1997 Sunfire 4 spd automatic repair & modding

[2000mc]

I don't suspect a head gasket, just suggesting because it's a very easy visual check

[ecomodded]

Often when a water pump goes or is going it has visible drips or leaks around the shaft.

And may get noisy..

[mechman600]

Hmmm....if your water pump has indeed pooed the bed, now may be the glorious chance to do an electric water pump (Like the Echo-Troll) and deep cycle battery/accessory belt delete.
Buuuuuut I guess in the end, the three speed auto completely ruins the party and makes life hopeless.

[Daox]

I tried the heater test yesterday. It seemed to blow very hot air. I then revved up the engine and there was little difference. So, it looks like I'll be flushing the radiator later today.

I also noticed the auto trans not shifting into gear as crisply as before. When I was under the car the other day, sure enough, I saw the trans pan leaking fluid. So, I went to the autoparts store and got a gasket and filter (who knows if its ever been changed), and some trans fluid. One more thing to do...

The final thing that I'd like to do with the car fixing wise is the passenger side door doesn't unlock and lock with the key. I'm not sure if thats because of the passenger door damage (its wrinkled up a bit, not horrible), or what. Its not a huge deal, but it is an annoyance.

After all that, the car should be mechanically sound.

[Daox]

Yesterday was work on cars day. First, I got the serpentine belt changed. The old one was cracked pretty badly and squealing a tiny bit. While I was doing that, I rotated the water pump by hand. It spun nice and smooth. After that, I drained the coolant and flushed the radiator with the garden hose. It didn't appear to be plugged up at all and after some more driving with it, I don't think it was. I filled it back up, and took it for a spin. In town driving, the coolant temp got up to 200F. Then, I took it on the freeway (65 mph). It dropped down to 190F solid. When I got home I checked out the grill area on the car. First off, the car only has two smaller openings for cooling on the front of the car. Second, behind the plastic mesh is a solid piece of plastic. Its not sealed, but it definitely doesn't let a lot of air in, and the air must go around it to get to the radiator. So, I think this is the main reason that the coolant temps get high at lower speeds. I'll try to get some pictures of this. In any case, the car didn't overheat on the freeway and that is what I was worried about.

Anyway, I still have to do the trans fluid and the door lock. I also forgot one thing. The wiper stalk on the steering column is loose. So loose that if I go over any big bumps in the road, the wiper stalk falls down and turns the wipers on... quite annoying. I'll have to figure something out there to fix that.

[2000mc]

Air dam at the bottom of the radiator present?

[Daox]

Yep, there is still an airdam below the radiator support.

[Daox]

I haven't had time to snap a pic of the weird air dam. Soon though as I'll be working on the car again. On the way home today I blew a brake line. Thankfully I had enough stopping power to get into a gas station parking lot (no ebrake, thats on the list to fix too). I went home and grabbed the vise grips, went back and crimped the line enough to limp home. Looks like I have a project for the weekend... dang, I wanted to start working on the Civic.

[IsaacCarlson]

I have a 2002 sunfire that had the 2.2 and 4t40. The mileage was variable and I was not happy with the amount of torque. I am working on installing a 3800 series 2 with a 4t60 with a 2.84 final drive. I can take the final down to 2.56 with a chain and sprocket combo. I am planning on a solid 40 mpg with the 2.84 final in there. The sunfire is 800+ lbs lighter than the donor car

The engine is in tip top shape, 200 lbs of dry compression and PLENTY of power. I should be able to climb mountains in 4th gear Not sure if I will get it done this year or not, but it is in the shop and is half done.

[backpacker3]

Originally Posted by IsaacCarlson

I have a 2002 sunfire that had the 2.2 and 4t40. The mileage was variable and I was not happy with the amount of torque. I am working on installing a 3800 series 2 with a 4t60 with a 2.84 final drive. I can take the final down to 2.56 with a chain and sprocket combo. I am planning on a solid 40 mpg with the 2.84 final in there. The sunfire is 800+ lbs lighter than the donor car

The engine is in tip top shape, 200 lbs of dry compression and PLENTY of power. I should be able to climb mountains in 4th gear Not sure if I will get it done this year or not, but it is in the shop and is half done.

Sorry to thread jack here but I'm interested in seeing what you get out of the sunfire. I've seen a lot of swaps similar to what you're doing but it's always for the performance so I've wondered what difference in fuel economy is. You should post a build thread.

A bit more on topic though is that we need a team for pontiac. There's one for chevy and saturn but not for us I tried to make one but it was throwing errors at me. Daox do you need to be a mod or something to start a team?

I know what you're talking about for the air dam I don't know know if you're is exactly identical to mine but there's one in the lower radiator opening and then under the radiator is another one I don't really understand the placement of them. I think I might take the one in the lower rad opening out once I put a grille block there.