Cavalier Z24?

[NeonLX]

Walking to work this a.m., I came across a late-model Cavalier sedan with nice-looking, apparently factory wheels and a badge on the front fender. Bending closer, I saw the badge declared "Z24". Did they make a sedan version of the Z24?

Sure, I could google this, but I'd rather consult with y'all first.

[ocnblu]

Yessir.

[G. David Felt]

Those were fun and cool little cars. Go ahead and tease me, but they were.

[avant1963]

Yes - owned one

[NeonLX]

Cool! Wouldn't mind having one of those myself.

I enjoy "off the beaten path" models like a 4-door Z24.

[Robert Hall]

Neat..didn't realize they had the Z24 version that recently.... I remember the square late '80s Z24s...

[hyperv6]

We had one of these at work that was a GM pilot car they gave us. John Lingenfelter put a Tubo on it. Nice little car we used at company displays.

I would not waste my time on the Z24 sedan. I would move to the Cobalt SS Turbo Sedan. Not only are they fast and have great handling but they are also very rare. I think less than 500 were made each of the two years on the market. With the GM Turbo upgrade they were around 285 HP.

[NeonLX]

Here's the one that's on my way to work:

Yeah, a Cobalt SS would be great as well. So would a Dodge SRT-4!

[z28luvr01]

They were a one year option I believe, until GM replaced the Z24 trim with LS Sport. A 02 Z24 could be an interesting find. They used the same 2.2L Ecotec (less a few enhancements) as the one in the Cobalt.

[ocnblu]

Were all Z24s powered by the 2.2L? I thought a lot of them used the 2.4.

[z28luvr01]

Up until '02 Z24s had the twin cam 2.4. For '02 they got the Ecotec.

[hyperv6]

Go back farther and they had 2.8 and 3.1 V6 engines.

[Eric77TA]

Mine wasn't a sedan, but I had a 2001 Z24 with the Twin Cam and a 5 speed and it was a really fun car to drive. The Z24 sedans seem to be pretty rare. Mine had the 5 spoke wheels like the ones in NeonLX's pic. The one in ocnblu's pic has the later wheels that the LS Sport had, also.

Now I have a Cobalt SS Turbocharged sedan, which I guess would be the successor to these Z24 sedans.

[loki]

Go back farther and they had 2.8 and 3.1 V6 engines.

i'm betting the 3.1 made them quite fun, but also nose heavy. but not like we don't expect that anyway. lol

[hyperv6]

Go back farther and they had 2.8 and 3.1 V6 engines.

i'm betting the 3.1 made them quite fun, but also nose heavy. but not like we don't expect that anyway. lol

The weight was not that bad. They were not a bad car for then but looking back now the lack of power really stands out. We used to think the cars in the 80's were really something but 2.8 and 3.1 V6 did not even have 150 HP. You have to remember too that the Camaro V8 did not even have 200 HP.

[the_yellow_dart]

I'm a little confused about one thing... everywhere I see information about the J-bodies, it says that the engines were updated in '02. However, I'm 99% sure that my '01 Sunfire had the 2.2 Ecotec.

Can someone confirm or deny that possibility?

[G. David Felt]

I'm a little confused about one thing... everywhere I see information about the J-bodies, it says that the engines were updated in '02. However, I'm 99% sure that my '01 Sunfire had the 2.2 Ecotec.

Can someone confirm or deny that possibility?

What I find is you are correct.

Year: 2001 Make: Pontiac Model: Sunfire Sub Models: Base Engine Sizes: 2.2L L4 GAS, 2.4L L4 GAS Item: Engine Assembly

OEM Genuine Quality

[the_yellow_dart]

dfelt - I don't think that really tells us anything, as the 2.2 Ecotec replaced the earlier "2200 OHV" engine - both were the same size.

From wiki:

• 1998–2002 – 2.2 L (134 cu in) 2200 (RPO: LN2) I4, 115 hp (86 kW) and 135 lb·ft (183 N·m)
  
• 2002–2005 – 2.2 L (134 cu in) Ecotec (RPO: L61) I4, 140 hp (104 kW) and 150 lb·ft (203 N·m)
  

However, I'm 99% sure that my '01 had the 140 hp engine, not the 115 hp engine.

[Drew Dowdell]

Unless there were different Canadian specs, in 2001, the engine choices were 2.2 with 115hp or 2.4 with 150hp.

[daves87rs]

GM switched to the Ecotec (calling these LS Sports) 2.2 midway through the 2002 model year. The Z24 sedan was only produced for about half of the 2002 year.....helped to finish what was left of the 2.4s. No ecotecs in the Sunfire in 2001...just the old 2.2 and 2.4 (for the GT).

From 2003 on, J's all had the 2.2 Ecotec......

[Guest dan]

if fuel economy is what you want the 2.2 ecotec is better than the 2,4 and more reliable i own a 2001 z24 cav in canada sure its a fun little car with 150hp but rides hard to stiff suspention but hey im 51yrs old and bought mine of an older guy also

[daves87rs]

if fuel economy is what you want the 2.2 ecotec is better than the 2,4 and more reliable i own a 2001 z24 cav in canada sure its a fun little car with 150hp but rides hard to stiff suspention but hey im 51yrs old and bought mine of an older guy also

Nah, they are pretty much the same....