93 Achieva problems

Ok this is the issue. I have a 1993 Achieva S that continuously needs to be jumped because of a dead battery. However this only happens when the fuse "radio/alarm" is in. When i remove the fuse I dont have this problem. However when it is in, and I drive the vehicle for long amounts of time (1hr+)...it won't start back up without being jumped. Im thinking that the radio is drawing large amounts of power from the battery and it isn't recharging while I am driving. Does anyone know what could cause this?

Also...i was wondering if the 1993 Achieva had an option for a cd player. I was looking for a OEM cd player but i cant find one for any Achieva but 1994 and up. What is the difference between mine and the 1994 that is preventing me from using that radio?....If there wasnt an option, is there any other gm cd player that i can use in my car?

hi,

assuming its the stock radio, it shouldn't be drawing large amounts of power. more likely than not, it isnt, its probably a bad altenator. pay attention to the volts gauge on the instrument panel as you drive.

the 92/93 achievas _did_ have an option for a cd player, but it was rare.

also, out of curosity

how many miles does it have on it
and is it the quad-4 engine?

Yes it is the stock radio....there are 130,000 miles. No its not the Quad 4 unfortunately, just the base engine. I'll be sure to check out the volt meter.

Oh yea and I did look in the user's manual and there was the cd player :).
Thanks for the reply.

ok my achieva was sitting for about 2 years. Now when I drive it (we didnt have this problem before), the check oil lights comes on and off, the gas gauge sometimes reads empty even when I know that it isnt and the car is constantly showing that it is overheating, even when there is a full tank of coolant. I just got an oil change and the oil light is still coming on. I'm thinking maybe its the instrument panel, but the other day while driving on the highway, I smelled something burning exactly when the temp gauge showed it was in the danger zone. There was coolant in the tank but it wasnt full. I then filled it and still after driving the car on the highway at high speeds, it still shows that it is getting very hot and no coolant seems to have been used. I know there can be infinite things wrong here, but I just need some type of feedback because im getting frustrated.

i had a 1992 olds achieva, with the quad-4 engine in it. head gasket went at 82,000 miles a few months ago. the check oil light was on and off whenever it felt like it, and often times it would be on, but extremely dim, sometimes fully bright, and sometimes normal.

as far as overheating goes, there are _alot_ of problems to look at, i'd start by testing the thermostat. i've never actually taken one apart on this car, but generally you can remove the thermostat, and put it in hot boiling water and check if it opens and closes correctly.

or, you could just replace the thermostat..

there are lots of other things to look at, but i'd start with that.

let me know how it goes

If there are no leaks in the cooling system, but your still using up coolant and running hot Id guess you have a bad headgasket. The coolant is being used because it is being pumped and burned in the engine, and the engine cannot remain at proper temp because there is no pressure able to build up in the cooling system due to the leaking headgasket, even with the proper coolant mixture and a full radiator you'll still overheat if there is a leak somewhere, pressure built up in a cooling system gives that system more ability to control heat, roughly 25* more. My Moms 96 Grand am 2.4L developed a tiny leak near the waterpump and the car would start to overheat if driven far enough, even though there was plenty of water in the system. Even the coolant mix can start to boil if not under pressure.

If you can get your hands on the tools or something you could try doing a coolant system pressure check, check the cap, and the system to see if it holds pressure.

Thermostat is a good place to start if you dont know when it was changed last, could be an easy and cheap fix.

yeah...my check oil light does come on exactly like that. Sometimes fully lit, sometimes dull. So i'll start with checking the thermostat, then the headgasket. Thanks a lot

nothing wrong with the quad 4 as long as its the later one

the early ones were problematic

good engine :D

good luck

nothing wrong with the quad 4 as long as its the later one

the early ones were problematic

good engine :D

good luck

Randy78,

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