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Saturn Vue Maintenance and Repair

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  • surferwoodsurferwood Member Posts: 3
    I am wiring my motorhome lights to the Saturn lights for towing. I would like to wire in under the hood instead of pulling up carpet, etc. to run all the way to the back of the car. Can you tell me the colors and location under the hood of the wiring for the brakes, running lights and turn signals?

    Thanks!
  • prrgg1prrgg1 Member Posts: 3
    I have an 06 Vue. The wireing from the front of the Vue where the recepticle plugs in from the motorhome is totally isolated from the Vue system. The wireing runs underneath the Vue to the rear up into the taillight housing and seperate bulbs were mounted inside the housings. So the motorhome is directly connected to the new Vue taillight bulbs. Again nothing is connected to the Vue internal wireing, its much simpler than messing with diodes etc.
  • mbullheadmbullhead Member Posts: 3
    Tidester. I have completely redone my 2003 Saturn Vue. Mechanic by trade I rebuilt the engine and transmission, interior, wiring and even body. If anyone needs help just let me know.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    I am impressed - and curious! Did you buy your VUE new or used and how much time and money did you put into the makeover?

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • mven74mven74 Member Posts: 2
    i want to replace my 04 vue's windshield washer but i cant get the wiper arms out. any idea how to do this? thanks!
  • smeatersmeater Member Posts: 1
    my check engine light has gone on and off since I bought it on 6/8/2007- I guess my vue is a 2002... anyway so when it was time to smog it under stricter calif law-- even though it passed smog the check engine light fails the certificate... so we found a guy & got him to pass it- the next day... the speedometer-odometer- cruise control - power steering went out- it starts like its running in 3rd gear so I put it in low gear which makes it go, but switching it back into drive makes a thud... the horn went out in january. is it my transmission?
  • lyndajacobsenlyndajacobsen Member Posts: 1
    Just a few issues:

    In July 2009, I purchased a 2003 Saturn Vue from a dealership in Roseville, CA. There was no lighter in the car so the salesman gave us a "random" lighter and when we tried to use it apparently a fuse blew. The fuses we bought at Kragen did not work and according to my husband there is something "strange" about the wiring for the electrical system relating to the lighter. Do you know where I can purchase a lighter if the cause of this problem is that the salesman gave us the wrong type of lighter? What type of fuses do we need to purchase?

    Second Issue: There have been three occasions when I start my car and go down the street but the car isn't really driving....I coast to a neighbor's driveway and have to turn the engine off...and wait a few minutes. When I turn the engine back on, the car seems to "kick into gear" and I can then drive it. Weird! I assume this is probably a transmission issue. The vehicle has 59,000 miles, automatic, and has the transmission that I have subsequently learned has a lot of problems.

    I contacted a warranty company and was told that if I chose to buy a warranty that the company would require me to put some fluid that it was going to mail to me into the transmission since there have been so many transmission problems with this vehicle. I have not yet purchased the warranty but am curious what type of fluid the company was going to send me. I went to Kragen and almost purchased some transmission fluid for slipping transmissions but after reading the instructions on the fluid container, the fluid was not designed for this type of transmission. Do you know of any type of prevention measures that I can take so that my transmission may last longer? Also, where is the dip-stick for the transmission fluid?

    Also, the dealership where I bought the vehicle did not have an owner's manual and I did not want to pay the $50+ cost for a manual but I desperately need one. I understand that the 2003 Saturn Vue has many, if not all, of the same features as the 2004 Saturn Vue. If that is correct, I can download the 2004 Saturn Vue manual from the Saturn website. Thougths?

    I apologize if these questions seem as though I am ignorant about my vehicle...but basically I suppose that is a correct assumption...smile!

    Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.
  • 442dude442dude Member Posts: 373
    Hi,

    You don't mention which engine/transmission you have but I'm going to take a wild guess:

    You have a 4 cylinder engine with the VTi transmission. The fluid they want you to add is called the VTi additive and GM said to put it in at the 50,000 mile mark. Its supposed to prolong the life of the transmission...it doesn't really work as this transmission was poorly designed and it fails at an alarming rate in the Vue. Don't put anything in the transmission except for the fluid that it calls for or the VTi additive as the VTi fluid is not compatible with any other fluids. Also, as I understand it, they don't typically rebuild them so if it needs repair they replace them to the tune of about $ 5000.00. And its unlikely that anyone but the dealer will even want to touch it. And at this late date, replacement transmissions are likely getting hard to find since they discontinued them about 5 years ago.

    The owners manual is the least of your worries with a 2003 Vue with a VTi transmission but if you can find the 2004 edition, its likely almost exactly the same. GM had an extended warranty on the VTi transmission because there were so many failures, I believe it was 5 years/75,000 miles. Sounds like you're past on that but you may want to try to pursue it with a Saturn dealer. Maybe they will give you a break since its low miles but I wouldn't count on it.

    Best of luck with your car but I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news for you. Its almost amazing that your transmission lasted as long as it did already- many failed much sooner. There are no preventative measures that you can take to make this transmission last any longer - it is on borrowed time. I'm sorry, I wish I had better news for you...If I'm wrong and you have a 6 cylinder engine, then disregard everything I said as its a different transmission.

    All the best....
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    If you have the VTI transmission in your than there is a no dipstick as this is a sealed transmission. You will need to take it to a dealer to have them perform a transmission service on it, that might help for awhile. Otherwise, you would be looking at spending anywhere between $5000.00 to $6500.00 to replace the transmission. Forget about rebuilding or getting used transmission, they are not available. I would suggest that if you have the financial means, trade the car in.
  • wikedsignwikedsign Member Posts: 1
    I'm having issues with the fuel gage and the thermostat gage on the dash not working. Everything else seems to be working but these two things....I'm thinking it's a fuse that needs to be replaced, but can't seem to figure out WHICH fuse it is that needs replaced! Can someone help me??
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    Check the owner's manual, and that's no help take to a dealer.
  • jostratijostrati Member Posts: 1
    We have an 02 v6 awd auto with 98k on it a few weeks ago one night it overheated (gauge barely got to 3/4 mark) and car just shut down and wouldn't restart for a few minutes after it cooled down, it has a new thermostat so after checking things out I put a new water pump in after flushing the system. Now after it runs for about 15-20 minutes the oil light comes on and you can hear the valves tapping. The temp gauge never moves past 1/4 mark, no low coolant light, just oil light and tapping and a faint smell of burning rubber when you open hood. Any one have any ideas, it's not under warranty and I cant afford a huge repair bill. I'm thinking oil pump but it seems weird that it would go a day after the water pump goes.
  • mlewis529mlewis529 Member Posts: 1
    I have a '03 Saturn Vue 5-speed 4 cyl. I am having a few electrical problems that may be ran together. My reverse lights do not work, I have checked bulbs and fuses, but all are fine, my speakers just went out, (I do not listen to loud music at all), clutch is making weird sounds when ran cold, my blinkers stop working when they feel like it, and I have to reset by using my flashers, and my steering wheel moans when ran cold. When my speakers went out you could actually smell something burning, not electrical smoke, but the smell reminded me of a spend air bag. It could be that my wife does not know how to treat the vehicle and has ran it into the ground, but she does not drive that much. Any suggestions? Like I said I have looked at fuses and most of the wiring, but am out of other options.
  • pvkarlpvkarl Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Saturn Vue 6 cyc with 60000 miles. For the past 18 months the car has had the following problem: at any time during normal driving, all the dash warning/information lights come one accompanied by the warning ding. Ding goes off after 30 seconds but all warning lights stay on. Most of the time the lights go off by them selves after 10-15 minutes of driving which means the dealer can't duplicate the problem. Accompanying this problem, occasionally only the ABS and Traction control light come on and occasionally you'll get an ABS brake pulse during normal braking. Brakes continue to function however when slowing from very low speed to a stop you sometimes get an ABS pulse or a sudden movement of the brake pedal about an inch....all the time the brakes are functioning. During recent service, tech found "no commuication to the BCM' and replaced the body control module. Problem did not recur for 10 days when first the ABS light and Traction light came on and then went off a few minutes later and a few days later the entire dash lite up again similar to before and with the same types of braking anomolies previously experienced. Since the dealer has never been able to duplicate this in spite of the BCM replacement and the problem remains. Any suggestions. Thanks
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    Have the dealer check the 40way connector down by kick panel on the driver side of the dash to see if it has corroded.
  • orphanownerorphanowner Member Posts: 1
    any one know where the left center body ground block is located on 2002 4cyl?? dealer is no help.
  • kanejkanej Member Posts: 1
    I recently purchased an '05 Redline with 60,000. The only issue I have is some weird shifting it tends to do. When I'm going under 50 mph and it shifts down into overdrive, it will stay in overdrive for 2-3 seconds before kicking back up into 4th like if I were going up an incline. After it shifts up, it stays there for a second or two before shifting back down in overdrive and the cycle starts again. However if I'm going over 50 it will shift down into overdrive and stay there until I make it shift up. I have had previous work expereince as a mechanic, but am unfamilar with both Honda engines and transmissions, especially the CVT that this has. Any thoughts, ideas, or similar experiences? Thanks!
  • l4fwd07l4fwd07 Member Posts: 3
    I have been looking for a service manual for my 2007 Vue and finally Haynes has published one. New this year. It cover the years 2002 thru 2007. I found it while looking at the Haynes website but found it cheaper on half.com. Because it covers so many years, I think that the service info may be somewhat generic. It's better than nothing I guess. My owners manual gives no info about fuel filters. This manual does cover them but I'm still confused. I will post my fuel filter question in another message.
  • l4fwd07l4fwd07 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2007 FWD L4 with 63K.
    The owners manual has NO info about fuel filter service. The Haynes manual says replace every 60K. It also says Note: Only 02 and 03 models have external fuel filters. Later models have filters inside the fuel tank. They give no info on how to replace it. (See my other post about Haynes manual) Since the owners manual has no info, should I take that as Do Nothing or should I have it replaced? Thanks Mike :confuse:
  • 442dude442dude Member Posts: 373
    I would take that as a "Do Nothing" since you have to remove the fuel tank to replace it. Haynes manuals are pretty ambitious when it comes to when they think you should do scheduled maintenance. I'm thinking that if they didn't mention it in the owner's manual as a scheduled service, don't worry about it. I've always followed the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual to the "T" and never had a problem with any of my cars related to it.

    I suppose if you're one of those people with lots of free time on your hands, you could replace it just for fun but I personally wouldn't bother.
  • l4fwd07l4fwd07 Member Posts: 3
    I agree. I will stick with the owners manual. Besides, free time I don't have anyway between my day job and the "Honey Do List". Thx Mike
  • mlsvmlsv Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Vue with manual transmission and need to have at least one shifter cable replaced - maybe both. The local transmission shop would not do it - they said we need to have Saturn do it. Does anyone know how much it will cost to have Saturn fix this? Thx.
  • 442dude442dude Member Posts: 373
    You're not going to find a Saturn dealer to fix it - there are few if any that are still open.

    Its not a difficult job - any competent mechanic should be able to repair it. I can't guess on how much it will be but I'm thinking you're under $ 500.

    Good Luck
  • doownosyladoownosyla Member Posts: 1
    :lemon: I had similar problems with my Saturn Vue. I am the original owner and after about a year, my cruise control went out. Then in 2005 my horn and sunroof quit working. then in 2007, my day time running lamps quit working. All of this was brought to Saturns attention and i was told it was "nothing". Then last year my horn quit working and my blinkers would only sometimes work. I had to trick my blinker to get it to work by touching my hazards. I have had my engine light on numerous times for weird things. Then, tonight, my car caught FIRE in the steering column. I have a recently new transmission; in early 2008, so i do not believe yours is your transmission. I hope you find the solution without it catching on fire as well. Good luck! :lemon:
  • lickthebassistlickthebassist Member Posts: 1
    I have owned my 2004 AWD V6 Saturn Vue for a little over a month now. It had approx 69,000 miles on it.

    This issue has happened a few times in the past 2 weeks. The radio will kind of "freeze" on what ever it is doing. None of the buttons will operate, I cannot turn it off, change anything, lower or raise the volume, nothing.

    I was out shopping when it first happened and I thought maybe it was a fuse. The radio was on too loud and it was annoying me so, I attempted to take the fuse out. I couldn't get it out with my fingers so I just left it alone. When I got back in the Vue to leave though, I turned the volume and it went down. Everything was normal again.

    This has happened twice more. And each time it seems just moving the fuse around works. It is a good fuse, so what is the issue?

    The radio I have is the am/fm cd player w/ mp3.

    I researched buying a new vehicle for a year, and finally decided on the Vue, since the V6 was made by Honda. I'm hoping I'm not going to regret leaving my old reliable Honda for this Saturn! I'm keeping my hopes up since this issue is what I would call minor, or at least I hope it is minor and the only one to come.
  • jalvarez03vuejalvarez03vue Member Posts: 1
    I have a 03 saturn vue awd. I was recently going to replace my spark plugs and thermostat and a couple other things when I found out that I cannot get to these things. Does anyone know how I get to my spark plugs and thermostat?
  • bob_pbob_p Member Posts: 2
    My 'Service Engine' light is coming on when I press the button (turn on) the rear window electric defroster - anybody have this one before?
  • bob_pbob_p Member Posts: 2
    Correction, 'Service' light comes on, not 'Service Engine' (that would be weird)when the Rear Defroster button is pressed. I've checked the underhood fuse and swapped the underhood Rear Defroster relay to no avail. I recently replaced the battery, that's the only thing close to an electrical issue I've had. The connections at the Rear Defroster look good and no damage to the rear window - very strange.
    I still need to verify if the Rear Defroster is even working - I doubt it.
    'Service' light does go out after restarting, comes back on when Defrost button pressed again.
  • pkk1pkk1 Member Posts: 2
    I HAVE A 2002 VUE WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION, FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS MY CAR HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM; AT NORMAL DRIVING THE SERVICE LIGHT SOMETIMES COMES UP AND WHEN THIS HAPPENS ALL GAUGES; FUEL,SPEEDOMETER,TEMPERATURE ETC. STOP OPERATING AND DROP DOWN.ACCOMPANYING THIS PROBLEM IS THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO MANOEUVRE.IT IS BECOMING DIFFICULT TO USE THIS BEAUTIFUL CAR AND ACTUALLY BECOMING DEJECTED. ANY HELP OUT THERE?
  • autoamorautoamor Member Posts: 1
    Yes I own a Saturn Vue 4 cyl 2009 and have a problem and dealers had reap me off and no solved problems
  • ba32347ba32347 Member Posts: 8
    I have had my 2003 vue 1 yr. Problems since day one

    NOW it sounds like a train, ignition locks up, wont start most of the time. You can sit and turn it over 2 to 20 times before it will start. Have to give it gas too, which I thought you were not to give gas to the newer vehicles. I believe the front end of the car is falling apart. rides like it is wobbling and so loud. :sick: Now the lights are starting to dim when driving, like the battery is bad or the alternator(if it has an alternator.Help me so I can have some sort of thing to tell the repair place when I take it in.
  • ba32347ba32347 Member Posts: 8
    My is 185 ba32347
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    You should have the alternator checked out.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • jeff618jeff618 Member Posts: 29
    I've been a trico neoform guy for a while now, but this time I tried 'trico tech beam blades' for the saturn vue. They just came out in late 2009 and what's cool is they have a new, lower, slighty off-set attachment mounting that allows the wiper arms to sit slightly lower. The trico techs are also beefy as hell and look awesome with the lower mounts. They wipe clean and quietly without chatter. Came with removal and replacement instructions - easy install. Picked them up online at wipers123 (fyi, they also had the hard to find 10" rear wiper blade). The techs actually cost LESS than the neoforms...
  • ba32347ba32347 Member Posts: 8
    anyone with trouble in the front end, sounds like a plane landing or not wanting to start not the starter. ignation locks up,doesnt shift into gears right to me it is auto 6cly
  • ba32347ba32347 Member Posts: 8
    thanks
  • tristanlawtristanlaw Member Posts: 1
    Hey, I own a 03' Saturn Vue, second owner and I've had problem after problem. my recent is this. While driving I would loose power and then the engine would rev high. RPM's would rocket. Then, the vehicle started to loose all power and idle really low and finally it began shutting off on me. So, I tested the codes and the verdict was my block was misfiring in several areas. The current owner never had a tune up and I am over 100K miles, so thats what we did. After buying the manual, we noticed that the seals had to be replaced, we did. I also replaced the fuel filter too. Reassembled everything and the original codes are gone BUT now all 6 injector codes come up AND my Vue wont start. I dont understand how such a simple procedure could have this result. Help please. Thx
  • bakerlakebakerlake Member Posts: 1
    I do need help. My trans has been rebuilt, supposedly. Runs fine for 2-4 days. Last time (all in the month of Feb.) when I picked it up Service Engine light was on. I was supposed to bring it back at end of week to have that checked. The fourth day I had it, it wouldn't go in Drive or Reverse. Just like when I originally took it to the trans shop. Now It is back in the trans shop for the 3rd time since Feb, 5th. What else could be going on. Please help.
  • WasHappy03VueWasHappy03Vue Member Posts: 8
    my 2003 Vue did this to me, the lights on the dash would flash, then the gauges would go dead, the steering gets stiff because it is a electric assist stearing (there is no power steering box, and no need for fluid...) anyways I took it to the dealership (as no one in my little town would touch it) and the dealership told me it was my body control module. Which I had already figured out by doing the research here. While they were in there ifxing that expensive little buggar they found that i had a slight water leak and they changed a timing belt and water thing. (don't remember the technical stuff it was a long time ago) But once I replaced the BCM, all the problems I was having went away.
    I wish you luck!
  • msdelaware69msdelaware69 Member Posts: 2
    HERE IS ONE BETTER, I WAS DRIVING ONE NIGHT DURING THE SUMMER AND HERE COMES AN ON-COMING CAR AND SOME NOISE FROM NO-WHERE SOUNDED LIKE MY CAR WAS FIRED UPON. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND CHECK AND SEE WHETHER OR NOT MY LIL PASSENGER WAS SHOT AT. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND NOTHING, NOW THE CAR HAS SOME CLICKING NOISE AND THE DEALER CANNOT FIND WHAT IT IS.
  • msdelaware69msdelaware69 Member Posts: 2
    NICE CAR BUT THE THINGS THAT POP-UP IS CRAZY, DO ANYONE KNOW WHY THERE IS A LEAKING PROBLEM THAT IS DEVELOPING FROM THE SUNROOF. THE FLOORS ARE WET IN THE FRONT DRIVERS AND PASSENGER SIDE AND WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST IF THE DEALERSHIP CANT HELP OR LOOK FOR
  • lesliesdewlesliesdew Member Posts: 2
    If you have not been able to fix/find the leak I had the same thing had to replace the sun roof bc you can not just replace the seal and that is what is wrong.
  • lesliesdewlesliesdew Member Posts: 2
  • WasHappy03VueWasHappy03Vue Member Posts: 8
    My car has had wet floorboards too, I haven't noticed it leaking from the sunroof; However my seals around my drivers side door are horrid. Wind can pass thru and when I go in the automatic car wash, I have to dry off inside the door as water squirts in from the jets. I used to love this 2003 Vue, but I really think Saturn did a bad job testing this one out. Not a happy customer here... :confuse: Good luck with yours!
  • WasHappy03VueWasHappy03Vue Member Posts: 8
    If you haven't gotten this fixed yet have them check the "body control module". I had to drive clear to Saturn of Rosseville to get mine fixed but I had the same symptoms and they fixed it (not cheap!) Good Luck!
  • tffpilottffpilot Member Posts: 4
    I have replaced the "front" line (go's into the compressor comes out into the condenser. OK this is the fifth line in six weeks! I have also replaced the dryer & high/low pressure switch. The problem is the line keeps cracking / blowing out on the high pressure side of the line coming out of the condenser.

    Here is what I am seeing when I lose the A/C. The fan seems to be cooling yet you can see the gauge is a little higher or right about at half, sometimes it stays at half & other times it comes down. Now I have brought these lines in from two different dealerships & the have been on other sides of the state I live in. I also travel a lot. I have 188K miles on the VUE. I am thinking about replacing the condenser since it seems pretty beat up, but wanted to check to see if anyone else has had this problem with blowing the line out. Any ideas well help me a lot. The dealerships that I have spoken to said they have no idea & shouldn't be happening "DUH"
  • saturnstevesaturnsteve Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2010
    Have you checked to see if the sunroof is closing completely. Mine was doing the same kind of thing and upon further inspection I found that I could push up on the sunroof and it would seal. There are little screws inside the care that have something to do with these arms that push the sunroof up to close it. One of the screws came loose and it was causing the sunroof not to close. I tightened it and it fixed the problem. The hardes part was finding my star key to fit the star headed screws.
  • saturnstevesaturnsteve Member Posts: 2
    I would suggest the purchase of a haynes repair manual. They are about 20 bucks and are very handy.
  • mikesaysyesmikesaysyes Member Posts: 1
    Got a question for ya. I just replaced my battery on my 2004 vue v6 AUTO
    and now when I am driving it seems to idle high right before it shifts gears-
    does my computer need to be reset? Someone said that it would do this automatically in a couple of days. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • 442dude442dude Member Posts: 373
    Give it a few days before you panic as sometimes it takes the computer a little while to relearn shift point and such after you've had battery power disconnected for longer than a couple of minutes.
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