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Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair - Archived Discussions Saturn Maintenance & Repair 
860 messages, Last post on Jul 18, 2007 at 6:06 AM
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| Ody, though I don't know how bad of a vibration you are referring to, the rough idle at a stop can be caused by several things......Assuming that the engine runs perfectly smooth and normal at any other situation (especially the right idle speed), I would suggest that you examine your engine mounts, if they are fatigued or broken they will cause all sorts of vibration, expecially under load at a light. (I have had this issue with my own car at one time.) A good way to check would be to watch the engine while you have an assistant swtich in and out of the gears and see how much the engine torques back and forth (a little movement is normal), if there is considerable movement, then that is probably your problem. Have your assistant stand on the brakes and switch between Drive and Reverse and watch the engine. Hope this helps! | |
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| I have a 94' SL2 that I bought when it had 58K on it. Overall the car has performed well. it uses 1 quart between oil changes. The altenator went when it was still under warranty. The top engine mount also went but out of warranty. Both have been redesigned in the later models. I am currently at 105k miles and now the water pump is leaking. The Saturn dealer quoted me $230 for a new water pump. I checked some other repair shops and was quoted closer to $300 so I am suprised at the lower price from my dealer (only 2 hours labor) vs. 3 at other places. So that doesn't seem to bad. However the other problem is the muffler strap broke and my dealer wanted $125 just to replace the strap! I think I can get a new muffler with a strap for that price at a national exhaust chain shop. A fair price for a pain *** job like a water pump yet raked for a simpler muffler strap? | |
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As I am sure you are well aware, the dealer is not always the cheapest place to get things done. ESPECIALLY when it comes to things like tires, mufflers, batteries, etc. In your situtation, I would expect the hourly labor rate at the Dealer is higher than that of a muffler shop. Also, (in my experience) as with any manufacturer, not ALL parts are made by Saturn corp. Those that are bought from other companies cost a lot more, and then go through the typical dealer markup, which makes 'em real expensive. I would definately shop around for any repairs that are costly. My experience is that genuine Saturn engine parts last longer (almost all are made by Saturn) and are many times cheaper than aftermarket--it just depends on what it is (and supply and demand.) And to throw you another curve, the Saturn water pump is of the external type, and is driven by the serpentine belt (it mounts similar to any other accessory, like steering pump or alternator.) It is probably the easiest to change of any I have seen on any car. Many non-Saturn shops don't have much experience working on them, due to the overall customer satisfaction with Saturn and dealer loyalty. The quote they may have given you at the other shop might have been under the assumption it was like a standard water pump replacement job (which its not.) Anyway, theres my $.05 worth.... t56gen3 |
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| Hellow to Saturn community. In a week or so I'll get Saturn SL2 '93. Can anybody advise what kinds of problems can I expect and what quastions shall I ask the owner? Any advise is valuable. Thanks. | |
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As long as it's been maintained, you should be ok. Oil changed every 3K, Tranny fluid every 30K (assuming its an auto.) Make sure it runs smooth, and listen for anything out of the ordinary. Really no major problems out of these cars as long as they are taken care of. Alternators are known to go out usually between 50-100K because of high heat from being on the backside of the engine, though I have seen several without ANY problems at all. Do you know what kind of mileage is on the car? T56gen3 |
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I had a '99 SW2: Front rotor warpage every 12-15k. Top engine mounts are known to give. Temp gauge will go 3/4 before turning the cooling fan on ("fix" this by turning the AC on). |
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do not warp themselves, only the driver can do that (granted some are easier to warp than others.) If they are warped to begin with, then they will remain that way until they are resurfaced (turned.) I have a '92 SL2 (with 173K, read post #58, car was abused regularly before I got it), an '01 SC2, and my mother has an '01 SL2--none of which ever have had ANY problems with rotors. The torque mount has been known to go on the old ones (replaced mine on the '92 at 140k.) The temp gauge in only an indication of cold/hot, not actual temp. When it gets too hot, the PCM kicks the fan on. Where the gauge reads when it kicks on is irrelevant (as long as it does so before it hits the red!) T56gen3 |
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| My '93 SL1 just flipped 170k on the odo, and it never ceases to amaze me. The original owner didn't take care of it at all...the oil was changed so infrequently that it stained the dipstick black. My Taurus SHO was dying though, so I had to get something decent, and fast. I flushed the engine once, and always change the oil at 3k, so no probs there. I check it about once a week, and it's never used more than a quart between changes. What I've had to replace... Alternator (was squealing because of bad bearing), coolant temp sensor (it idled a little over 1 grand, pinged, and the cooling fan wouldn't come on when hot), starter (it let me know it was going and gave me 3 more starts), and most recently the radiator because of a small crack. I do the regular maintenance: plugs/wires, oil changes, clean the throttle body regularly, and it always ran better than our '95 SL2 (presently dead after hitting a concrete wall head on)... with more than twice the mileage. My Saturn has never once stranded me, and regularly gets 35mpg and up, even with my lead foot. I still have the factory exhaust, suspension, engine, tranny, even a/c charge. I think so many people have problems because they don't do any of the maintenance, just drive it until it breaks. | |
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I'm getting to this thread late, but I'd like to interrupt the Saturn love feast with my tales of woe, accumulated during over 151,000 miles of Chicago expressway commuting. When I bought my '92 SL2, I opted for the extended warranty. I felt like an idiot for a little while - until stuff started to break. At 10 months of age, the clutch master cylinder failed in the middle of a major Chicago intersection. A few months later the steering gear went. Then the alternator failed. One of those dopey plastic buttons holding the hood blanket on fell into the HVAC blower and had to be extracted. The muffler strap rotted off. The left rear brake caliper locked up (from boredom, maybe?) Three of the four ABS wire brackets have rotted off the struts; one of the wires wrapped around and sliced a CV boot, resulting in a halfshaft replacement. The front wheel bearings went. The A/C started going south; during the subsequent visit to my friendly Saturn retailer they sucked out all my R12 (why was Saturn using R12 in the first place, when they knew it was going away?), "found" a leak, and refused to return my Freon. I came in with a little air and left with none, and paid $36 for the privilege (they tried to charge me $100.) The engine mounts went away. The headlights stopped working when the wiring corroded through. A clutch job at 108K miles (good) cost $1050 (bad) - and then cost another $150 when the clutch hydraulic unit subsequently failed again (ugly.) All the IP bulbs burned out at once. The windshield wiper spindles seized solid in mid-winter. The driver's seat back broke off. The alternator failed again. The only reason I still have this car is that it's paid for and it runs. Otherwise, there's nothing to recommend it. Nine and a half years down the line, it's now inexplicably running hot, and the clear coat is starting to flake off the front end of the car. This car has received conscientious maintenance, with fresh Quaker State every 3,000 miles since its purchase. Nevertheless, it has burned/dripped two quarts of oil every 3,000 miles for years (the Saturn guys tell me it doesn't), and I carry a case of 5W-30 in my trunk. Its mileage has never been better than a mediocre 30 mpg; on the rare long highway run it'll get 33. And get this - on my plastic car, the little steel bars that split the back door windows are both rusting away. Who knows what else is rusting away under there? I've found Saturn retailer personnel to be the same creepy Scotchgard-and-Ziebart peddlers that you'd find at any other dealership (probably because all the Saturn shops are owned by the old-time hacks anyway), and that there's nothing in a Saturn service bay that you can't get at a local garage better and cheaper. Somebody else can have my share of Saturn warm fuzzies; next time I'm shopping elsewhere.
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just bought a new Saturn 2001 L200 4 cyl. cold starts real rough so I took it back to service and they told me it seems to be losing coolant into the engine. This car has 6440 miles and I am breaking out. I want to give it back and get my money back............. any suggestion... |
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