The Truth About Cars » sunfire

Piston Slap: Fix my Sunfire, Sanjeev!

Sajeev Mehta — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:38:40 +0000

TTAC Commentator Tankinbeans writes:

Hello Sanjeev -

I have a goofy problem that I’ve run into my mom’s car. She currently drives a 2005 Sunfire, 2.2 auto, and it has developed an irritating tick. When running, the car sounds like a ticking time-bomb; it’s similar to the sound that might occur when you put a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle tyre.

From what I gather it’s related to the ventilation system because if you turn the airflow selector to foot only, all the way to the left, the noise stops. However, when the selector is on defrost the noise is there. This happens if the fan is off and if the fan is on. With the car running I can hear it outside the car clearly, but it’s more clear near the passenger side windshield wiper. If I place my hand at the base of the windshield I can feel the vibration from whatever is causing it.

We didn’t really notice this until she had an aftermarket radio installed. I don’t think this has anything to do with it, but figured more information is better.

Thanks,
Tankinbeans

Sanjeev Answers:

Who is this Sanjeev guy and WTF is up with him getting into my business? Seriously, since I was a little kid, this has been my second name. I blame my parents for NOT giving me this fantastic name to start. But I digress…

I can’t find a correlation between your stereo and the ticking noise, unless the stereo installer had a REAL hard time getting the aftermarket bits in without mucking up with the HVAC control unit and the big box o’ crap (blower motor, evaporator, heater core, blend door, etc) behind the dash. And anything is possible, for sure. Just for giggles, disconnect the stereo’s new wiring harness from the Sunfire’s factory wiring and see what happens. If the noise goes away, you got a big problem with the installer.

If the stereo isn’t at fault, there has to be something wrong with the blend door system in the HVAC box behind the dash. But that makes no sense, since the noise is independent of the fan’s (i.e. blower motor) operation. Dammit: SANJEEV FAIL.

Perhaps there’s a relay for the blower motor that’s connected to the stereo’s wiring…nah, SANJEEV FAIL.

Have you considered the possibility of badge engineering being at the heart of the problem? Put the stereo in a 2005 Cavalier and see what happens…nope, SANJEEV FAIL.

Sanjeev gives up. Off to you Best and Brightest.

Junkyard Find: 2004 Pontiac Sunfire

Murilee Martin — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:00:53 +0000

Pontiac rolled with the Plastic Cladding Era about as far as it could, even as most other car manufacturers entered the 21st century in a de-cladifying mood. The Sunfire had cheerful molded plastic panels all over the place, but that isn’t enough to give this car the historical significance it needs to make it as a Junkyard Find. No, what made me pick up the camera when I saw this car is that the ’04 Sunfire is just about the last of the J Bodies, which makes it a close cousin to the Cadillac Cimarron d’Oro.
The GM J platform got the axe after the 2005 model year, which means that it lasted longer— a lot longer— than even the all-purpose Chrysler K platform.
Of course, if the Cimarron had been equipped with an engine like the Ecotec instead of the wretched Iron Duke or anti-luxurious 2.8 V6, Things Would Have Been Different for the Cadillac-ized Cavalier.
Will we even notice when the last-gen Sunfires and Cavaliers are gone?

Sunfire owners, they kick old dudes out of the restroom when nature calls!

Curbside Classic Outtake: Perpetuating Stereotypes In Stereo Edition

Paul Niedermeyer — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:53:22 +0000

If the stereotypical driver of a red Grand Am is a blond beautician who lives in a trailer with an unemployed boyfriend sporting a mullet, what is the stereotypical profession of the drivers of Sunfire and Cavalier coupes? Hint: what’s that behind the fence?

It’s a daycare! And the daycare workers park on the side. And since we’re on the subject of Cavalier coupes, here’s a bonus from the apartment across the street from here:

Don’t ask why I shot these cars today; perhaps today’s lovely Camaro inspired me. And don’t think I’m shortchanging the Cavalier; it deserves its own Deadly Sin CC one of these days.