96 Cavalier, new owner...old problems

[lapnat]

So my son bought his first car, a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier for 450$.

Runs well except for the following:

Check engine light on, it does need a good tune up, anything else we should look for?

Head lights won't come on but blue light in dash stays on.

And finally, car will shake at 80km/h but no shaking in the steering wheel. Shaking will stop if you reduce speed or push it up over 100km/h.

Any ideas?

[inafogg]

hello you need to scan for codes for cel & post codes
vibration could be many things.tire balance comes to mind first as its speed related.
as for headlights you'll need to do some electrical test.ck. for power at headlights it would be rare if both went out the same time ck fuses etc.
BTW HOW FAST IS 80 & 100 KM IN MPH

[16th hippy]

80kph = ~50mph, 100kph = ~62mph

a quick test is to turn headlamp switch on and jiggle the turn signal/headlamp switch lever and see if the lights flicker or flash...another thing is to check the relay....think it's in the relay center under hood.

[lapnat]

Hello and thank you for your reply, 80 is about 50 mph and 100 is about 60 mph.
We figured the shaking thing is probably a balance thing since the tires are pretty used.

Will get husband to check for codes over the weekend and lights.

Thank you.

[lapnat]

Here's an update:

After a good tune up ( oil, filtre, wires, plugs and air filtre) the check engine dissapeared. Great!

For the shaking problem, balancing was indeed required. fantastic!

Not so wonderful: Headlights, he does have low beam but no high beam, Hubby, after checking for voltage, says there has got to be something wrong with the high/low beam arm and daytime lights, a short there somewhere between the two maybe?

If any of you have an idea, let me know.

Thanks

[muff34]

Here check this out before hubby buys any new parts . Wiring up front is terrible on these cars . Hope this helps ,Good Luck http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...adlight+defect If this doesn`t work tell him to check under battery box for wiring issues as well.

[muff34]

here`s another one if he thinks it maybe switch ,different year but same idea as if falls into `95 to `04 era of car model

[vs5585]

Just had light switch replaced on 99 cavalier z24, very common problem on these cars as the stupid thing has no relays, all is controlled by the switch, try playing with the switch first, the switch is about 100$

[dialogue62]

These aren't related to the problems that you are describing, but are safety concerns that you won't want inflicted on your son. That madel had a few recalls. They may or may not have been performed. One involves the ignition system suddenly bursting into flames and the other involves an undercarraige issue that could fail and cause loss of control/crash.

Since you are using km/h, I'm guessing you aren't in the US - but this site is very useful for finding recalls: http://www-odi.nhtsa.gov

Cheers