I have a 1995 cavalier...today, it wouldn't hold a charge...we had to push start it. It kept dying and i kept push starting it...and my fiance asked me to keep the gas down to keep the RPMS up to charge the battery...thinking it was an alternator going out. After a few minutes, the car started running really rough and i smelled smoke. When looking under the car, the catalytic converter was red hot...litterally...my fiance said that he thinks one of the cylinders was not firing...not sure on this one...i think it was just trying to die from no battery power what do you guys think?
2007-01-24 11:42:16 · 11 answers · asked by Jamie J 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Check the battery and cables first. Bring the battery to a parts store for a load test. Computerized cars will do strange things in a brownout (low voltage) condition. If you have to keep the RPMs up, the alternator is likely working against a dead battery. The resultant brownout confuses the computer, which has trouble remembering how much fuel and spark it is sending to engine. Sometimes there are no trouble codes, as the dead battery has reset the computers RAM memory. Once the battery/alternator issue is fixed, the computer will re-learn what is going on and be fine.
If the converter is plugged up, the car will run poorly and be hard to start. At least you will know its not the battery or alt, if you have them checked first.
2007-01-24 12:01:39 · answer #1 · answered by electron670 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it sounds like you have a couple of problems, the battery not holding a charge is of course the battery but once you push started it the alternator will provide the charge to keep your car running and charge the battery back up. second if your catalytic converter is glowing red then it is definitely going to cause a problem. if your car cant let exhaust out it will run very bad if at all. your probably getting a smell like rotten eggs out of the tail pipe. that's also the converter.
2007-01-24 12:15:23 · answer #2 · answered by dragginass_92 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does the engine turn over when you try to start it? If it does I would say your battery is fine. However if your catalytic converter is glowing red I would say that it was plugged up which would keep your car from running.
2007-01-24 14:04:33 · answer #3 · answered by lance_j@sbcglobal.net 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
extra probable then no longer, that's the chilly climate struggling with the contacts interior the ignition change from making finished touch. because of the fact of this after turning it lower back and forth particularly some situations it starts to artwork, you have freed up the contacts. there is in all danger a small diploma of moisture in there (think of dew) and this freezes contained in the chilly climate. If it have been your battery, the lighting fixtures furniture might desire to nevertheless come on yet once you tried to commence the motor vehicle it would in basic terms turn over further and extra slowly until eventually finally it would in basic terms make a clicking noise. until eventually now you park the motor vehicle contained in the chilly for the night, spray a small volume of "lock de-icer" into the keyhole. this ought to displace any moisture subsequently struggling with the change from freezing up. you do no longer ought to try this each night, in basic terms while the challenge specially situations resurfaces. additionally, purely for fairly strategies: Take the leads off of your battery and clean them up, the two on the cables and the battery that's self, this might insure that there is sweet contacts on the battery, this must be carried out on the initiating of iciness each 300 and sixty 5 days to ensure your battery gets charged properly whilst using.
2016-09-27 22:59:58 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
catalytic converter is shot.cause's extreme back pressure in cyclinders ,therefore making it run very very ruff,giving the sense that the ALT. or Battery has gone bad and the only way it wants to stay running is with the pedal to the floor .
2007-01-24 11:57:53 · answer #5 · answered by nra_man58 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The alternator may be bad but keeping the rpm's up will not help it. If you over rev the engine you will kill it. I would check the condition of the oil.
2007-01-24 11:52:33 · answer #6 · answered by Herr Raging Boehner. 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think the amount of money you are gonna spend to repair the car is higher than the car's worth. Time to get a new car.
2007-01-24 12:00:05 · answer #7 · answered by Patrick D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its time to look for a new car, look on ebay you might find another 1995 cavalier.If you do you can use your other car for parts if the ebay one has something bad but parts of yours are still good
2007-01-24 12:15:21 · answer #8 · answered by midnight9572002 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have it towed to a mechanic have the problem diagnosed. The earlier it's look at the more money you are going to save. The more you do this the more money you are going to spend on repairs.
2007-01-24 11:54:18 · answer #9 · answered by Chris J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Question: How did you drive down the road w/ the gas pedal all the way down? Drive with two feet? Or was it just when idoling?
2007-01-24 11:50:36 · answer #10 · answered by miketorse 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋