Picked up an ecotec cavalier

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It's an LS. No foglights. Would not mind steel wheels with 195/65/15, they are slightly easier to find and cheaper at the $10/tire junkyard. They'll clear the brakes easily; so could 14s probably.

Speaking of cheap, it came to my attention that a purolator ecotec filter is $3.27 like all the other puros at walmart. Advance wants $8.99 for the same L15436!!! A generic Driveworks is $6.59; 40% off of that is $3.95. No thanks!!!
 
What kind of oil will you use when you drain the molasses/goo out of that car? I would say the QSGB and filter special at AA or some MS5K or if its real bad some T5Rotella
 
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Spec gap is .043, mine are .100 +/-. I guess when they put the new used engine in they saved the old plugs.
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My macro photo gear is not the best but there's a little nub still on the ground prong.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
It's an LS. No foglights. Would not mind steel wheels with 195/65/15, they are slightly easier to find and cheaper at the $10/tire junkyard. They'll clear the brakes easily; so could 14s probably.

Speaking of cheap, it came to my attention that a purolator ecotec filter is $3.27 like all the other puros at walmart. Advance wants $8.99 for the same L15436!!! A generic Driveworks is $6.59; 40% off of that is $3.95. No thanks!!!


I'd go steelies...they make it better around here and are easy to fix. It's why I'm still rocking mine!
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And if you go 14s (195/70/14s) saw some of those at my local yard for 5 bucks each!

And what...puros are 3.27 there? Heck, that's better than AA's delco cartridges for 4.39 here.....
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
A service (wrench) light is for non-emissions issues, mostly if the body control module has a hiccup.

As for financing the thing, I cashed out of a 92 toyota cressida with 230k miles and a declared bad head gasket to get into this thing. Buyer said, that's not a head gasket, you have water in your gas. Mm ok. I did see that car drive by a week later, not smoking, so good for him.
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Temporary, until I can remember the right tools at the junkyard to grab a new latch.

One can see the indentations from the previous owner's string retention system.
 
how can that be temporary? the holes are going to be there permanently. a black duck tape would have been less permanent.
 
I looked my resale value up on KBB.com with and without holes in the glovebox. Can live with the difference.
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If anyone asks about those holes it was for a police radio, a deep undercover narc unit.
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Turns out the tail light uses these studs driven right into the plastic. Studs were never driven in at the factory. Very unlikely a meathead pulled them accidentally to change a bulb: too much friction.

I stuck a pliers on and straightened things out.
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Coincidentally, they use stamped sheet metal nuts on the inside! How cheap is that?
 
When I was shopping for my 2002 Cavalier, I wanted to get an Ecotec one really bad, but they were just out of reach pricewise...

When I traded my 02 in for $250 at the used-car dealership to get the Tribute, it was in 10 TIMES better shape than this!

....and it WAS run hard and put away wet, but still in good shape. I really hope someone got a couple more years out of it!

Good job on rescuing another neglected car, EJ!
 
Epilogue, she passed state inspection after I put in a "Driveworks" wheel bearing. Is now in my brother in laws hands, his wife is having a baby "through the sunroof" in a week and they need a 2nd car NOW so she can drive the kid(s) and he can get to work.

The hand off went smoothly, car looked nice under 1/4 inch of fluffy snow. "You think it looks nice", I demonstrate, then fling a gloved hand along the roofline, "but the clear coat is coming off."
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I was in such a hurry I got it inspected on November 30th, skipping the extra month I could have gotten bringing it in today.

My biggest worry was ABS, but my Innova 3160 claims to do "some domestic" and pointed me in the general direction of the left front. Professor Google did the rest WRT the bad connecter; it would pass any visual exam but after I spliced a new one in the old one proved discontinuous on my ohmmeter.

I would buy an ecotec anything (not CVT transmissioned saturns though) after this motor. No leaks, just a valve tick that cleared up after changing out of 13k miles on cheapo oil. Responded well to four new spark plugs, "cow udder" coil on plug ignition module system has few parts. Have drafted BIL into reporting gas mileage, I'd get a couple more of these for my own fleet if I can find, well, nicer ones.
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Awesome to hear - nice job helping out the family, too!

....will bil look after it, or will it be lucky to last 6 months?
 
OK, I will bite; what is baby "through the sunroof"? C-Section? If so, I had not heard that term.

It is always better to get it inspected while you still have the CEL off! Just this year, both my cars tripped CEL the second day after I had them inspected!
 
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