Hi all

[Green with Envoy]

Hi all, just joined and thought id say hello, ive recently bought an '93 Envoy 1.8i auto for a winter runabout. Its in quite good condition and drives really well, just got a few issues to sort which seem to be common according to google. The heater is very poor and could be leaking also having a bit of trouble with the gearbox going into limp mode occasionally, other than that just needs a set of discs and pads really. Its nice to find that parts are quite cheap and mostly diy-able as well. Must admit the economy is great as well seem to be getting 30mpg round town. This is my second time round with a Cavalier, had an 1.7td in the past for a short while

[Cavalier342]

Hello and welcome, good choice for a run-about, had my auto for 6 years but unfortunately am breaking it due to lack of funds and other stuff.

Easy to work on, cold heaters usually mean an airlock either in the radiator system or the heater matrix itself. Which can be replaced fairly easily. Auto transmission going into limp mode would almost certainly be the gearbox selector switch, located under the battery tray, it's the pizza slice-shape bit of metal with a thick wiring loom connected to it.

Usually taking it apart and re-greasing it sorts the issue out, if not then maybe a replacement is in order. Once done though it shouldn't come up again for donkey's years.

[DiplomaXE]

Welcome and that's a great board name. made me chuckle.

Love my auto and good mpgs too, just don't use it as much as I should.

As Andrei says, yours could be the selector switch on the top of the gearbox, contact pins need cleaning/re-greasing.
When mines not been used for a while it sometimes goes into fault mode and it did it a lot when I first had it, as it had been unused for ages.. When it's cold, before you start it up, press the brake and row the gear lever up and down all the way, several times. Then start it up, select drive and see if then does it. It works on my one. It must clean up the contacts a bit.

Cold heater when I bought my first Cav was the cable come off of the flap, down by your clutch foot. As well as burping the coolant system, be sure to check the flap is opening when you slide the heater controls to hot. Is the engine getting properly hot too?
Is there a water leak into the cabin too? wet carpet etc?

[chris.h]

hello and welcome

[iangsi]

Hello & Welcome.

[Envoy CDX]

Welcome to the site.

[ilovedmymantas]

Welcome.
Also like the username
Re heating. Matrix may be blocked- it is a very small radiator. I've had this on a couple of cars. Search the forum for reverse flush, usually solves the problem.

matt

[btcctroy]

Welcome.
Also like the username
Re heating. Matrix may be blocked- it is a very small radiator. I've had this on a couple of cars. Search the forum for reverse flush, usually solves the problem.

matt

As with what Matt says
No such thing as airlocks in Cavs, it's a blocked matrix, Remove it and backward flush it. After fill with drain cleaner and leave for an hour. Thoroughly clean out before refitting. Run engine till hot and check for leaks, then stop engine and let the system depressurise it's self again checking for leaks

[Lowrider Dave]

Welcome! Nice username

[Green with Envoy]

Thanks for the welcome all Im going to do an oil change on the box as the old fluid is a bit worn out and oddly enough it only seems to go into limp mode after a period of idling or after being stuck in traffic, i will look at the selector box as well. One of the pipes to the heater is hot while the other cold so it looks as tho the heater is blocked, ill try a reverse flush and fit a new one if that fails. Im not sure the car is getting fully upto temp either as the temp gauge reads quite low so ill fit a new thermostat and see how that goes as well, at least it all seems to be quite cheap and easy fixes so thats good news!

[DiplomaXE]

Thanks for the welcome all Im going to do an oil change on the box as the old fluid is a bit worn out and oddly enough it only seems to go into limp mode after a period of idling or after being stuck in traffic, i will look at the selector box as well. One of the pipes to the heater is hot while the other cold so it looks as tho the heater is blocked, ill try a reverse flush and fit a new one if that fails. Im not sure the car is getting fully upto temp either as the temp gauge reads quite low so ill fit a new thermostat and see how that goes as well, at least it all seems to be quite cheap and easy fixes so thats good news!

Does seem your matrix is blocked.

My auto was naff until I changed the 60000 mile old fluid.

Haynes manual says how to check the level properly and mine is in the garage so can't refer to it now.
IIRC you either do it cold or hot and with it running, slip it through all the gears a few times pausing in drive and reverse etc, swiftly jump out to under the bonnet with it back in park and then dip the stick checking the hot or cold marks. IIRC. best check the manual.
Mine was overfilled when I got it, used to go into limp mode a lot to start with, I changed it and got the level spot on and it's been superb ever since. It didn't used to change smoothly, was very clonky and it couldn't make it's mind up what to do at about 45-50mph.

I fitted a rev counter to mine (1.6 L poverty spec) as I was having trouble feeling what it was doing as it's now so smooth and the car is so quiet anyway. When I watch the rev counter and listen for it, I can fairly easily tell it going from 1/2/3 then it locks in what is like 3.5, then as you gently continue to accelerate it pops into 4th, then if you back off a tad at about spot on 50mph, or just keep gently accelerating past that, it pops into locked 4th, like 4.5, so it really acts and feels like 6 gears. As far as I understand it the locked 2 gears bypass the torque converter so there are no losses (I can feel a small clonk when it does it). That's what the book says anyway. It's uber smooth now, like they should be.
The sport mode, which i find a tad unnecessary TBH, as well as more revs on upchanges, doesn't let it change into 4th, so your basically in 3rd .5 locked with sport mode.
As yours is injection I don't know what yours revs to limiter wise, but carbed ones like mine with the EZ plus management stops the revs at 6K, maybe that's why carbed ones don't seems to die engine wise unless severly mistreated. Mines very under stressed in normal use. Go to and from work without going over 2000 revs.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm a bit sad, I think they are superb, as you might be able to tell!