I have a 2003 Chevy Cavalier. Why am I having difficulty in starting it?
It sounds like you have a bad ignition switch, or a bad ground. The instrument cluster, and fuel pump relay both ground at the rear of the engine. I would check any bolt or nut at the rear of or on top of the engine that fastens a wire or cable to the engine. Any other wires under the hood that are grounded to the body, or frame should be checked, cleaned or tightened as necessary. The ignition switch has a pink wire that should have battery voltage when the switch is in the run position. If the switch is hard to get to, you could check for voltage at the ignition module fuse, or the instrument cluster fuse, which are probably located in the fuse box inside the car. If you have a test light you can test for power at the fuse with the key on and the car in its no start condition. If no power to fuse the switch is probably bad. These seem to me the two most likely causes for the problem described in your question, especially the ignition switch. Intermittent electrical failure can be difficult to diagnos, and I could be way wrong here, but this is where I would start.
Another issue to deal with! My 84 Camaro has difficulty starting.?
Actually, what you describe sound like a choke problem. The choke isn't engaging when the engine is cold, causing severe drivability problems until the engine warms up. Once the engine is warmed up, the choke isn't needed, and your problem goes away. Check to make sure that the choke closes when the throttle is opened before starting the engine when it's cold. If it's staying open, you've found your problem. Normal operation of a carbeurated engine calls for "setting" the choke before starting in cold weather by pressing the accellerator down once before turning the key. People forget all about doing that these days, because modern cars don't have chokes. Of course, you could always replace the automatic choke with a manual choke cable...did that on a '64 Galaxie I had. Cheap and effective, once you learn how much to close the choke, and remember to open the choke once it's warmed up...
How to drive a manual/stick shift?
I wanna buy a stick shift car but i can't drive stick.So can you explain the concept and the basics?I know reading is very different then actually doing or driving it.But i just wanna understand the idea b4 everything. Thank you very much.
Is it normal to stall a manual car when you are new to manual transmission car?
Yes, it is pretty normal to stall a manual in the beginning. Diesel engines are usually more forgiving but gas engine have really low torque at lower RPM. So what you usually do is releasing the clutch slowly till it start biting, then you release the brake and you accelerate. In this process, if you don't time well the moment when you accelerate, you stall your car.When you have lot of experience this process is kind of a no brainer, but first time on manual? 2 - 3 times in on hour after 4 hour is impressive.I have years of experience driving manual but now, living in the US, I usually get automatic cars. Guess what, when I'm back in Europe with manual drive I stall the car at least one time before I get my control back!
My car shakes when i start off and also, different shaking when i reach about 45mph and faster?
i have a 1999 subaru impreza outback. its manual transmission. whenever i start moving, the car shakes quite a bit. then after i started moving, it will stop. then when i reach about 45 it starts a different kind of shaking, mainly the steering wheel but the car shakes too. i think i need to get a new clutch and get a tire alignment, does that sound right? if not what do i need done to fix it? and about how much would it cost to fix it? please and thanks
Is it hard to learn how to drive a manual transmission car after driving automatic for 5+ years?
I drove a car with a manual transmission when I was only 12 years old (in a private parking lot).I got my driver’s license at 18 and I learned directly on a manual (back then you couldn’t even learn how to drive just on automatic transmissions). I was a little bit stressed out at first, mostly because of other cars around me.Believe it or not, I stalled a car only 4 times (and that due to lack of attention). In less than 6 months I was completely experienced I would say.My mom was afraid of driving, and in order to eliminate her fears she started to drive an automatic. After 2 years, she wasn’t afraid of other cars around her, so she thought that she could start driving a manual, and she did. She isn’t the best driver, but she’s experienced enough.My point:Learning how to drive a manual when you don’t know how to drive at all is more difficult than when you already know how to drive an automatic. Basically, you know how to steer, how to brake, when to brake, how fast you need to go, etc.It would be much easier.