2001 CHEVROLET PRIZM Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

I OWN A 2001 CHEVY PRISM LSI. IT HAS ALWAYS EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF ANNOYING ISSUES THAT I'VE HAD MECHANICS INSPECT/DIAGNOSE THAT NEVER SEEMS TO GET CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED. IT USES ABOUT A QUART OF OIL A MONTH (BUT NEVER SMOKES OUT OF THE EXHAUST PIPE), HAS ALWAYS HAD A HESITATION PROBLEM, AND HAS A WEIRD PROBLEM WITH NOISY 'EXHAUST' SOUNDS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY ARE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND ARE WORSE (VERY LOUD) IN WET CONDITIONS. UPON COLD START, THE ENGINE HESITATES PRETTY BADLY WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE HESITATION GETS MUCH BETTER ONCE THE ENGINE HAS WARMED UP, BUT STILL HAS MINOR HESITATION UPON INITIALLY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. MECHANICS HAVE SAID THEY THINK THE FUEL PUMP MAY BE STARTING TO GO OUT (I WAS TOLD THAT 5 YEARS AGO AND IT HAS NEVER GONE OUT) AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A 'LEAN MIXTURE...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET PRIZM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WOULD NOT STOP ILLUMINATING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WOULD APPROACH A STOP, IT WOULD STALL. THE DEALER AND SEVERAL LOCAL REPAIR SHOPS PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC, BUT WERE UNABLE TO FIND A DEFECT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. RECENTLY, THE CONTACT DROVE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS AND OXYGEN SENSOR WERE DEFECTIVE; HOWEVER, ONLY THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE REPAIRS, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

2001 CHEVROLET PRIZM WITH TOYOTA ENGINE BEGAN BURNING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AT 70,000 MILES. NOW BURNING 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 300-400 MILES. TOYOTA HAS ADMITTED A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE, BUT GM REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING. *TR

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION (ONE QUART LOW EVERY 300-400 MILES), WORSENING, APPEARS TO BE KNOWN DEFECT FOR TOYOTA SUPPLIED ENGINES IN 2001 CHEVROLET PRIZM AND POSSIBLY OTHER YEARS OF THIS MOTOR TYPE (POSSIBLE FACTORY RING, VALVE EARLY FAILURE ISSUES), NO LEAKS OR HEAVY SMOKE APPARENT, AIR FILTER NORMAL WITH NO APPARENT BLOW-BY FROM RINGS AT THAT POINT. REGULAR OIL AND FILTER CHANGES, CAR DRIVEN DAILY FOR LOCAL USE, NO OTHER KNOWN DEFECTS OR RECURRING PROBLEMS, CAR OPERATES NORMALLY OTHER THAN HIGH OIL AMOUNTS USED. *TR

I OWN A 2001 AND A 2002 CHEVY PRIZM. BOTH CARS ARE USING EXCESSIVE OIL (SEVERAL QUARTS EVERY 100 MILES EACH). DEALER STATES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO CARBON BUILDUP IN THE CYLINDERS. EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION STARTED AROUND 50,000 MILES. THE CHEVY PRIZM IS REALLY A TOYOTA COROLLA. TOYOTA HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND HAS WARRANTED THE REPAIR. GENERAL MOTORS IS NOT ASSISTING ITS CUSTOMERS WITH THE REPAIR. I GUESS THAT IS WHY TOYOTA IS NUMBER ONE CAR MAKER AND GM IS NUMBER 2. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT AGAIN. *JB