Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-49
To the above comment regarding oil usage--yes, you should continue to change your oil regularly in spite of your oil usage. The remaining motor oil will continue to break down over time and offer less engine protection, and will also tend to burn quicker than fresh oil. A quart of oil every 1000 or 1200 miles isn't too bad at all--even some NEW cars use that much. You are clearly taking good care of your car. Continue to do so, and you will get many more trouble free miles out of your Saturn. Other than the oil usage (which comes from degrading oil-control piston rings), the Saturn 1.9 motor is strong over the long haul. Good luck.
I am glad to have found this site. I have had a 2001 Saturn for 3 years. I have really abused the engine by not giving it regular oil changes. The last time I changed it I had to sign a waiver stating that NO OIL showed on the dipstick. I have recently begun to study engine mechanics and have a whole new attitude towards oil changes. I'm just glad my engine didn't blow. The mileage at the time was 87K.
I had a 5 speed (stick) 1993 saturn SL2 with 188,000 miles until I sold it. The car overall was "great gas saver""great car"just regular maintance, brakes, sensors, oil changes, struts, water pump, alternator, muffler, the same stuff hondas and toyotas go through. Yes I admit the engine was a bit loud, but saturn fix it on the 1996 and up years. I am an ASE certified mechanic I will give a few advices for your saturn to last longer.1st change the thermostat for one that's 160 degrees, cover the manifold assembly with an 'aluminium' sheet metal so the heat from the manifold won't cook the egine components, change the valve cover gasket with the best quality brand, since most of the oil leaks come from this area, oil changes at 3000 miles, bottom line if you keep heat under low temps your saturn will last you easily 200,000 miles. Ask any mechanic heat is the #1 killer of engines and transmissions. I almost forgot I just purchase another saturn (1996 5 speed sw2 79,000 miles) "I love it" runs better than my previous saturn. I will keep you guys updated on my experience with my sw2.
I recently purchased a 1997 SL2 with the 1.9 DOHC 4 cyl, and am already experiencing problems.
When I go to start the car, sometimes it will chug until I tap the throttle. The other day it would not start at all until I put my foot all the way to the floor. It somehow flooded itself.
Also sometimes I have to tap the throttle before the engine will fire. Does anyone know what this could be. Fuel injection problem, bad sensor, computer?
I have worked on my own cars all my life, but when it comes to problems like this, I am kinda stumped and do not want to take it to a dealership only to have them fix 10 other things that were not the problem in the first place. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I own a 99 SL2 with the same starting problem. Have you had any luck? I'm curious to know how you resolved the issue. My SL2 is currently dead in the driveway.
I purchased a 1997 Saturn SC2 and it has been using oil, but not leaking it. I removed the spark plugs and the #1 cylinder is full of oil, #2,3 and 4 are fine. The car has 36,000 miles on it. I will keep you posted.
I have a 97 saturn some times when I push on the brake pedal the engine stalls if I put the car in N the car will start and then ride the E brake I can get the car home,no codes come up on the code reader, help.
Wow. My 97' saturn SL2 also had similar problems. I am now replacing the engine due to being unaware of the constant burning of oil. This being my first car I had no idea a vehicle could go through so much oil. I also had the problem of oil in the 1st spark plug basin.
I own 2 Saturn's, a 1993 sl-1, and a 2001 sc-1. Both are GREAT cars. The 93 has 235,000 and the 01 135,000, NO major trouble with either. I cannot put into words how pleased I am with these cars!
I own a 2002 sl1 w/55,000 easy miles on it. I have taken excellent care of the vehicle and now the service engine light is constantly on. The only noticable difference a slight rough idling. I was told I need some type of sensor that is way too much for my pocketbook. Should I be concerned and will the vehicle pass smog w/the way it is currently.
I like the Saturn sw2 with manual transmission. At one time, I was considering buying one for myself. It behaves well on the road and is economical and fast. I bought it with 37000 miles on it (now it has about 105000) for my daughter as her first car. The car is strong, can survive a teenager's abuse, parts are not too expensive - but you have to know a little bit about cars if you want to keep it running. You must keep an eye on oil consumption and make sure that the temperature sensors function properly, even if the gauges show correct coolant temperature. If the engine "eats" too much oil - like 1qt per tank of gas - don't install "good low milege" used engine. If you can't get under the car and re-ring the engine - get rid of the car.
I just picked up a 96 SW2 for $200. The engine used oil which is addressed in a GM technical bulletin. I performed the procedure which involved using GM's Piston and ring cleaner chemical. You get the engine hot, remove the plugs, put 3 oz. of cleaner in each hole, put the plugs back in to prevent evaporation and let the engine sit for at least 2 hours. Remove the plugs and disable the ignition and fuel. Crank the engine to expel the chemical (cover the top of the engine with a towel to prevent a mess). I also used a suction gun to remove the leftover liquid. This is important to prevent a hydraulic lockup. I ran the motor to clear out the cylinders. It did misfire for a half a minute. I changed the oil and filter (GM recommends Mobil 1) but I used regular 10W30. Since this procedure, my oil consumption has dropped dramatically - gone 1000 miles. and still close to the full mark. The engine has 155K miles. The chemical cost me about $20 at a Chevy dealer. Worth a try.
I own a sw1 saturn these are great cars and will last a long time if you check the oil I recently had a problem with the car only starting when it was cool and it would idle high and overheat if it were setting at an idle for to long I found this was a common problem for saturns it was the engine temp coolant sensor $20 part at the dealership put it on and its good to go if your exp any of these prob I recomend you change it it is located rite under the top radiator hose going to the engine it takes a 13mm deep well socket to change.
Hello, I own a 1998 saturn sw2 and have experiecing "torgue lock" when the weather is cold and the transmission gets stuck in park until the engine warms up. I can bypass the problem by putting the key in accs, then putting the gear in neutral and then starting. Is the linkage worn out or just need cleaning and lubed? Any information would be appreciated. Thankyou.
I am having a problem and any help would be appreciated. Please bear with me, as the only experience I have had with my cars is when they break down. I try to research the problem and fix it myself when possible. Fortunately for me, I've had some pretty bad cars so I have learned a lot. But this issue, I am completely unfamiliar with and to my understanding up to this point is that I have a serious problem on my hands. Just from the look of it, I wouldn't think it too much of a task to take on, but I may be jumping to a conclusion a little too quickly. As I said, bear with me on the not so technical terms.
First of all, this is a 99 Saturn SW2 Station Wagon. It is a 1.9L 16 Valve and has roughly 90,000 on the engine. The car was owned by one driver up until my wife got the car. We did drive the car across country about 4 months ago, but we had the oil changed accordingly. I noticed a loss of acceleration occasionally at first when I was going up hills or trying to accelerate. Now I did let it go over by a couple thousand miles the last oil change, so I thought that was the problem. During that time, I did however check the oil regularly and add accordingly (which I never seemed to need to). I changed the filter and oil and decided to replace the spark plugs while I was at it. I thought that the loss of acceleration and "stuttering" could have been because of them. I went to change the plugs and when I pulled out plug #1 a gush of oil shot up. It wasn't very much, but still enough for concern. I checked the others a noticed a small ring of what seemed to be dried oil in them, but no fresh oil. I cleaned the plugs and then replaced them. The car seemed to run great for a while, but after a month or so the problem popped up again. I'm about a week into it now and it seems to happen at least once if I ever take the car up to highway speeds. I decided to check it out tonight to see if I could spot the problem and found a thin layer of somewhat dry oil covering the bottom of the compartment where the plugs are housed. I noticed that there was also oil on a small lip under a house on the right side of the engine case. There were also signs that small amounts had dripped along the outer edge around the plastic compartment housing the engine. None of this seemed too fresh and I had driven the car on the 25 mile drive home from work and on two separate occasions after that. I figure that the actual sputtering and loss of acceleration is due to the fact that the plugs have oil leaking down them just as before, therefore blocking ignition. I feel that if I change the plugs, that would be remedied for now. But I still need to know exactly what the problem is. As I mentioned before, I don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge and don't know too much terminology, but is this just a gasket of some sort that needs to be replaced? I'm hoping that this isn't a head gasket, but honestly, I'm not completely sure of what a head gasket is. I did own a car with a blown head gasket and I remember the symptoms of that. This does not seem to match the same profile, but please correct me if I'm wrong. The little research I have done has just been trying to figure out the layout of the engine and determining what could be causing the slow leak. If this possibly could just be a seal of some sort, is this sort of thing easy to replace in this particular car? The engine casing doesn't look too menacing or hard to reach, but then again I don't know if I'm just so far off from the right answer that I'm exploring avenues that don't need to be explored. Is there anyone that could give me some advice? It would be greatly appreciated. It all helps!