Two problems related to water pump have been reported for the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Vehicle had functioned properly for approximately 35 miles after being picked up from the dealership for an unrelated problem. The coolant light came on, went off, then came on again and stayed on 2 miles before I reached my home. I pulled into the driveway, turned the engine off and heard a noise under the hood. I could not see any problem when I popped the hood, but fluid had begun to puddle under my vehicle that was green in color. The puddle increased in size quickly. It seemed to be the water pump. After finding that the dealership and extended warranty would not help with the cost of a water pump, the car was towed to a auto repair shop that fixes water pumps. The auto repair shop called and said the true problem is a cylinder head gasket. The car was towed to another auto repair shop that cannot get to it until next week. In the meantime, this problem has occurred in other Cavaliers and should be covered by a recall by the dealership. The dealership is closed at this time, but I have left a message for the service department to call me.
Head gasket failed several times causing vehicle to overheat, one incident destroyed water pump.