Chevy Prizm

http://autorepair.about.com/library/firing_orders/bl-firing-97.htm This site has indexed listing of firing orders, searchable by make. however in 1997 prizms were still Made by geo. There are two Listings to that respect, one for 1.6 and 1.8L engines.

After 1984, GM shifted El Camino production to Mexico for three more years. Production ceased after the 1987 model year, as sales of the Chevrolet S-10 true pickup truck were outselling its passenger car counterpart. 1984 to 1987 El Caminos (and its sister, the GMC Caballero) were produced in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Around 200 unsold 1987 El Caminos were sold as 1988 models.

atleast every 3,000 miles minimum.
If you happen to have a slow leak you can just top it off every month or so.

I sure would love to know! :) I've been putting in tons of oil for the last year, and if I could find a fix I would be grateful. It is not burning it or leaking, just losing it somehow.

These cars do actually burn the oil. The catylitic converter finishes off any oil that is not burned in the cylinders so you don't notice tailpipe smoke. The cause for the oil burning is some wear on the cylinders combined with a very short piston skirt. The very short skirt allows the piston to tilt in the cylinder much sooner than would happen in normal engines. This causes the rings to fail to seat properly much earlier than would happen in an engine with normal skirt lengths. This means that even an engine rebuild is going to be short lived. Sorry but I am dealing with the same problem in my sons car.,2002 prizm using a quart to 50 miles. Oh! By the way, try finding a set of ring for this turkey.

This is a very, very common problem. The cheapest cure in the long run is to check the oil at every fill up and keep a case of oil handy. Most people do not want to do this and sell the car. Oil is cheaper than a monthly car payment. The car will normally last about 215,000 miles if you keep oil in it. The check engine light will come on. As long as it is steady and not blinking, it is probably the oxygen sensors or contamination of the emmission canister. I actually put a piece of black electrical tape over the check engine light to keep it from bugging me. This is my second Prizm. It now has 156,000 miles on it, starts every morning in the coldest weather and gets over 30 miles to the gallon. Engine failure is common because the oil light will NEVER come on and the engine destroys itself with no oil. They do not usually smoke so there is no visible indication that it is going through oil as fast as it does. As bad as this problem is, (and I am not trying to minimize it) these two Prizms have had the lowest total cost of ownership of any car I have owned. Other than spark plugs at 150,000 miles and tires I have not had to repair anything. I just get used to buying a lot of oil. Do not waste money trying to rebuild the engine. If compression drops dramatically in one cylinder, that engine's life is over. My advice is as long as the engine is running strong, keep the car.

ACTUALLY, I bought a two dollar can of Mass airflow sensor cleaner and separated the air intake (no tools needed) and spray it off.

The second spark plug is misfiring. Could be the coil right above the spark plug.

My 1998 Chevy Prism has 253,000 miles on it without any engine problems. I used to use synthetic castrol 10w30 until synthetic prices went up but recently have just been using castrol 10w30. I think the manual calls for 5w30. I change my oil every five thousand miles via walmart n have them rotate the tires at the same time. 253k miles down another 750k to go!

Open hood. On the inside (toward the center of the car) of each headlamp is a plastic clamp fixing one side of the headlamp. On the ouside from the top unscrew the bolt holding the other side of the headlamp assembly. Lift the lamp assembly out of the car and remove (pull off)the connector to the bulb. Next peal the rubber boot from the back of the headlamp assembly. This will expose a spring clip that holds the halogin bulb in the headlamp assembly. Remove bub and replace with a new bulb being carefull to only touch the bulb by its metal base connector. Do not touch the glass areas.

If your brakes are squeaking, that means the pads are wearing thin.

When you hit the brake pedal, the pads push against the rotor to create friction and slow down the vehicle. Over time these pads wear away, and when they get thin enough they make a squealing noise. This noise notifies you that you need to have new brakes installed as soon as possible. If you keep driving without replacing them, the pads will eventually wear down completely and then every time you hit the brake pedal metal will scrape against your rotors. This can be very damaging and dangerous, so when the brakes start to squeal have them looked at right away.

Yes

check to make sure the screws on the battery still have a good connection.. this happened to my Chevy prism 4 times.. it turned out to only be a loose screw and a bad connection as a result. if the battery has a bead connection on prisms, all power is lost to the car.

look at the decal on the inside of your trunk lid. It has a lot of numbers called RPO codes. If you see MB3 it is a 3speed if you see MS7 then it is a 4speed.

I'm having the exact same issue with a friend's car that I am working on. Initially I noticed that the head cover gasket was blown, so I replaced that and cleaned all the oil off the cover. I put in OEM spec spark plugs, and checked the air filter, cleaned the throttle body, and cleaned the battery posts. After all this I still have the same issue. A buddy of mine who was helping me with the work, suggested that the gunk from the cover gasket got into the injectors and clogged them up not allowing them to do their job properly. I am going to get new O-rings for the injectors and clean the injectors out, if it still gives me problems after that I am going to check the fuel sending unit under the backseat cushion. If the problem still persists after all that then I am led to believe that the problem may be electronic or electrical in nature. Perhaps a short or open somewhere, or a bad resistor in the PCM. Good luck to you!

I have a little experience with spark plugs on Prisms. I own a '99 myself, so I don't think GM has changed the engine design in three years.

The plugs sit below the surface of the engine inside a tube. I use a 5/8 socket on my car, in case you are wondering. Removel is easy, just grasp the wire and remove it. After that is done, insert your plug socket and it's out.

Removal is more difficult since you cannot see the spark plug. I use a snug fitting rubber tubing. First you slide it over the top of the plug then you drop the plug in the hole and wait till it catches. Do a few more turns, then use a Torque wrench to tighten the plugs, I do mine at 11 in/lbs. Also don't forget to set the gap on the plug.

-Second - How to change spark plugs on a 2001-2002 Prizm:

The manufacturer recommended iridium plugs cost about $10.00 apiece and last about 150,000 miles. The platinum plugs cost about $2.00 apiece and last about 50,000 miles. For the hassle involved in repacing the plugs, Iridium plugs are better

Tools you will need before you start

1. 1/4" ratchet

2. 1/4" extention

3. 10 mm socket, 1/4" drive

4. small flat bladed screwdriver

5. 3/8" ratchet

6. 3/8" long extention

7. 5/8" spark plug socket, 3/8 " drive

8. air compressor with blow gun or can of compressed air

9. long needle nose pliers

10. 1/4" internal diameter rubber hose 8 inches long

11. wire coat hanger

12. neverseez lubricant

Procedure

1. Remove the two 10 mm cap nuts on the top plastic housing over the engine

2. Remove the two fasteners on the back of the housing and remove the plastic cover

3. You will see four plastic blocks with four wire clips on each block.

4. Use compressed air to blow out debris around the blocks

5. Use the small flat bladed screwdriver to carefully lift up on the tab that holds the electrical connector onto the block and slide the wire clip off the block.

6. Remove the 10 mm bolt that holds the plastic block onto the engine. Use the needle pliers (I found that a pair with a 5-7 mm tip are best) to firmly grasp the plastic screw and pull straight up to remove it

7. Loosen the 10 mm nut on end of the plastic rail that holds the wiring harness for the blocks so that the round plastic washer on the bottom of the block will not break when you pull off the block

8. Carefully pull the plastic block out of the engine. There is a 4 inch tube attached to the block that extends into the engine to the spark plug. It will take some twisting and pulling but you must be careful not to catch the back part of the round plastic washer that you cannot see, on the bottom of the plastic wiring harness.

9. The spark plug is at the bottom of the 4 inch hole.

10. Blow compressed air down the hole to remove debris

11. Use a 5/8 sparkplug socket with a rubber collar on the 3/8" extention to remove the spark plug. The rubber collar will hold onto the spark plug as it is removed.

12. The NGK website recommends making sure the spark plugs have the correct gap .044 but the spark plug box says not to adust the gap because you might damage the needle point iridium tip. The new spark plug has a protective cardboard tube that is removed.

13. Spark plugs can stick inside aluminum heads and break off when you try remove them, leaving only the threads of the plug inside the engine which will necessitate removing the head to remove broken spark plug. Putting neverseez on the threads of the new spark plug will prevent that in future spark plug changes

14. Now comes an interesting choice. You can use the rubber tube over the neck of the spark plug to slowly drop it down the hole and hand tighten it or you can use the spark plug socket with the rubber collar. If you use the spark plug socket, the rubber collar will stick to the plug and you will pull off the extention, leaving the socket in the hole. A pair of long needlenose pliers will reach into the hole and remove the socket, but the rubber collar may remain on the plug and you will have to bend a piece of coathanger with a short 90 degree tip to reach into the hole and pull out the rubber collar. The rubber collar is there to prevent you from cocking a regular 5/8" deep socket at an angle which will break off the neck of the sparkplug, necessitating another 10 dollars and another trip to the auto parts store.

15. After the spark plug is hand tight, give it 1/2 turn more.

16. Replace the square block, being sure that the black silicone gasket on the bottom of the round plastic washer does not get bound up on the engine post where the 10 mm bolt goes. Tighten the bolt

17. replace the electrical clip.

18. Go to the next spark plug and repeat the procedure.

19. After the last spark plug is done, be sure to retighten the 10 mm nut on the wiring harness rail

20. Replace the plastic cover over the engine and you are done

The Check engine light could be several different problems, not solely the gas gap not being tight. Your emissions could be messed up. Placing fuel injector cleaner in your gas and using a higher octane could solve the problem. Another problem could be your air intake. Change your air filter and clean out any dirt in the filter housing. The final issue could be oxysgen sensors. I have read that they need to be replaced anywhere from 30,000 miles to 60,000 miles. A bad O2 sensor will turn on the check engine light. Good luck. The evaporation cannister is a likely culprit. These are known to be faulty on many Chevy Prizm models. I know the 99s have them for sure, because I just had mine replaced a few months ago. It's a costly repair; I hope you have a warranty.

1999 Chevrolet Prizm brake or tail light bulb lamp replacement procedure: Purchase the correct replacement brake or tail light bulb(s) first, before disassembling the vehicle. See sources and related links below for replacement brake and tail light bulb information. Then consult your owner's manual for the replacement procedure. As simple as it sounds, the owner's manual is the best place to start for brake and tail light bulb lamp replacement instructions and illustrations. You may want to consider replacing both left and right at the same time in order to keep brightness and color equal (optional).

There could be many reasons why a 2001 Chevrolet Prizm will not start. A few reasons could be a bad starter, bad plugs, no gas, or a bad sensor.

ok

never needs to be replaced

not sure about all years, but they do not in the 1999.

For a 1998 and later model Prizm the fuel filter is built into the fuel pump which is located in the fuel tank. Better buy or borrow a repair manual! Not sure about the '98, but I'm betting it's similar to the 2000. On the 2000, which I own, there is no fuel filter, it doesn't have one! It was designed this way which is totally stupid if you ask me because I have a clog somewhere in my fuel line and I'm trying to find an inexpensive solution to it, which is why I'm here.

July 1953 was when the armistance that 'ended' the Korean war was signed and the 38th parallel was established as a boundary.

This forum is not intended for anything immoral or illegal so with that said, your question will not be answered.

It's on the bottom of the radiator, and there's also a coolant drain plug somewhere on the block, but I've never flushed the coolant on mine, so I don't know exactly where. Don't forget to let the engine cool COMPLETELY before you do this. It's not just a matter of you getting burnt, you could also damage the engine if you drain the coolant or oil while its hot.

No there is a lot of pressure in the hi pressure hose,you will need to replace hose.