!997 Sunfire Speedometer
lsxtreme43
02-15-2004, 04:57 PM
Hey Everyone, I 've got a question that maybe someone ca help me with. A friend of mine has a 1997 2-door Sunfire. I can't say know much about the car because I've never seen it. From what I heard the speedometer acts funny and tends to jump around at any speed. The example she gave me was at about 20mph the speedometer was reading approx. 60mph Is this problem something that is computer related or maye just the gauge itself? Any help would be great
sunfire2.2
02-20-2004, 12:09 AM
Hey Everyone, I 've got a question that maybe someone ca help me with. A friend of mine has a 1997 2-door Sunfire. I can't say know much about the car because I've never seen it. From what I heard the speedometer acts funny and tends to jump around at any speed. The example she gave me was at about 20mph the speedometer was reading approx. 60mph Is this problem something that is computer related or maye just the gauge itself? Any help would be great
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Hey, I own a 2.2 Sunfire and I have had the same problem (if the speedo just randomly jumps all over the place at times). Mine is a standard transmission and if the problem is the same as mine it is a quick temporary fix, but the history of the problem is complex.
The fix. If you have a standard transmission, there is a speed sensor bolted on top of the transmission. You will need to go under the car and reach up on top of the trans. with a 10 mm wrench and take out the bolt. Then pull out the speed sensor, and there will probably be metal filings on it. Clean them off with a rag and put the sensor back in. It would be good to change the transmission fluid. It should run fine for quite a while before you have to do it again. Or you could take it to a garage and get the guy to change the fluid in your trans and ask him if he could just take out the sensor and wipe it off with a rag. He could show you if there were metal filings.
The cause. The speed sensor (S.S) is magnetic, so that when the counterpart of the S.S makes a revolution, it sends current to the computer and then reads out on the speedo. Now when there are metal shavings in your transmission, eventually they will stir up and cling to the magnetic part of the S.S causing it to go haywire and likewise with the speedometer.
The history. Gm made a deficient part. If at anytime you have ever had one front tire spinning and the other not for an extended period (I.e. - you got stuck somewhere and you floored it to get out but one tire was planted firmly), it destroys parts in the transmission and you get metal shavings. If you notice a whirring sound when you let off the gas while driving chances are you have this problem. It's not your fault; it is GM's shotty part. The good news is I got about 100,000 KMS out of my transmission after I first noticed the sound (70,000 KMS), so if you do have that defect, it may be ok for a long time. But eventually the trans. quit, and I had the spider gear replaced in the transmission. It was about $1300 Canadian and i got a bit of a deal on the work. It was worth it to fix, I have just about 300,000 KMS on it now and the thing about these cars is that the 2.2 engines last forever. The engine has even has obtained the nick name "The Iron Horse", not because of its power, but because the only thing that ever goes wrong with the motor is the head gasket. Now, the 2.4 DOHC is a different story. Those overhead cams can be big expensive trouble. I know of a 2.2 Sunfire with over 400,000 KMS on it, so yours may have a ways to go yet. So know that you have a decent little car. I like mine, I wish it were a little quicker, but it does the trick. And custom exhaust, muffler, header, plugs and wires, and cold air intake can give you a good jump on the 115 horse powered engine.
So it may be that, or it may be something else, I hope it is an easy fix for you. Just thought this info might help.
Good Luck.
Report Post | IP: Logged
Hey, I own a 2.2 Sunfire and I have had the same problem (if the speedo just randomly jumps all over the place at times). Mine is a standard transmission and if the problem is the same as mine it is a quick temporary fix, but the history of the problem is complex.
The fix. If you have a standard transmission, there is a speed sensor bolted on top of the transmission. You will need to go under the car and reach up on top of the trans. with a 10 mm wrench and take out the bolt. Then pull out the speed sensor, and there will probably be metal filings on it. Clean them off with a rag and put the sensor back in. It would be good to change the transmission fluid. It should run fine for quite a while before you have to do it again. Or you could take it to a garage and get the guy to change the fluid in your trans and ask him if he could just take out the sensor and wipe it off with a rag. He could show you if there were metal filings.
The cause. The speed sensor (S.S) is magnetic, so that when the counterpart of the S.S makes a revolution, it sends current to the computer and then reads out on the speedo. Now when there are metal shavings in your transmission, eventually they will stir up and cling to the magnetic part of the S.S causing it to go haywire and likewise with the speedometer.
The history. Gm made a deficient part. If at anytime you have ever had one front tire spinning and the other not for an extended period (I.e. - you got stuck somewhere and you floored it to get out but one tire was planted firmly), it destroys parts in the transmission and you get metal shavings. If you notice a whirring sound when you let off the gas while driving chances are you have this problem. It's not your fault; it is GM's shotty part. The good news is I got about 100,000 KMS out of my transmission after I first noticed the sound (70,000 KMS), so if you do have that defect, it may be ok for a long time. But eventually the trans. quit, and I had the spider gear replaced in the transmission. It was about $1300 Canadian and i got a bit of a deal on the work. It was worth it to fix, I have just about 300,000 KMS on it now and the thing about these cars is that the 2.2 engines last forever. The engine has even has obtained the nick name "The Iron Horse", not because of its power, but because the only thing that ever goes wrong with the motor is the head gasket. Now, the 2.4 DOHC is a different story. Those overhead cams can be big expensive trouble. I know of a 2.2 Sunfire with over 400,000 KMS on it, so yours may have a ways to go yet. So know that you have a decent little car. I like mine, I wish it were a little quicker, but it does the trick. And custom exhaust, muffler, header, plugs and wires, and cold air intake can give you a good jump on the 115 horse powered engine.
So it may be that, or it may be something else, I hope it is an easy fix for you. Just thought this info might help.
Good Luck.
lsxtreme43
02-23-2004, 01:27 PM
Hey thanks for the insight. I'm pretty sure that the sunfire I will be looking at has an automatic in it hopefully it also has the sensor. And as far a the 2.2 i know what ur saying there cause i had a cavalier with a 2.0...same platform and that thing ran foever..i still have the motor. Thanks again!
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