Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-71
98 SL1, 90,000 KM. Cracked Head. Oil in Coolant, Coolant in Oil. Lots of fun!
Four days ago I noticed "chocolate milk" leaking from underneath my car - it was directly under the coolant overflow tank. I checked my oil level only to realize I was two quartz short on oil.
I took the car to three mechanics. Two stated that it likely needed a head gasket change (like most of the 3.1 V6 GM engines from the mid-late nineties).
The final mechanic pointed me to the real nature of the problem - cracked head gasket. He also was honest in his appraisal to fix it: $2000.00 (Canadian)
I am considering having this service performed. My intention is to drive the car for another eighteen months before giving it away to a family member.
I must say that I have grown somewhat attached to this car.
I only hope my relationship to the eventual recipient does not suffer as a result of my generosity.
Thanks,
Jason.
A friend stopped by with her 1995 Saturn, with an overheating problem,there was sludge in the coolant reservoir too! New car time. It seems like the new head, "installed",costs more than the car is worth...
I special ordered a Saturn SL2 back in 1996. I still have my showroom picture taken with the car and my folks together. I tried to take good care of my first car as much as possible. All major works were done in the dealership. I spent $1300.0 to replace a clutch and hydraulics. Every week in the past decade, I, like many, check and double check its oil consumption. Like many, I overlooked the lack of refinement of the car and still enjoyed driving it everyday.
In 2007 February, my pal finally joined many of its brothers. Surprise! coolant and oil are serving me a hot cup of chocolate milk shake. I am so sad. This car has been a decent friend. Only at 120+ horses, the car was fun to drive. At 181+k, I was so proud to show off my high mileage Saturn to my Japanese car driving friends. I was hoping it will at least last till 200k and I'd have replace it with the new 2008 Saturn (Opel). Now that I finally found this page and read all the comments, I can't help, but feel let down.
Now I am one of the Japanese car driver. What can I say? Saturn is becoming a good Ol' dysfunctional family. And I sure don't need that right now. Honestly, I'll miss my plastic car panels! Good luck Saturn and Goodbye! Thanks for the memory, good and bad.
I personally own a 1995 Saturn SL2.
This car is awesome; I have 130+k mileage on her and she has been nothing but the best!
I have also owned a 1994 Saturn SL2, which only had 30k when I bought it back in 2002.
The 94, I had to do an engine rebuild on her at only 45k miles! Uggg, I was disgusted, but it was partly my fault because I ran the car into the ground, and practically never checked any of the fluids.
Now I have the 95 Saturn, and I am planning on never making that mistake again! Now that I am an experienced Acura parts manager, I know how to take care of my vehicles.
The Saturn runs great, and I am planning on keeping it for a very long time, and also doing some mods to boost its performance as well. I will show those japan made cars something real soon :d
If you do get a Saturn, try to stick to the DOHC engines; they seem to do very well compared to the SOHC.
Also, another reason I particularly love this year vehicle, is because the way the first gen body style was made. I love the lines, and the look of it is so appealing to me!
Add another to the list! Overheating and gunk in the coolant. F***, only 80,000 miles. It's pretty safe to say i'll never stop at a saturn dealership.
I have three(3) Saturns:
1. 1993 SL2, DOHC, 145,000 miles, paid $350 cash. Investment: (1) Egr solenoid, new plugs, wires, air cleaner, oil change, tranny service, smog test, (work done by myself). Previous owner stated vehicle running rough, stalls when A/C is on. They changed fluids on a regular basis, but NEVER changed plugs & wires. I get between 30 & 33 mpg (a/c) off. I have been commuting 250 miles a day.
2. 1995 SL1, SOHC, 112,000 miles, $250.00. Owner said blown head gasket. Turned out to be a cracked head. Local machine shop inspected old one for me at no charge and found a crack in #4 oil journal. Located 1 on Ebay for $265.00 complete. Refurbished, cam, springs, lifters, etc. including shipping, J & C Cylinder Heads in West Virginia. Cylinders & cylinder walls in perfect condition with no visible wear at all. Doing work myself; a little time-consuming (tight spaces and big hands) but not too difficult. Replaced timing chain, guides, sprockets, oil pump, and all associated gaskets. May as well since its all open now. Est. part cost $500.00 thanks to Ebay & Kragen.
3. 1992 SL - Parts car, $100.00. Body is jacked up, semi-peeled passengers side is like a can opener. Stripped to bare bones and using some engine pieces... brackets, bolts, etc. for the 1995, and the four new tires the previous owner bought 2 weeks before he totalled this one. Using windshield from 92 to replace 93... turns out these windshields run from 350 ~ 650 installed, around my area.
Bought all 3 in the last 6 months. I figure when all is said and done, I should have myself 2 reliable vehicles. I know inside and out. Cost around $1300 total and a lot of my manhours.
Just my 2 cents.
I have a 99 SL2 that I just bought back in February. Already I've had the water pump, hoses, and the fan replaced. I've been spending money since I got this car. that's not all though. My car seems to drink oil and it spits out white smoke from the exhaust pipe. from reading all these comments I'm sure its the head gasket (oil and anti-freeze mixing together) this sucks because I'm a college student and I'm not in a situation where I can replace something so expensive. SATURN'S SUCK!
I just bought a 96 sl1 one week ago. oil was mixing with the coolant so I replaced the head gasket because I was told that was the problem. now, only one week after I started driving it, the coolant tank spilled over with a filmy brown liquid. looks like a cracked head.
I have recently purchased a 1996 Sl and I had the car for two days. Again oil in the overfill. I'm stuck with a cracked head. all I can say is I will never go to a another Saturn dealer. They suck!
Have a 96 SL1. Bought it with 144,000 on it. Head cracked after I put about 40,000 on it. Never liked the lack of refinement, but gas mileage was good. Now that I've found this page, I will never own another Saturn. Thanks.
I own a 1995 Saturn SL1 with a mileage of mere 125,000 km.
Just today I've noticed a slightly elevated from normal temperature, which seemed odd for the winter season. Upon quick inspection I discovered coolant-engine oil mix overflowing from the coolant reservoir.
My Internet research points to a cracked head (Saturn Technical Service Bulletin 96-T-65B).
1996 SL1 with 161,000 miles. Brown oil on ground, coming from coolant reservoir. Diagnosis from dealer is that it has a cracked cylinder. Has been using a small amount of oil for years. No other symptoms. Repair would require replacement of engine. Just wanted to add another data point.
I have a 1995 Saturn we bought new. It now has 134,000 miles on it and guess what. Yep oil in the coolant reservoir. This seems to be a pattern with the Saturn’s I guess.
Sad owner.
Add one more! I got the saturn to save money on fuel. I paid $2600 for the car which was a little high but it was cosmetically in great shape. drove it for 250 miles and it started making the wonderful oil milkshakes!! I think after the $1500 repair I may have made a mistake in my cost saving idea. still not turning into an import though.