So, lets start off with my mistake... I found out this weekend that I forgot momentarily how to count. I have the 4 speed, not the 3 speed.
This weekend, when I went to change the transmission pan gasket (and filter, and fluid), I noticed my filter wouldn't fit. I called up the parts store and they said the '12 bolt' tranny pan is the 4 speed. I said, sure, I'll try it figuring their info was wrong. So, I go there, the filter looks right and I buy it and button the trans back up. I take the car to work today and sure enough, I count 1... 2... 3... hey, 4! Haha, I feel dumb, but it at least makes sense why I couldn't find the 3 speed TCC lockup wire now!
But, it shifts quicker and smoother now with the fluid change.
Sadly, when I did the tranny fluid change, I noticed my front main seal is leaking... *sigh*
I also took some time to go over some other nagging issues on the car. First up was the e-brake needs to be adjusted (tightened up). When I lost brakes, it was of virtually no use because it was so loose. I definitely want to remedy this. However, I haven't yet been able to find the adjustment for it. I read online that its supposed to be near the rear brakes, yet I was not able to find anything. I now assume its inside by the e-brake lever. Can anyone verify the location of the adjustment?
Next up, my low coolant level sensor has been finicky. It would intermittently go on and off even with a full coolant level. I replaced it this weekend with a new sensor only to have the light stay on constantly now. I know that if I disconnect the wires going to the sensor, the light goes off. So, that means its not a wiring problem. However, I have no idea what is going on here. I don't even know how the sensor works. It doesn't have a float on it like I thought it would. Here is a picture of it below. It is inserted into the bottom of the coolant reservoir tank. I'm a bit baffled.
The last thing I worked on was the windshield wiper stalk assembly. When I go over hard bumps, the lever falls down enough to turn the windshield wipers on. Its pretty annoying. I disassembled and removed the stalk assembly. There doesn't appear to be any way to just fix it, its just worn out. So, I'll probably look for one of these at a junk yard or ebay if the're cheap enough. I am growing tired of spending on the car.
Last, but not least, I took some pictures of the interesting cooling setup on the Sunfire. The car comes stock with a full grill block. All of the cooling air comes from under the front bumper. Here are a few shots that show the interesting setup.
These are the only 'grill' openings on the front of the car:
Here is a shot under the front bumper:
And here is another shot a bit farther back showing more of the radiator. It looks like the front air dam is supposed to catch the air and push it up and through the radiator.
So, it now makes sense why the car warms up so stinking fast (on top of not being real efficient). It also makes sense why it gets so warm at low speeds too.