Pontiac Sunfire

On a typical vehicle, you follow the top hose from the radiator to the engine block. The housing where the hose connects to the engine block contains the thermostat.Remove 2-3 bolts and the housing prys off. Biggest problem is getting to the housing/bolts. Check out the Chilton's repair manual at your local library (in the reference section) for more details. Answer IT IS USUALLY LOCATED WHERE THE UPPER RADIATOR HOSE GOES INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK. Answer On many cars (the 1990 v4 Camry in particular) the thermostat is behind the bottom hose. Either way, follow the top hose to the engine. If the area that the top hose connects to the engine looks like it can be taken off (the area should be no bigger than 2 or 3 full fists) then your thermostat is in that housing. If the hose connects directly to the engine (not some detachable housing) then the bottom hose is the one you are looking for, remove the housing at the engine end of the hose and your thermostat is there.. Answer It is in the radiator hose there are only 2 so it shouldn't be hard to find. Answer Here you go: http://www.automedia.com/autoCare/ccr20041201th/ccr20041201th.asp?affid= Answer 97 Civic's is on the front of the block, connecting with the lower radiator hose, it's difficult to get to, but do-able for a beginner. on a 2.4 is located behind the motor on the bottom.going to need a long extension, right on the metal radiator pipe

In a car with manual gearbox, the brake pedal is usually in the middle. In my first car, the accelerator was in the middle, which caused a few 'interesting' moments! In American cars with automatic transmission, the brake is on the left and the accelerator on the right. On a standard transmission (stick-shift), the brake is in the middle, with the clutch on the left and accelerator on the right.

Alright first things first. Jack up the vehicle and take off tire. Go ahead and place tire under car in case jack slips. On the front brakes the bleeder is located behind the rotor toward the front of the car. In this case the 99 sunfire's bleeder is I believe a 10 mm and is hex (meaning six sided). Go ahead and get a friend or what not into the drivers seat. You will loosen the bleeder and tell them to press the brake all the way to the floor. You should see a strong burst of brake fluid. but if its bubbly one of two things are wrong. Either A you just have air in the line (bleedable) or B you have a whole in one of your brake lines. Once the fluid has stopped coming out in a stream, you tighten the bleeder and tell your friend to let up. Repeat process till air is out or brake is tight enough. ----Da Python

Under the car about dead center between the Front wheels. Should be a 15mm Bolt head. If it is an 2.2 Ecotec motor the Oil Filter Access is on the top front of the engine on the Drivers Side. it is located in the same place every car's drain plug is located, in the bottom most part of the oil pan. only makes sense.

There should be a schematic on the fan shroud. goodluckJoe -- More info. -- For a 2.4 L: Attach 13 mm wrench to pulley tension bolt (the pulley without the ridges), and push counterclockwise or toward the body of the car. For the 2.2 L, the Haynes manual lists 15 mm wrench in the opposite direction.

the 2.2 engine of 1998 and up don't have PVC Answer I recently replaced a valve cover gasket on a 98 sunfire, and was looking for the pcv valve. I could not find, even looking in a chilton manual. Eventually I called GM, and that is when I found out they are built in to the valve cover there is nothing to replace. The Elbow that comes out of the top of the valve cover hooks right into the air box. That is what I originally thought was the PVC.

get a repair book at a pepboys or other auto store. The book will help you with a lot of questions including your alternator question. the book runs about 15-20 dollars. it's a good investment Remove the neg. {black} battery cable. Disconect the two sets of wires from the alternator {one is bolted onto a post, the other is a plug}. Remove the tension on the belt buy moving the tensioner with a wrench or the special tool. {the tensioner is a pulley on a spring loaded arm bolted to the block, refer to the belt routing sticker under the hood} Remove the three or four bolts that mount the alternetor and remove it. The install is the reverse of removal, the belt tension is self adjusting. Make sure the battery is charged.

The 2.4 L4 DOHC has the most horsepower (150). I think this is the engine that was used in the GT model. Unfortunately, there is no real performance information included. The single OHC 2.2 L4 gives the best mileage (25/34) If you're looking to race with the guys who are running hot Honda's, Hyundai's and Subaru WRX's, you will surely want the 2.4 DOHC. I don't know how competitive you could expect your Sunfire to be. Those little rice rockets really haul ass with just a few bolt on performance parts. The only Sunfire I've driven is my '96 which has the OHV 2.2 coupled to the 4 speed automatic trans. If pushed a little, she'll be up to 55 mph or so on a freeway onramp. I guess I'd consider it's acceleration "acceptable". One of the things that Sunfire owners have always wished, was that there had been a 6 cylinder engine offered. That could have made a world of difference. I don't know of a bolt up 6 cylinder option. I know this doesn't really address your question, but I hope it enlightens you just a little. In order to really know the answer, I guess you'll have to find a GT to drive.

Hey Mario==It will be close to the exhaust flange and on some cars it is in the exhaust manifold. GoodluckJoe

Than what? They are a low end vehicle not a sports car, so I would think on the lower end == vehicle rate wise.

Generally speaking, you should be able to have the brakes redone for about $65 per wheel. Maybe a little less if you look around and catch a sale price. If the rotors, drums or wheel cylinders need to be replaced, you'll have to add that cost to the price. You might have a look at this web site; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15606631/ and this one; http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/under_hood/52747/1 FriPilot

You don't. You replace the worn out rear break shoes. If that doesn't do it you need to replace the stretched E brake cable.

Hey Stacy==It isn't the easiest thing to do and you need special tools. I suggeast you take it to the trim shop. GoodluckJoe The only special tool you need is a trim panel remover tool that you can buy for under $10. See my related link for full instructions on how to do the repair. dude take it to safelite you ain't gonna figure it out just gonna give your self a headach btw its called a panel poper and its called a door panel nice try though yea it's a door panel, but the tool is a trim panel remover.

It could be a number of things. Check the fuse,then use a test light and touch it to the contacts on the horn under the hood while someone blows the horn. If it lights up its the horn itself. If no light it could be the horn relay in the fuse box or the part you push on the steering wheel. usually it's the relay or a loose wire. or not listen to someone who knows nothing about your problem. the horn has power at all times and operates by the circuit creating a ground. if you don't know i suggest you don't touch. New Headline For 2003 Sunfire the problem was isolated to the horn pad. Best to disable airbag when working in this area. My horn pad came off by using a screw driver to move aside a shiny metal wire in each of four holes on the back of the steering wheel. Look with a mirror and you'll see the holes and the spring retainer (wire). The pad pushes back in place when and re-engages the retainers when the job is done. There is a wire on a male plastic connector that quarter-twist fits into a female socket on the steering wheel. This wire close the circuit when the pad is pressed. In my case the socket had cracked. My fix was to use a little glue. It works (last 6 mos) but may not be the best solution. The other option, if the dealer understood my need, and I'm pretty sure he did, was to replace the broken part. I was informed by the Ponitac deaer (as I understood him) that the part is integral to the column. Because of liability with respect to airbag, the whole steering column needed to be replaced; part cost $1000.00. Glue seemed like an ok idea.

IF you have a 2.4L engine then the thermostat is located to the right of the engine (if you looking from the front of car) Look to the right side of the engine and then go down about 4inches and you will see a black housing with hoses sticking out from it and it's held in place by 2 bolts. Just take the bolts out and remove the housing and you should see the silver thermostat just sitting in place. remove that and replace it with a better one that matches with temp. rating for your car.Just make sure it goes back in the right way. Answer On most (if not all cars) start at the radiator and follow one of the hoses to the engine block. The thermostat will be inside the housing connecting the hose to the block. it usually has just two bolts. Answer THIS IS NOT TRUE ON A 2.2L MOTOR!! THAT CONNECTION HAS NO THERMOSTAT!! Answer if there is no thermostat there can someone please state where it is located then? The thermostat is located on the engine side of the lower radiator hose, in the housing...2 - 8mm bolts. Please use anti seize when reinstalling these bolts, to avoid dissimilar metal corrosion, and aid in future removal..good luck, I have performed this often..johnny

Not really. Aside from the normal sort of whirring noises that any rotating device might make, it should not whine. It could be that the bearing is dieing and that you'll have to replace the tensioner. You could try shooting some WD-40 at the bearing. You probably need to try to get at the backside of the pulley.

Well, if you're experiencing a lot of bouncing when you go over bumps, it's time for new shocks. Excessive leaning in turns can be an indicator too. The old rule of thumb, is to push down hard on the fender (in your case, the rear fender) and let go after it goes as far down as it's going to. If it bounces up and down more than once or twice, it's time for new shocks. FriPilot

A faulty gasket, overheating of the engine or old age. Or, a combination of any of these causes.

you have a leak in your heater core or heater hose that is under the dash. If you cant get it repaired right away you can plug both hoses running into the cab

If the motor is the 2.4L it will be on the back side of the motor,right below the exhaust manifold. It's a job to do. If its a 2.4 the water pump is in the rear of the motor.You must remove the exhaust manifold to access the water pump.Then you must remove the timing chain cover.When you remove the timing chain cover you must remove the timing chain tensioner.Its quite a big job.

take it to the dealership or a respectable service center and pay through the nose for them to do it. they refill the system with R-12 (which replaced freon after the hippies had a fit.) this is a very expensive procedure and is illegal for anyone besides a certified tech. Very true. but they also made r-12 illegal to use in 1994 after tree huggers had a fit. so brush up on your mechanical knowledge. they now use what is called r-134a. Call a dealer and find out what type of refrigerant your car takes. If they say r12, you need a conversion kit from WalMart to convert it to 134a. If they say 134a, then you only need the recharge kit (-) and just follow the instructions from there. If you're needing frequent recharges to keep it working then its leaking somewhere. you will have to bring it somewhere that tests a/c and have them leak test it and repair the leak. Then they can pressure test it and recharge it and it should last many more years

I'm guessing that the car turns over OK, but just won't start. In order for a car to run, there are 4 things needed; Fuel, Fire (spark) Compression and Air. If any one of these components is missing, or if it's ratio is incorrect, the car may or may not run at all. How was the car running before it stopped starting? Any problems? Performance OK? I'd try to get the car to a diagnostic center and let them put it on the computer. This will save you possibly chasing your tail. You might also beg borrow or steal a code reader just to see if your car's computer is "throwing" codes. This might be revealing, but not necessarily. If you decide that you want to have at it yourself, I think I'd start by checking for spark. It costs nothing and is easy. Just pull the plug wires one by one and hold them (with an insulated tool) so the contact inside the wire is close to, but not touching the spark plug. Have someone turn the car over for a few seconds. If you have spark, you should hear an arcing sound between the plug and the wire. This is a good thing. Check each plug. This pretty much eliminates a "fire" problem. If you don't hear those wires arcing, you DO have a fire problem, probably the coil pack(s). Next, take apart the air cleaner box and check the filter. If it's badly soiled or oil soaked, replace it. Also check for crud in the box or in the tube that goes from it to the air inlet. If you didn't have any major malfunctions before the car began to not start, like a major overheating issue, or really poor performance, I wouldn't expect that you have a blown head gasket. (compression loss if it's leaking) Replacing the fuel filter is a cheap and easy thing to do. If you haven't done this recently, I'd throw a new one on just "because". Beyond that in the fuel injection system, I'm not sure how to check for the presence of fuel, but if you pick up a Haynes or Chilton manual for the car, it will tell you ow to do that. (there IS gas in the car, right?) It could be that your car has a bad computer. As far as I know, this is beyond what we can check ourselves. Refer back to my diagnostic center suggestion. Good luck and stop back if you have more questions or need more help. FriPilot

Change the headlight it is burned out. It is also possible that the headlight/turn signal switch on the steering column is burned out. If both of your headlights are new and the low beams still do not work, check this switch. (I just replaced mine for $40 Cdn.) Could be a broken wire too. Check under the battery, that's where mine broke off. I am having the same prob. with my 97 sunfire. my daytime running lights do not turn on nomaly and the highbeam indicator is always on. when i turn my highbeams on all the lights go out. if i have my low beams on and i turn my left signal on the indicator light will flash along with my left turn indicator. i am asuming it is a short in the wiring. i will have to check. Make sure that your just not noticing it. It took me awhile to realize that when the car is in drive, the headlights come on automatically. I thought they were broken. Check that before you spend alot of money.

you have an engine/ignition problem. HAve a garage read the codes and diagnose the problem soon.

Yes the 2.2 is zero tolorence there is no adjustment on the rocker arms and the head bolts are torque to yeild. so if you have a ticking other then the injectors you need to replace the lifters and they are roller,