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Saturn Maintenance & Repair

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  • saturnpro360saturnpro360 Member Posts: 13
    what year is that motor? Burned exhaust valves are uncommon. Sounds like a lean misfire caused the cyll's to overheat. Bad intake gasket? stuck closed egr?
    Valves cost around 20.00 each . I reccomend replace the head with a factory reman. (all new valves) Call saturn for price.
  • jamstutzjamstutz Member Posts: 2
    I am new to this site, so bear with me it I don't follow the "un-written" rules. My wife has a 99 S-Series sedan. On one ocassion this past winter her car would not start. I drove to where she was and tried it out. It started the first time I turned the key. This morning, she called me and said that her car won't start again. It will turn over, just won't start (same as in the winter). I am a novice mechanic who can do some minor repairs. I just do not know how to go about figuring out what is wrong since this does not happen everyday. Let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.
  • sallysaturnsallysaturn Member Posts: 14
    I've got just under 5000 miles on my Ion and it's been having issues since about 3000 miles. Three or four times the fuel gauge has gone to zero and the passlock symbol lighted up on the dash. The car still drove fine and the problem fixed itself after a while. The most recent problem occured yesterday when I started up the car - the steering wheel was all locked up. It still turned a little bit, but was very, very tight. I restarted and the problem when away.

    We bought the Ion because we wanted to save a little money but still have reliable transportation and had heard good things from a few people who owned Saturns ( the S- Series). However, we are now planning to trade in the Ion as soon as possible because let's be honest, a car with electrical problems after just 3000 miles isn't worth hanging onto.

    As far as I can gather, the Passlock system is supposed to disengage the the fuel and lock up the steering wheel when it determines that you aren't using the right key. Something with the Passlock system on my car is all screwy and I suspect it's not easy to fix. The dealer was quite circumspect about and that gave me a bad feeling.

    I asked myself, would it have helped if we spend a little more money and got an ION 3? Probably not, since it's all the same engine underneath the hood.

    We are lucky that we are able to absorb the financial loss on the Ion and get a different car. I am sure that most Saturns are reliable vehicles, but unfortunately, mine just isn't one of them. There is no doubt in my mind that the problems will only escalate. I have no desire to be zooming down the freeway at 60 have the steering wheel lock up, or the fuel system disengage. We are just going to bite the bullet on the trade in and get a different car.

    Good luck to everyone else out there with Saturn problems!
  • halserhalser Member Posts: 20
    I have a 1994 Saturn SL2 with 123,000 miles on it. Sometimes when I am slowing down the transmission slams into the next gear as it is downshifting. It doesn’t happen all the time. If I have a faster stop it is ok. Usually stop and go traffic is a problem. The transmission is perfect up shifting during acceleration. Yesterday it slammed into reverse from a stopped position. Could it be a valve body or a sensor? When the car had 72,000 miles the car would go into reverse fine when cold but be very slow in responding to reverse when the transmission is warmed up. I brought the car to the Saturn dealer who stated that the upper valve body needed to be replaced. With a new valve body the car has been fine until now.
  • saturnslfansaturnslfan Member Posts: 2
    i have a 95 saturn sl, it is high mileage rebuilt engine, it runs great, but there is an oil leak around the main pulley shaft from the timing cover. i replaced the cover with a used one and i also replaced the seal. the leak is down to a quart every 600-800 miles i was just wondering if there was any way that anyone knew if there was a way to fix this further? :D
  • mbuttsmbutts Member Posts: 2
    the car is a 1994 coupe s2 type i believe.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Wow you gave up on the vehicle that quick. Your car is under warranty still and it seems like it is isolated to possibly the PASSlock system. You gave a pretty good description, the service manager should be able to troubleshoot the problem. I would not be so quick to trade the car so quickly.

    My advice is give the dealership a chance to fix it. But check the lemon laws in your state. You may want to use that path if they cannot fix it. Also you will be shocked at the trade in value of this vehicle esp. an ION 1.
  • saturnpro360saturnpro360 Member Posts: 13
    for anyone else that sees this problem, This issue can be resolved by reprogramming the ECM. A bulletin was released within the last 2 weeks.2005 only.
    I think us Saturn techs will be glad to see this customer jump ship. :cry:
    Sounds like a nightmare to deal with! :confuse:
  • saturnpro360saturnpro360 Member Posts: 13
    read post #203. Sounds like it MAY be the same issue.
  • saturnpro360saturnpro360 Member Posts: 13
    the 3 most common causes for a crank no start on the 98's are
    #1 a bad crank sensor.(no spark or injector pulse)
    #2 a bad fuel pump (no fuel at fuel rail)
    #3 a cracked coolant temp sensor (green corrosion in connector)
    Also look at the battery. If you see a trail of corrosion leading from the positive cable connection or a crusty collection of corrosion around the positive cable bolt at the battery, you have to replace the battery, the cable, and anything damaged by the leaking acid.
  • wtd44wtd44 Member Posts: 1,208
    I am curious: Why would it be "automatically" necessary to replace the positive cable to the battery, in this case? Why not replace the battery and clean up the cable?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    because the cable can be corroded inside the sheath where you can't see it.
  • saturnpro360saturnpro360 Member Posts: 13
    The acid leak usually causes the plastic around the battery stud to loosen. When an inexperienced person tries to remove the bolt, the whole lead part of the battery breaks off and even if it doesent, like the host said, the cable is going to be full of (resistance-causing) corrosion that will cause all sorts of electrical issues.
    Just cut the cable at the battery if you see the acid trail and replace the cable and the battery. (and anything damaged by the acid leak.) I don't reccomend a lay-person make this repair due to the highly corrosive properties of the battery acid and the expertise needed to understand why it needs to be completely cleaned and all damages repaired.
    A small investment now will"automatically" save you money down the road.
  • traviszooktraviszook Member Posts: 1
    I'm thinking about buying a 1994 saturn sw2 i belive it is, its a very good car runs great. but when i put it in reverse it hit hard, it wouldnt shift into it right away and like jerked u hard. but if you put it in reverse and dont hit it hard it usually goes in easily.

    i want to buy this car but I dont want to put a new trans in it. My uncle and I were thinking it could be something else, but if the trans is going out i dont think i will buy it, unless i could get a cheap one.

    please tell me what this could be and how much its going to cost to repair it.

    Thanks,

    Travis Zook
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    It's an eleven year old vehicle so it could be the tranny. How many miles and what is the asking price?
  • robert4380robert4380 Member Posts: 8
    Sally,
    I also have a 2005 Ion and had this exact same problem. The dealer here (Saturn of Kalamazoo) was able to diagnose the problem right away and they were great about fixing it. I was told that something called the BCM (something... control module) was defective and needed to be replaced. They replaced it, reprogrammed something, and I was on my way. It's not an electrical nightmare like you think it is. I've since put 2500 more miles on my car and haven't had a problem since! On really, really cold mornings though the HVAC fan makes a dull rumbling noise on the lowest setting, but that's another story... ;-)

    OH, does anyone know of a good way to run an antenna cable for a roof-mounted satellite radio antenna? With those roof trim pieces (which I've never seen interchanged by anyone!) sticking up like they do, there doesn't seem to be a way to slip the cable into either the front or rear window weather stripping. If anyone's hooked up satellite radio and has any suggestions, I'm open to them all. Thanks!
  • jamstutzjamstutz Member Posts: 2
    I called the Saturn service center a few weeks ago, when I originally posted the message. The gentleman that I spoke with asked if I had driven the car a very short time and then shut it off prior trying to re-starting the car. I did not understand why he was asking me this, but he went on to tell me that there has been problems when the car is only ran for a short time (less than a minute). He said something to the effect that there is too much gasoline in the carb. and thus when you go to start the car again it floods. He said to simply make sure that the car runs at least a minute after a cold start to burn off excess gasoline and I should not have this problem again. Hopefully this is 100% fact because that "fix" cost me the best price ever....nothing!!!
  • 4x44x4 Member Posts: 114
    I am selling a 03 L200, red, grey leather, sunroof, heated seats, 6 disc...loaded..21500 miles....what should I be able to get?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Use the Edmunds True Market Value vehicle appraiser, which is here:

    http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/used/index.html?tid=edmunds.u.mainindex.appraise..1.*

    But please don't post an ad in the forums!

    thanks,

    shifty the Host
  • dev4dev4 Member Posts: 3
    I have a saturn l200 2002 model(44K miles). I have the car for about 6 months now. Other than few minor problems i love the car it is great except for one problem. The car is very loud from 45mph to 65mph and strangely is very quiet above 65mph. Mechanic had complained earlier about the serpentine belt worn out. Could that be the cause of the noise or are saturns generally loud. Please let me know
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Do you find that the noise is connected to the PRM level. At what RPM does the noise seem very loud?
  • dev4dev4 Member Posts: 3
    Well when the engine's RPM is around 3500 RPM when it is the loudest. I am pretty sure the noise is coming from under the hood.
  • jburke1jburke1 Member Posts: 1
    I just had the same problem with my Ion 3 on the way home tonight. Have you tried using a different key? I just thought about that and everything works now, with all my keys. :confuse:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well the Saturn engine is normally a little rough as it revs up---perhaps something is vibrating badly at that speed---it's really hard to say. Best thing you can do is check your drive belts for wear, and the drive pulleys for looseness (bad bearing in the pulley) or for some loose plastic shielding somewhere.
  • micahmicah Member Posts: 1
    I JUST PUT A NEW ENGINE IN A 92 SATURN SC2. THE CLUTCH WORKED FINE BEFORE I PULLED THE MOTOR. I REPLACED THE MASTER AND SLAVE CYLINDER AS A ONE PIECE UNIT BECAUSE THE SLAVE WAS LEAKING. I PUT IN THE MOTOR AND REPLACED THE MASTER AND SLAVE CYLINDERS BUT NOW THE CLUTCH WILL NOT DISENGAGE. SOMEONE SUGGESTED TO ME THAT I HAD TO ADJUST THE SLAVE CYLINDER OUT TO WHERE THE CLUTCH WAS WORN BY CONTINUALLY PRESSING THE CLUTCH IN UNTIL IT WOULD DISENGAGE. I TRIED THIS BUT TO NO AVAIL.. I PULLED THE TRANNY BACK OFF AND INSPECTED THE CLUTCH TO SEE IF I HAD ASSEMBLED SOMETHING WRONG BUT EVERYTHING WAS IN ORDER. I PUT THE TRANNY BACK ON BUT LEFT THE DRIVE SHAFTS DISCONNECTED. STARTED THE CAR UP AND PUT IT INTO GEAR. IT WORKED JUST FINE, SO I ASSEMBLED EVERYTHING AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I START THE CAR AND TRY TO PUT IT INTO GEAR AND IT WILL NOT GO. I CAN PRESS IN THE CLUTCH AND START THE CAR IN GEAR AND IT WILL START BUT THE CLUTCH IS STILL SLIGHTLY ENGAGED AND THE CAR WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PEDAL PRESSED IN. I CAN TELL IT IS BURNING THE CLUTCH THOUGH. IT WILL TAKE OFF IF I DON'T HOLD DOWN THE BRAKE. I AM WONDERING IF I NEED A NEW CLUTCH OR WHAT? IF YOU CAN HELP ME OUT I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. THANKS -MICAH :mad: :cry:
  • dev4dev4 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for your prompt respones. I will try that
  • kjh1kjh1 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2002 Saturn Vue, we had a recent warm spell in Northern Mi, today snow on the ground. Last season during the warm months, then again last week, when I turn on the air conditioner, I get this ticking sound about every 2-3 minutes. Not really loud but a ticking sound none the less. It seems that the stronger I turn on the air conditioner the louder the sound gets. Any ideas. I am only 500 miles before warranty runs out and I would like to address with dealership. I took it in last summer, yet they were unable to diagnose Help
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'd check your AC drive belt and the pulleys it goes around. Other than that, maybe your AC compressor clutch is wearing out. Hard to say without being right near the car.
  • saturnsuitsaturnsuit Member Posts: 1
    After reading several messages on several different sites, it is my impression that the Saturn L-series vehicles have had problems with the timing chain in which Saturn is claiming all of these people have not maintained the vehicle, (no oil changes). Engine has just died and can not start back up. Anyone interested in filing a class action suit, email me at saturnsuit@yahoo.com . I will be looking into it over the next few days. Thanks...
  • sniffermansnifferman Member Posts: 3
    My problem seems to be when idleing, the engine surges. While investigating, I unclipped the black plastic module directly on top of the air intake at the junction of the intake manifold and the rubber channel from the air cleaner, and noticed that fuel was dribbling in through these plastic hoses constantly. I plugged the end of the center hole in the module with my thumb and the engine instantly settled down to perfect idling. There used to be quite a bit of hesitation when pressing the accelerator, but seems perfect now. Is there some sensor that has gone out telling the fuel system to add more fuel? I can't tell where the black plastic lines ( at least they feel plastic) are coming from. There are two of them that feed up in between the cyl head and the intake manifold. I also have weak compression in the center two chambers (120) but no oil in the radiator, so I don't think it's the head gasket. The engine has 120k miles now.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Check whether one of the hoses goes to the fuel pressure regulator in the fuel rail. If there's gas there, the regulator diaphragm's ruptured and requires regulator replacement.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Low compression in two adjacent cylinders is a classic sign of a bad head gasket but not a slam-dunk diagnosis. Still, that is a troubling sign. Depends on what the other cylinders are reading. If the outer cylinders are 20% higher or more, I think you do have a head gasket issue as well as a possible fuel regulator issue.
  • sniffermansnifferman Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the tips. The cyl's read from left to right 150, 120, 120, 135. I also know that the Valve cover gasket is shot as the 2nd and 3rd cyl have oil pooled ON TOP of the plug. I clean this situation monthly.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well that's a bit suspicious but take care of that pressure regulator problem first.
  • dkoedkoe Member Posts: 1
    I have a 92 SL2 with same problem. Chain guides broke but not the chain. Does this mean I only have to replace guides, chain and the reset timing. Engine seems to turn over by hand. Or do you think need to replace exhaust valves? I am not a mechanic is there a way for me to check the valves? Would appreciate your input and advice.

    Thank you,
    dkoe
  • cosmonautcosmonaut Member Posts: 3
    so my car, (a '94 SC1), has been running a little rough whenever i am at a stoplight for the past 3 weeks. it starts to sputter and hiccup for like 20 seconds, feels like it is about to stall out, and then it goes back to normal. things have been getting progressively worse, and today it started hiccupping and shaking at 45 mph. it also gets all rough and sputtery after i brake somewhat hard, and also if i hit the gas harder than normal from stop. it doesn't seem like a transmission problem, because shifting is normal, it just seems like it lost power. i am hoping it just needs a tune-up. are these typical signs that a tune-up is needed, or should i really be worried?
    :(

    thanks!
  • nana3nana3 Member Posts: 1
    help my saturn a 2002 L200 will not shift gears and its a automatic.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You can check exhaust valves with a compression test, yes. They should be relatively even, within say 15% of each other, and hopefully above 90 psi.

    A new chain and guides should do it, although if you have high miles and you have a shot to replace hoses, belts and water pump, you might do that as well since you're in there.
  • dominator08dominator08 Member Posts: 1
    I am new to the forum and this is my first post. I have recently purchased a 1999 SL2. I like the car a lot. I have been having a problem with the idle speed. It seems to be worse when the car is cold. It runs around 1500 rpm. I heard that this is normal in some 4 cylinder cars to help them get up to temp faster. Does anyone know if this the case, or if I might need to check out a few other things to find out what might be causing it? My Haynes repair manual states that it should idle around 700 to 800 rpms. :confuse:
  • unioncodeunioncode Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problems, did you ever find out what it was?

    Thanks!
  • sniffermansnifferman Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the tip, that fuel pressure regulator was the ticket. Saturn price was less than 50% of Checker. What do you know.. Installation was simple, and a saturn mechanic gave me some tips about that O Ring in there as well. Thanks a bunch
  • rbillieuxrbillieux Member Posts: 36
    How would you use a vacuum guage to test a muffler for being restrictive-how and where would you attach it / Bob B
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    You're welcome. Glad to hear you got it sorted out.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Attach the vacuum gauge to any convenient manifold vacuum source. Check vacuum with the engine at hot idle, then increase to 2,500 r.p.m. for 15 seconds. Vacuum will drop some when the throttle's opened, but then recover. After 15 seconds at 2,500 r.p.m., vacuum must be at least as high as at idle (usually is 1"-2" Hg more). Even 1" Hg lower indicates an exhaust restriction.
  • halserhalser Member Posts: 20
    To unioncode. On my 1994 Saturn SL2 with 124,000 miles. The valve body was replaced when the car had 72,000 miles because the car would go into reverse fine when cold but be very slow in responding to reverse when the transmission is warmed up. This time reverse was fine but the problem was downshifting too hard. At this point I was hoping not to have to replace the valve body again. The problem this time was different. I decided to try a transmission conditioner. I went to my local Pep boys and purchased a Gunk transmission conditioner that said it freed sticky valves and smoothed transmission shifting. It has been 3 weeks and 800 miles and it has not banged one time. It seems great. I figured I had nothing to lose and was afraid of the problem causing damage. Keep me updated.

    Halser
  • rbillieuxrbillieux Member Posts: 36
    Thats is just the thing where--put a tee on brake booster where else?bob
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    The booster hose is pretty big. Tee into a smaller hose such as the map sensor or whatever's handy.
  • rbillieuxrbillieux Member Posts: 36
    Time for junk-yard i guess on starting-starving for air--whoosh--then up to 2 grand--heat gauge erratic--replaced sensor also idle air control and the other on throttle body speed sensor and map sensor shifting erratically lower speeds affected by surge higher speeds not map sensor line is the brake booster line finally the heat gauge settled to one eighth of heat NO MORE SATURNS--I WOULD NOT TAKE ONE IF GIVEN TO ME COMPUTER PIECE OF JUNK OBD METER SAYS MAP SENSOR AND TRANSMISSION CODE @##$%%^% :lemon:
  • pespinopespino Member Posts: 4
    I have a 93 sl2 saturn with ~120k miles. Once the brake is depressed the car falters then eventually stalls. The mechanic says that I have very low compression and that the engine is shot, but I doubt it because I still manage to run a high speeds easily (70-90mph or higher).
    I believe it may be electrical because once I engage the brakes, both my flasher turn signals light up slightly, not full as when I use the turn signals or hazard. And another symptom that may support my suspicion, is that once I use the brakes, the rear brake light lights up (normal) and so does both the amber turn signals (abnormal) and the back-up clear light indicator.
    I checked all the fuses and relays and cant seem to correct the problem. HELP!
  • crbcrb Member Posts: 10
    I have had issues starting my L300 literally for months now. It has been to the mechanic a number of times, and is due to go back tomorrow. Here is a breakdown of what has been fixed...

    - Security Disk (in the ignition cylinder) changed twice (my mechanic didn't charge me for the second one because he thought the first was defective).

    Every time I start the car, it stalls immediately and the security light flashes. The ignition cylinder will be replaced tomorrow, which should correct this according to Saturn techs and another mechanic I spoke to while the car was in for an alignment (by chance he happened to own a Saturn and had already replaced it on his car 3 times!).

    The last few days it has been warm, and when i try to start the car after sitting in the parking lot at my office all day, it's taken at least 10 minutes. Is there some heat related issue, in addition to the ignition cylinder that could make starting even more difficult?
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