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Comments
what should I be concerned about with this?
My father-in-law suggested replacing the plug anyway, drive it for a couple hours and see if the oil burns off. Sounds logical, but I'm wondering whether the plug will even fire if there's that much oil in there. Moreover, it could be the ignition coil is bad (I might run to AutoZone today to borrow one of their testers).
Any thoughts, suggestions, similar experiences, and/or warnings?
Thanks!
John
1) is that accurate?
2) what causes a misfire?
3) will it damage anything to run the vehicle before it is fixed?
Thanks very much for any help anyone might give!
2)Deteriorated plug wire can jump or block sparks, or otherwise not carry electrical current properly and as a result plug itself will not fire properly.
Faulty plug can misfire. Plug may become faulty because of mechanical failure of the unit itself, or due to serious loss of compression or oil residue. These can happen when piston rings fail and allow loss of compression and oil to enter the combustion chamber.
3)If the car is running rough I would fix it immediately.
I suggest pulling the plug first. See what it looks like before changing anything else. The problem may go farther back than the plug or the wire but you should start with the plug and trace the problem backwards. Post your findings and I'll see if I can be of any help.
Good luck,
M
Check battery connection. Bad cable or connection will cut off the engine. It can't explain the oil light but when you have an intermittent electrical problem electronics can do weird things...
The worst case senario is oil pressure loss and resultant failure of one of the large bearings.
Did it also overheat or do anything else that was unusual? Let us know how the diagnosis went.
M
Any luck with this ? My '05 Prism has the same problem.
Thanks
I take the car back to the garage they spend 2 days trying to diagnose it ... they are saying that the 1 and 2 cylinders are receiving 40,000 volts adn the 3and 4 cylinders are receiving 18'000 volts and thats why its not running right...... they said they have tested all of the wires and the computer and says that everything checks allright.... they also put a brand new distributor cap on the car and after three test runs still the car didnt run right.
I dont know what to do can you give me some guidance and tell me what might be wrong or where to look
One additional question--I wanted to check (per Haynes) and replace the thermostat with one of the "no fail" ones that if it seizes, does so in the on position. However, do you have to remove the alternator to easily get to the thermostat? It looks that way. Is removing the alternator pretty straightforward and manageable for someone with little technical expertise?
Thanks!
I'm not having any performance issues since replacing an oily spark plug--just worrying needlessly, perhaps.
My car died in mid-traffic; a new distributor was put in.
I think it needed one anyway. But as soon as I picked up the car, I had new problem. While it started fine; now it seems to have a fuel problem. It sputters and jerks and acts like a fuel related problem; the mechanics even got a
" lean fuel" reading. They could not fix it. They put in a new distributor, fuel pump, fuel filter and injectors.
They did not charge me for the extra work, so I don't think I was being scammed. They even sent it to the dealer and the dealer could not fix the problem. I am at the end of my rope with this; I really think someone overlooked something, but I'm not sure what. They tested the gasoline , too.
Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
At this point the only thing I can think of is that there is something that's physically blocking the fuel passage somewhere between the gas tank and the injectors. Has anyone checked the fuel pressure? If the reading is ok, the blockage could still lie past the measurement point.
Maybe something fell into the gas tank, and it got sucked into the fuel system. I think there is a wire mesh of some sort inside the tank to catch foreign objects, in addition to a fuel filter somewhere. Has anyone looked into that possibility?
Compression, plugs, etc were checked; but I don't think the wire mesh filter was checked. It is acting like something in partially blocking the fuel. I will look into that and let you know.
Any ideas? The car now has 85000 miles on it.
I had a 93 and 95 LSI and had NO SUCH problems with those!
Help!!!
The previous owner might have done something really bad (like running engine with no oil or coolant in it) and caused damage before you bought it. Does it run & drive like it should?
Engine that burns 1qt of oil every 1000 miles, while inconvenient and bad for the environment, can remain in service. You just have to keep checking and adding oil every time you stop for gas. However, it is not reasonable to expect a 2002 Prizm to do that. You should look into the warranty situation with the car. Even if the warranty expired last year, the manufacturer might still honors it. Push your dealer to find out, and if they say no, send a letter to appropriat dept in GM. Good luck.
M
Thank you
Has anyone removed a water pump from a 1990 Geo Prizm? The manuals call for the separation of the engine front and rear mounts so there is clearance to acces the water pump pulley bolts. For the front mount the through bolt is removed according to the manual. [That's clear]. The rear mount: " Remove the 2 nuts for the rear mount" [That's not clear;I really don't see the 2 nuts].Can I just remove the through bolt for the rear mount???. My other concern is that I see that the automatic transaxle is also attached to the frame with it's own mounts.[..and the transaxle is connected to the engine]. So not wanting to break anything does the engine actually get raised without removing the transaxle mounts? I hope this is clear! Thank you....
I have replaced the MAP sensor, O2 sensor, Coolant Temp. sensor, spark plugs, wires, rotor... with not change in the problem.
This car is driving me nuts. If you find out your problem, please let me know. I will do the same. It's back to the mechanic I go.
BW
thanks,
dave
She has a '93 Geo Prism and about a week ago, for no reason, when she got into her car to start it...the key would not budge. Unlike you, it is not cold here..so I can't figure out what might cause this to happen. This car has frustrated me for years. Constantly pouring money into it. The Key seemed to move counter-clockwise but will NOT budge when trying to turn it on. It is a 5 speed and we tried putting it into anything but 1st gear to see if the key would then move, but it didn't. She has been stuck at gas stations for over 30 minutes trying to get the key turn (to move). This morning, I sprayed some lubricant into the ignition hole to see if that would help. I WAS able to get it to turn....BUT you still have to fight with it a bit...before it turns. This has never happened before...so SINCE I saw your message about your key not budging....I thought I would ask "Did you EVER find out what was the cause of it?". I am a frustrated mom that doesn't and can't afford to pour more money into this thing. If anyone can help or give me ideas, I would really appreciate it.
~Thank you~
Audrey
Thanks first of all for the help with the belts. I still have this tempermental no starting problem. Now it just does it whenever it feels like it. We have had the starter changed at least 3 times now. I have been inclined to think it has something to do with the secondary ignition switch. However... it has begun this new episode where when you stop, put it in park, the key won't turn to the off position. It gets stuck there until it decides it's going to turn loose & finally go off. The engine has stopped, the key won't budge. I don't know if the 2 are in some way connected. Is there some kind of linkage sensor that tells the key it's alright to be turned off or something?
It's so very frustrating. Any of the mechanics I have talked to all seem to say it's the starter solenoid... but honestly can starters go bad THAT quickly, & that often? These starters were bought from Napa, so replacing them so often didn't cost me an arm & a leg, but still. The fuses have been checked, the battery has been replaced as often as the starter, wires have been checked. I am at my wits end.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what this problem is? It's like a crap shoot only... I don't have that kind of money to blow having it tested for this & for that. There isn't any way to predict it except if it's driven over 20 miles or the radiator fan comes on.. you can expect to be sitting for 3-6 hours at best before it will start again.
Please Help!
If the starter turns but not fast enough to start the engine, check the battery cables. You have to have a very good connection to allow a massive current to flow to the starter.
Good luck
M
If it's not the key, it has to be the lock itself or the steering locking mechanism. I'd guess the lock is the problem.
Good Luck,
M
Prizm. I have a 98 with the same problem. Thanks for any help.
I am a student who just purchased a 92 Geo for 650.00. I thought I was getting a good deal but the car needs work ex: alignment, exhaust or gasket leak, CV joint, rear tires, scratch on windshield, wiperblades... I just want to know is the car worth me putting in that much work or should I just resell it for 800.00 and buy another one.
Thanks
Jakeb377
Thank you !
Try to find a clean, 100% functioning car with a bundle of repair receipts. Owners who are obsessive about keeping their cars in a perfect shape all the time are the ones you should look for. Meticulous record keeping tells you what the car had gone through, and it also speaks of the level of awareness the owner has on the proper maintenance of the car.
I normally stay away from cars that are in need of new parts to be roadworthy.
Now for the specifics: Exhaust leak may be a cracked exhaust manifold, rusted catalytic converter, and/or the muffler. It is quite possible that more than one, or all, of the above need replacement. If so, it could easily run $400 or more.
CV joints.. probably a few hundred bucks but not sure. Tires--spend at least $60/tire. It's a safety issue. Bold tires indicate negligence. You may need brake service as well.
Wiper blades are only $10 or so, but again bad wiper blades say something about the level of care the car received from its owner.
Unless you know exactly how much it will cost to put the car back on the road (or you can do the work yourself), I would not recommend you to put money into this car.
Good luck,
M
That's exactly what I did to get a copy of a '96 manual.
P.S. See that "CAPS LOCK" button on your keyboard? Press it one time!