Pontiac Sunbird

OK, stupid answer, it's out of gas ;-) I assume that's not the issue though, so here's the most likely causes I can think of. Plugged fuel filter, plugged fuel line, malfunctioning fuel pump, blown fuse, short in the circuit. Best case scenario would be the fuel filter and the fuse. Check the fuse panel under the dash by the driver side door. The fuse for the pump should be clearly labeled, check and replace if necessary. Fuel filter would be the next easiest thing, I forget the exact location, but I'm pretty sure it's on the driver's side near the rear fender. In any case, look for something that looks kind of like a can of pop with a line coming out each side of it. I don't remember if this one uses bolt on fittings, or the quick disconnect fittings. If it's bolted, lubricate the threads first, and then using wrenches, carefully remove. If it's the plastic fittings, there's tools made specifically for removing these, but I've had good luck with a wrench and a hammer. There's a plastic piece that has to be pressed into the fitting, find the smallest wrench that will fit over the line, with the side of it against the fitting. Carefully hammer the side of the wrench to push it in, rotate the wrench as you hammer to change where the pressure is being applied. It'll probably be stuck, but keep working the wrench around, it'll go in eventually. The line should just pull right off. Install a new fuel filter and see what happens. If it's a plugged fuel line, that sucks. I wouldn't even know where to start to try and find where it's plugged. The only option I would have here would be to replace the entire line, which would be expensive, and very difficult. If you suspect the fuel pump has malfunctioned, there is at least one way I know of to check it. You'll need two people for this, and hopefully the wiring is accessible The pump is mounted on top of the tank, but if the plug is visible you can back probe with a voltmeter It should read 0 volts with the ignition off. Have someone turn the key to the ON position (don't try to start it, the ON position will energize the pump). If the voltage climbs (upwards of 12 volts, but not necessarily that high), then there is current going to the pump. The voltage should then drop right away. If no voltage is read, suspect a short somewhere, all I can say there, is happy hunting. If the voltage appears correct, then suspect that the pump is faulty. You will have to remove the gas tank for this. At this point, I would highly recommend picking up a manual Chilton's or Haynes, or factory service manual if available. I've never dropped the tank on this car, but it should be about the same as the ones I have done, a pain in the butt. There should be 2 straps holding it up to the car, they're hooked underneath the car at one end, and bolted at the other end. BTW, if you can, remove as much fuel from the tank as possible, the lighter it is, the easier this will be. If accessible, unplug any electrical connectors, and disconnect any fuel lines. You'll probably also need to remove the filler tube somewhere, either at the fuel door, or at the tank itself. With the tank supported, unbolt the straps (you'll probably need to lubricate the threads, they will be rusty as hell), and carefully lower the tank. If you weren't able to disconnect anything, don't remove the bolts completely. If you thread them out almost to the end, you may be able to tip the tank far enough that you can now unhook anything you couldn't reach. Finally, tank the tank off the car, and move it to an area where you can work on it. Outside would be ideal, the more ventilation, the better. The pump will be held in one of two ways, either a lock ring, or a snap ring. If it's a lock ring, you'll need a BRASS or ALUMINUM chisel or similar device that you can hammer it with. DO NOT USE STEEL, it will spark and could cause an explosion! Once rotated to the unlock position, the ring should come off, and the pump can be lifted out. Be careful not to allow any debris to fall into the tank, unless you're planning to clean the tank anyways. If it's a snap ring, you'll just need a snap ring pliers to remove it. Install a new pump, put everything back together, and cross your fingers. If it isn't any of these things, I'm sure there's a few other possibilities like the fuel pressure regulator, but I don't any experience with those.

you have to empty the fuel first.2 relieve the fuel system pressure on fuel injected model. 3 detach cable from - battery cable 4 raise vehicle and place on jackstands 5 locate electrical connector for electric fuel pump and fuel gauge sending unit in front of the tank, and unplug it. If no connector refer to step (9) 6 disconnect fuel feed and return lines, the vapor return lines, and the filler neck and vent tubes 7 support the fuel tank with floor jack 8 disconnect the wires and ground strap from the fuel pump/fuel gauge sending unit if you haven't already 10 remove tank from vehicle 11 installation in reverse of uninstall

I recently had a similar issue with my 1999 Alero 2.4L. It started the previous day with the battery light coming ON all of a sudden. We suspected the alternator was going bad. So, the next day decided to take it to AutoZone to get the alternator tested but on the way all of the sensors started going off (beeping, turning ON, etc.) Next, all the guages (fuel, temp, speed, tach, oil press) stopped registering and were sitting at 0. The turn lights were barely working and their sound was barely audible, the car sounded very strange and the A/C went off. Apparently the alternator had completely died and the battery was being drained. So I got the battery replaced and bought an alternator from AutoZone. Replacing it was very easy and took only about 30 to 40 mins. AutoZone refunded the core charge of $40 when I gave them my old alternator. So the cost of the new one was $104. The car works great now and the guages and all are back to normal. Hope this helps.

The horn is located on the driver side of the engine, real close to the battery. No. It's on the passenger side next to the rad.

The dash light dimmer switch is either turned off or is defective. jd

You will need to change your thermostat, as it is been stuck open. The thermostat is the piece that control the quantity of cooling fluid that goes to the radiator, if its stuck open all your fluid is going to be cooled by ambiant air on the radiator, and the engine will get colder then its operating temperature. If it close properly it will force the coolant to be cooled by the heater radiator, which transfer the heat to the air in your heater system. The piece itself is like 10$ or less, but the installation can be tricky if your not mechanicly inclined.

Fenders are the same. The hood will bolt on....but there is a design difference in the style of the hoods. As far as the grill and headlight area....these are different. But if you have everything from the donor car then yes...you can bolt it all up. In other words, a Cavalier headlight setup won't fit with a Sunbird grill. You have to swap it all over.

Question is too vague as there are MANY common problems that effect/affect ALL vehicles.

Please be more specific as to:

Fuel, Electrical, Emission, Driving, Wheel, etc., problems.

Usually under the hood on right side fender. Should be 3 relays clipped together. One is for the fuel pump.

Try gaping the spark plugs. I had the same issue where it would stall when I was in gear and stopped unless I had my foot on the gas, then gaped the plugs and immediately the problem went away

~ Usually this is caused by a vacuum leak

Behind lower dash panel, aprox under the radio, over the transmission hump in floor. The lower dash panel must be removed to gain access.

4.5 to 5 Qts.

Filter is about 1/2 qt.

Add 4, run engine briefly, check level on stick, add as needed.

you can't, they both are the same color, how ever does it smoke all the time or right after you start it after it's been sitting? if it just after it's been sitting then it's more than likely your valves if all the time it could b e the rings or valves or both, if it has alot of miles my guess it's both, butch

one of the pullies that doesn't drive anything will have a bolt head in the center, turn this counterclockwise, and as you do so, the tesion will be removed. as soon as you let tension of the socket however, the tension will be re-instated.

Permatex / Vinyl Leather Repair Kit

and also use some of this,,,Permatex / Px Weathrstrp Ad Bl .

Both can be found at auto zone .

I think the Black Hole Patch Kit from www.justasign.com works great a very strong self adhesive kit peel and stick inside or out or in and out. it is made for portable ice fishing houses to with stand the cold and heat of storage. 4 round patches and 2 5x7 patches for only $10.00 If you ask they will send it in white. Good luck

Where the lower radiator hose connects to the engine block.

There may be air in the brake system. Bleed the brakes and see if this helps. Bleeding the brakes requires two people, a quantity of new brake fluid, and wrench the correct size to open bleed valves on brake plates. The brake plate is the flat plate that the brake mechanisim is mounted on, and has a hose coming to it from the body of the car. The hose carries the pressure from the master cylinder to the individual wheel cylinders, and where it connects to the brake plate there is usually a bleed valve, which is a hexagonal piece of metal with a hole in it. When the bleed valve is loosened, it allows brake fluid to drain from the system. If no one is in the car with their foot pushing the brake pedal to the floor, air will enter the brake system through the bleed valve. So, have someone in the car who can push the brake pedal down, open the hood, and remove the cover from the brake fluid reservoir on top of the master cylinder. Have the brake pedal pushed down slowly (to keep the brake fluid from splashing all over the place. Be careful, brake fluid is highly corrosive!) as the bleed valve is opened, and held down until the bleed valve is closed. Repeat this procedeure three times, and then check the fluid level in the reservoir. Add fluid if necessary and go to the next wheel, which should be the left rear, as you want to start with the right rear, seeing as it is the furthest from the master cylinder. Work the right front after the left rear, and the left front last.

Should be in front of the radiator on either side. To easily find it, have a friend honk the horn while you find the source of the sound.

I just bought a 98 Pathfinder. The front right tire shredded, and took out a plastic panel in the wheel well. And voila, there is the windshield washer reservoir and 2 pumps, one front and one rear. So it is located in the right front wheel well, close to the headlight. I am trying to figure out the hose connections now. There are 2 outlets on each pump. I know the bottom one goes to the nozzles. Where do the top hose connectors go?

You have to remove the dashboard, then remove the instrument cluster. On the back of the cluster, you'll find that you can unscrew the bulbs from the back and replace them.

I've done it myself on my own 99 Sunfire

--- CanadianCynosure

there is not one

There is no cam sensor on this particular engine. Only a crank sensor mounted behind the harmonic balancer.

there should be markings on your timing cover that range from 0 to 16, the flywheel mark needs to be in the center at 8. then the cam pulley mark needs to line up with the groove on the backing plate.

The speedometer is electronic...there is no speedometer cable.

The firing order for a Sunbird 2.0 is 1-3-4-2 ,with cylinder #1 being the one on the passenger side.