Inspection - $20 max at any local shop... Brake inspection - Free at any brake store (and they do much better job than dealers, who try to find as much as possible wrong with your brakes). Don't get me wrong, I usually try to do maintance service at dealers to avoid any problems with warranty, but if you look at huge list of items the dealer would do for 60K service you'll see that they wold only look at different things and in addition to new spark plugs and oil change, you'll get a huge estimate for things they think you need to do urgently...

P.S. Oh, they might also do Fuel Injector cleaning - $20 for the can BK44, add it to the gas and you're all set to go.

uvula · January 2002

Our cars do have the same engine. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few more questions before I call Chevy. What area are you from. (Climate?) What are the roads like? (Hilly terrain, mostly flat, etc.) How would you characterize your "city driving?" My city trips are usually very short; for instance, I drive 5 miles each way to and from work and usually don't use the car for anything else until the weekend. I too keep my tires inflated to 32 PSI, but I use 87 octane. I appreciate your help.

britton2 · January 2002

I live in the mid-south (TN)and the roads here are primarily flat - right now it's in the 40's...I drive my car mostly in the city, short trips between 5 - 25 miles - although on occasion I've been known to make the 40 mile trip up to KY for lottery tickets, but I haven't done that in weeks - I just filled up and checked my mileage the other day - I got 32.7 MPG (all city) - I also keep my tires inflated to 32 PSI - how are you checking your gas mileage? Here's what I do: when I stop for gas - I set my trip meter (my car has 2) to zero - then I get out and fill up and let the pump stop automatically - then the next time I need gas - I take the number on my trip meter (say it's 313.1 miles) and divide that by the gallons of gas it took to fill up my tank (say it's 9.558 gallons) that equals 37.2 - so that's your MPG - this is what I got a couple of days ago - since our cars have the same engine and frame (they should weigh about the same) I would think the mileage would be very close - I have read where others are getting 30+ miles per gallon and others are only getting 26 or so - I really can't explain this - I do not accelerate hard from a dead stop but I don't drive like "a little old lady" either - try putting in 89 octane and see what you get - good luck

marlynfish · January 2002

Hopefully, one of you can suggest a solution to the problem that I'm having with my '91 Geo Prizm. Bought it used in Aug. '01 and am currently at 126,000 miles. Car runs great except 3 months ago, after work, I went to start my car and it was dead. I replaced the battery figuring that was the problem. Car was fine for 3 months but then the brand new battery (a Sears Diehard) was dead after being parked over night. I took my car to a mechanic and he too gave me another new battery (even though I explained that the one in my car was only 3 mos. old). This battery lasted for 1 1/2 weeks and, lo and behold, car was parked overnight and battery was dead.

So here we have a car that has completely drained 3 batteries in the span of 5 months!

I've taken it to another mechanic who tested the alternator (it's fine) and checked for short circuits (none, so far). He says that the car is registering something as "on" and whatever this device is, it's draining the battery when the car sits for many hours.

I'm wondering if any of you have experienced this problem with your cars (Geo or otherwise) and am hoping that you can suggest what device might be the gremlin causing this problem. All devices that I can access (radio, indoor and outdoor lights and vent fan) are completely off when I leave the car so I don't know what else could be the culprit.

Please advise.

Boris2 · January 2002

Most likely there is a device that drains the battery, but I can't imagine anything that would do it that fast. You can take it to the dealer and tell them that you're not picking up a car until they find what is wrong with it. Unlike independent shops, who can say: I don't know! Dealer has to find some reason. Can not duplicate is not going to be the case, since you can always bring the battery back to them showing that it's dead indeed.

squeak6 · January 2002

my 5-speed prizm now has 126,000 miles with no major problems ( well the A/C did die, but was replaced, and the spark plug wires had to be replaced ) I too have seen water in my trunk has anyone else? I am getting about 32 mpg... I do drive fast... 80 mph.... what is the avg. life span for a prizm? I still have 1.5 years to pay it off... any other suggestions on what I can do to keep her running smooth...?

Boris2 · January 2002

I haven't seen any late model Prizms with such high mileage - sold mine with about 70K mi (no major problems), but I did see late model Corolas with mileage close to 200K mi. If you do oil changes regularly I think you shouldn't have any major problems. Use GM spark plugs, Clean EFI periodically and you should be able to get close to 200K mi. If you drive fast, you might want to change antifreeze more often.

squeak6 · January 2002

what's the EFI.. if I keep the oil changed can I get 3 more years out of her?

dudleyr · January 2002

My brothers prizm went 220,000 miles before it died a horrible death. He did not change the timing belt, and it broke and siezed the engine. Up til then the car was running fine and would have probably made it to 300,000. He still had the original clutch.

EFI is electronic fuel injection.

You should get 3 more years out of it with no problem. When you are putting miles on as fast as you are, you can't help but have a lot of easy highway miles. Driving 80 shouldn't be too hard on it because the car is geared fairly tall. It would be about like driving a civic at 70 as far as rpms go.

Speed limit where I live is 75, so I go 80-85 all the time, and my car is running at 4,000 -4,300 rpm. ('90 Integra) I have 138,000 miles and running very strong.

squeak6 · January 2002

thanks for the info... this is my 1st real car, so I want to make her last with preventive maintenance...

Boris2 · January 2002

98th don't have timing belts - they got chains. It doesn't mean the chain doesn't need to be changed, but you don't have to do it at 60k mi. When I asked the dealer at what time the chain needs to be changed, they didn't know :-) They said Chevy don't have any information about it. I asked Toyota dealer and they recommended to change the chain anywhere between 90k mi and 120K mi. Toyota engines usually don't self-destroy when the belt/chain breaks, but it might happen.

rejacob · January 2002

...where the relay for the rear window defogger is located on a 1990 Prizm? The owners manual only talks about fuses and circuit breakers. Thanks.

hhma · January 2002

We have a 1999 Prizm Lsi. Recently, we heard a "hissing" noise when we turn on either the heater/defogger or the defogger itself. Then it went away after a while. It is also sporadic. We brought it to the dealer, who inspected the car and can not find anything wrong with it. We have only three months left in our warranty. Anyone here experience similar problems? Can it be a major problem that we have to fix it before the warranty expires? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Henry

erunic · February 2002

To replace the rear speakers, the rear seat needs to first be removed. The bottom cushion is removed first, then the back there are (three?) bolts securing the seat backs near the bottom. After that has been accomplished, the rear deck panel has to be removed. The grilles are mounted to the panel, the speakers are top mount. Unfortunately, you will need to cut the wiring to remove the old speakers. At least I did for my 94 Prizm. I think I was able to put something a bit larger in their place.

BTW, Crutchfield provided the instructions when I purchased my speakers about 2 years ago. Sorry for the delayed response, hope it is not too late to be of use.

erunic · February 2002

I own a 1998 Prizm Lsi, bought new, never in an accident or anything along those lines. Exactly one year after purchase, the SRS bag started blinking. After what started out as a bad experience, the problem was resolved. Problem, code 48, bad connector under the drivers seat (for the side impact airbag?). The problem occurred with 18k miles on the car.

So here I am some 2.5 years later with two new electrical problems. The Evaporative Control (Canister) Module failed AND the SRS light has started blinking again. I was okay with replacing the ECM cost roughly 500$ at the dealer, but imagine my trusty local mechanic could nix at least 100$ off the cost in labor savings.

The airbag problem, not as easily solved. After having it diagnosed, the sensor and diagnostic module failed. Cost of repair ~ $1100. The part is in the middle of the dash, etc. etc.

The car is not under warranty as it was put into service 07/1998. So, I am looking at $1607 in repairs on a car that is not four years old and has 45,000 miles on it. GM does not want to admit a problem, yet there a few consumer complaints for both the Prizm and Corolla at the NHSTA. Am I wrong to expect airbags to be maintenance free for the first ten years of ownership and then inspections every 24 months after that as the manual states.

Currently, the dealership has disconnected the airbags a $337 procedure so that the car may be driven without them accidentally going off. The matter has been brought to the attention of GM Corporate, but basically, the line is it's out of warranty I don't think there is anything we can do for you. The representative with whom I spoke said she would speak with the dealership to gather more information and then call me back. It's been two full business days of NO contact.

Anyone else having these sort of problems (and remember to report complaints to NHTSA)?

hawkbert · March 2002

Yesterday my oil light came on whenever I stopped quickly or turned quickly, so I checked my oil and discovered I was two quarts low. Considering that my oil was changed about 1500 miles ago, this seems unusual. I added non-synthetic 5W30 Pennzoil.

I parked the car in a spot with no oil on the ground and checked it the next morning, and there weren't any drips. The engine is also very clean. I've never noticed smoke coming out of my tailpipe either, and neither have my friends when they've driven behind me a couple times.

I've heard that Honda engines tend to burn oil at high RPMs. Could this be true of my car as well? I normally shift around 3500 RPM, but I recently made a 120-mile round trip to a neighboring city where my average speed was 90 MPH (about 4000 RPM). There's also this straight, empty road near my house that I do fast runs on sometimes just for fun. I shift around 5000 RPM then.

hawkbert · March 2002

Correction to my previous post: it's been 2400 miles since my last oil change. Guess I should've checked my oil sometime in that period, but still. 1 quart burned every 1200 miles?

jrosasmc · April 2002

Now that the Pontiac Vibe has officially started production at the NUMMI factory in Fremont, CA, has production of the Prizm stopped by now? At my local Chevy dealer, they still have a good supply of Prizms on the lot. And my local parish priests just purchased two brand-new identical Prizms, so I would assume that GM is still making the cars.

tomcat630 · April 2002

"..has production of the Prizm stopped by now?"

YES! It was announced in all the car media sites. And cars sit on dealers lots a few months usually after being made, especially slow sellers.

jim1940 · April 2002

98 Prizm standard. Water in trunk was seeping through the taillights. Siliconed them and have not had any more leaks.

kwx · April 2002

i have a chevrolet prizm 98 and the catalynic converter has some problem recently.is that a serious problem. what is the function of catalynic converter in the car? thanks a lot.

eneth · April 2002

Exhaust emission reduction, among other things (including performance - most cars won't run properly with a faulty catalytic converter).

Most cars in the U.S. have at least an 8 year/80,000 mile on components like the catalytic converter - check carefully before paying for repair, unless the unit has been obviously physically damaged (such as in an accident, or collision with a rock or other physical trauma).

Chevrolet (Geo) Prizm

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