Saturn S-Series

bambie · May 2010

I am on my third Saturn now. I have had many, many cars in my life It has been my experience, that a bad bearing will be noisy all the time. It sounds like a CV joint (constant velocity) / axil. Not expensive. My wife's SL1 is noisy turning left. My guess is agressive snow tires, alignment is out and a worn tierod end. Hope this helps.
Ian B

booboo6 · May 2010

I agree. Noise of a bad wheel bearing can be encouraged by a right or left turn that may load the bearings more on growing defect in the bearing race, and can go quiet when steering the car in a manner that unloads the defect area. In general, the bearing noise is not audible at low speed and sounds like the whirr of a prop airplane when at speed. A grinding noise when turning or heard at low speed is often a damaged CV joint. Look for obvious signs, like a rip in any of the CV boots.

mmmagic · July 2010

I have a 4 cylinder automatic 2 wd Vue and the reverse just went out. The vehicle only have 78,000 mile on the motor. Does anyone have any suggestion on what may be the cause or thing I should check? I have already checked the fluid levels and it is not burnt and is at the proper level. Drive gear works nd shift fine.

booboo6 · July 2010

I am not a Vue owner, but scoured the web on 2003 Vue Reverse Problem. Your tranny appears to be a failure proned component. Best concise information is at Wikipedia. It is only warranted for 75,000 miles "due to high failure rate" (of the VTi transmission). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTi_transmission.

rebinpass · July 2010

When cold engine will not idle, it automaticle reves up by itself to 2000 RPM's. At the same time temperture gauge flucuates wildly. After warmed up engine runs well but still reves by itself.

sskl · July 2010

We have the same condition in the same type and year Saturn. Have ignored it in the past. It's only a guess but I remember having a Cavalier that had a bad temp. sensor which controlled thru the computer the fuel supply on startup that was bad and the thing wouldn't start. Replaced the sensor and all was ok. Your clue is the fluctuating temp gage which reminded me of that previous condition that I had with the Cavalier. You might start by replacing the sensor which is not very costly and should be easy to do. Otherwise a computer readout might be needed. Revving could be caused by lack of fuel as well as too much fuel because of a faulty sensor signal. Also check for vacuum leaks which screw up fuel mix. Also the idle control valve could be malfunctioning, but since the temp gage is moving erratically I would think there is a faulty electrical signal in the idle circuit.

willie761 · December 2010

sounds like transmission shift sensors have car checked with a computer try auto zone they will put it on your car and tell u why your check engine light is on

oldsardog · August 2011

I have a 2000 SL2 that has an issue with the vent line in the tank and return line from the engine. It makes it makes it very hard to put fuel in the tank and whenever it is running with the cap on the back pressure pumps gas out of the return valve next to the filler tube. The amount of gas it dumps is phenomenal so we have started driving with the gas cap off. We have replaced the fuel pump module and the computer with no resolve. There is a gas vent control box on top of the tank which no one seems to know anything about. Should have been a recall on this but the welded return line does not cover this type of behavior. Anyone have any suggestions?

lizardking2 · August 2011

hello, i have a '02 sl2 twin cam w/100k miles. i began having start problems intermitently. fuel pump not working so it was replaced. It worked for two days then wouldn't start. The fuse is good, relay checked good, jumpered the pump at relay and it works. relay doesn't seem to receive power to energize it. also the fuel gauge that had worked before now doesn't read either. any ideas?

booboo6 · August 2011

I have '02 SL1. I have not studied the circuitry yet, but it sounds like possible ignition switch problem. One of the lines may have gone bad so no power is applied to sections of the fuse panel(s).

renomike · August 2012

Hi! I have a 1994 Saturn SL2 that I use for commuting to my job 300 miles from home (drive 600 miles/week). Odometer reads 220k miles. Normally, I drive 65 mph on the freeway using cruise control. Until yesterday, the car ran like a dream - very smooth, easily maintained speed and temperature, got great gas mileage - up to 50 mpg (with a tail wind!!).
Yesterday, while climbing a hill, with A/C on, the engine suddenly began struggling to maintain speed and began to heat up. I turned off the A/C and pulled over to find the engine running very rough, but without the load, the temp returned to normal. I continued for another 35 miles, but noticed the engine was struggling, so shut it down to begin testing. Notably, exhaust was not particularly smokey.
I pulled spark plug wires one at a time and found that the #2 cylinder was not contributing - spark was there, but roughness did not change when spark plug wire was pulled. After a 165 mile tow, this morning I ran a compression test to find #1, 3, and 4 running at appx 180 psi. #2 at 0 psi. Spark plugs #1,3, and 4 had a white-ish buildup on the ground electrode, and buildup on #2 appears to have broken off (maybe stuck in valve?)
I reason that I may have a stuck valve, or burned valve. I rule out broken rings due to clean exhaust. Maybe a broken piston?
I assume the next step is to pull the valve cover, but have never done this on this vehicle. Any guidance and or discussion would be appreciated. Any steps to take that would narrow down the possibilties?
Thank you - RenoMike

booboo6 · August 2012

When there is 0 psi reading on compression test of #2 cylinder, cyl #2 is completely vented. A burnt valve would still have some compression. The rough driving sounds to the result of operating on 3 cylinders. Not sure why the coolant temperature rose on you, probably normal for slow grind up the hill with load. My guess is that the electrode of spark plug failed and the broken electrode served as hard debris that may have scored up your cylinders and vented the cylinder compression that way. Search Richpin videos on Youtube for removing valve cover. Easy job, but that only helps you confirm valve motion. I am afraid the damage could be in your block, piston, its rings after driving so far with debris in cylinder. Good would be the electrode hung up in your valves to mess up the head instead of the bore. If your plugs are original, that would suggest failure of a plug from excessive age/use. Major engine job either way I am afraid.

bambie · August 2012

You may want to pull the oil pan off. This won't fix anything but it may give you some clues. You may find some debris in the bottom of the pan or with a good flash light you may be able to see the cylinder or piston from below.

IAN

myjunker · September 2012

I am getting codes 11, 25, 71, 77 can anyone help me with what there are and how best to get them fixed?

master28 · August 2013

USING SYNTHETICOIL IN AN ENGINE WITH THAT MANY MILES ON IT WHEN IT IS BUILT TO RUN ON CONVENTIONAL OIL WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE IN MANY LATE 90'S AND EARLY 2000'S VEHICLES CARS AND TRUCKS. TRY CONVENTIONAL OIL. COMPRESSION SHOULD BE UP AROUND 150 PER CYLINDER. SHOULD HAVE INSTALLED PISTON RINGS WHILE OTHER WORK WAS PERFORMED

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