I'm going to take my Sunfire to a local shop to ask them what it needs, but I'd like to get multiple opinions. It's a 2005 with almost 80,000 miles.
1.--When turning left especially, the engine will rev without actually moving the car forward, then it will pull all at once and rev again and repeat this process until I'm straightened out. Almost like it goes into neutral for a second.
2.--When it's cold, if I don't let it completely warm up (takes a good 5 minutes), then it will do the above MUCH worse. I'll be lucky to get it up to more than 5 mph, especially going left.
3.--When braking, it feels like I'm rolling on elliptical wheels; my head bobs back and forth like I'm pushing the brake harder one second, then lightening up the next, then pushing harder and so on.
4.-- Makes a weird, barely noticeable noise somewhere in the front I think (not sure if it's under the hood, with the wheels, or what). I honestly have no idea how to describe it, but it usually does it when I start accelerating from a stop.
5.-- When accelerating from a stop, the car shakes a bit and doesn't accelerate at first.
6.-- Sometimes, when braking hard or coming to a quick stop, the RPM meter will drop very low, then the engine will rev and pull me forward very slightly. Sometimes, the car dies altogether.
7.-- When reversing, if I turn my wheel sharply, the engine doesn't want to pull at all, similar to turning left but without the revving. Also just dies sometimes. And if I turn my wheel all the way to either side, it'll make a strange noise (only at the very last inch of moving the wheel)
Its idle isn't too terrible, but it is noticeably smoother in neutral and then park, and the engine seems to shake just a little when the car is on and I look under the hood, so it sounds to me like it might be the transmission that needs looked at, maybe the brakes, maybe the power steering too. But I'd like some more opinions before I go to a transmission shop or a dealership to drop $200 into it for a transmission flush.
1.--When turning left especially, the engine will rev without actually moving the car forward, then it will pull all at once and rev again and repeat this process until I'm straightened out. Almost like it goes into neutral for a second.
2.--When it's cold, if I don't let it completely warm up (takes a good 5 minutes), then it will do the above MUCH worse. I'll be lucky to get it up to more than 5 mph, especially going left.
3.--When braking, it feels like I'm rolling on elliptical wheels; my head bobs back and forth like I'm pushing the brake harder one second, then lightening up the next, then pushing harder and so on.
4.-- Makes a weird, barely noticeable noise somewhere in the front I think (not sure if it's under the hood, with the wheels, or what). I honestly have no idea how to describe it, but it usually does it when I start accelerating from a stop.
5.-- When accelerating from a stop, the car shakes a bit and doesn't accelerate at first.
6.-- Sometimes, when braking hard or coming to a quick stop, the RPM meter will drop very low, then the engine will rev and pull me forward very slightly. Sometimes, the car dies altogether.
7.-- When reversing, if I turn my wheel sharply, the engine doesn't want to pull at all, similar to turning left but without the revving. Also just dies sometimes. And if I turn my wheel all the way to either side, it'll make a strange noise (only at the very last inch of moving the wheel)
Its idle isn't too terrible, but it is noticeably smoother in neutral and then park, and the engine seems to shake just a little when the car is on and I look under the hood, so it sounds to me like it might be the transmission that needs looked at, maybe the brakes, maybe the power steering too. But I'd like some more opinions before I go to a transmission shop or a dealership to drop $200 into it for a transmission flush.
