Saturn S-Series

altanater is junk

probably forgot to take your parking brake all the way off, or it could be the switch for the parking brake

At the speed of a normal cruise ship, QE2 can move 125 feet per gallon.

At her high speed service speed (28.5 knots) she can move 50 feet per gallon.

#1 noise....loose exhaust

oil change is quite easy. first you need to raise your vehicle enough so you can get under it. I recommend using Jack stands for support, as jacks can sometimes fail while under load. under the vehicle there will be a large black metal pan with a bolt in the lower portion of it, faceing the rear of the vehicle. this is your oil drain plug. it uses a 14mm socket or wrench to loosen. place a catch pan under the plug and remove the plug slowly. the oil will come out with a bit of force, so position the catch pan accordingly. once the oil has come to a drip, replace the plug and tighten. If you have raised the vehicle high enough you should beable to reach the oil filter from underneith, if not you will have to go through the passanger side wheel well, and will probably have to remove the passanger tire. the oil filter is located on the back of the engine block on the passanger side, just above the drive axle. use of a oil filter band wrench, large pliers or channel locks my be necessary to losen the filter, depending on how tight the seal is. once the filter is off, check to make sure the oil filter seal is still on the oil filter! sometimes the seal will stick to the engine block, and the user will unknowingly install the new filter ontop of the old gasket. make sure the mounting plate is clean of any debris before installing a new oil filter. your most common oil filter will be a Fram PH3614. screw the oil filter on until hand tight, and give 1/4 of a turn to tighten fully. lower the car and remove the oil cap. the engine calls for 4.0 Qts of oil with a filter change. add the oil to the vehicle, replace the oil cap, start the engine and check under the car for any drips or leaks. if all is clear, turn engine off, check the oil dipstick for fullness and your done.

Hard shifts are not improved by any type of transmission fluid.

Your automatic transmission is controlled by a computer. When it detects certain faults, the computer puts the transmission into "high line pressure" mode, meaning that it's trying to protect itself.

If it's a really hard shift, it could be that the computer has detected a fault. On the other hand, if it doesn't shift hard when you're driving, it could just be that the idle speed is too high.

BTW, when the computer puts the transmission into "High Line", it also turns on the malfunction light.

Most likely you have a misfire caused by an intake manifold gasket leak at #1 cylinder.

That or basic misfire stuff like spark plugs or ignition wires. Check the intake

You don't you replace it.

switch removal 1. disconnect negative battery cable 2. remove the steering wheel 3. unplug the wires from the switch, remove the bolts and lift switch off steering column

ignition lock cylinder removal 1. disconnect negative battery cable 2. remove the steering wheel 3. remove the knee bolster and steering column cover screws 4. separate the steering column covers and pull the upper cover up for access to the lock release tab 5. with the key in the acc position, depress the release tab, then pull the lock cylinder straight out and remove it from the steering column.

Sounds easy right? Well, here are a few "details this guy left out. After you have disconnected the battery, and opened up the steering column, put the key in the switch. turn the key 2 clicks to the right (acc position). Here is the important missing detail, Facing the switch, look on the right side of the switch housing for a small (round) hole. It will be almost exactly the size if a wire clothes hanger. Next, get a wire coat hanger and cut it 6" and bend it in half, (this may need to be adjusted). Insert the hanger into the hole. You will need to position the hanger under the back of the lock. once the hanger is under the back lock, you may need to turn the CYLINDER back and forth to get a feel for where exactly the release tab is, you will feel it as you apply downward pressure to the handle part of your home made hanger tool. Now SLOWLY apply upward pressure to the tab inside the back of the lock, and turn the key slightly counter clockwise as you do, pull straight out. IT TOOK ME 3 HOURS TO FIGURE THIS PROCEDURE OUT, BUT I CAN GET ONE OUT IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS NOW. LESS THAN 1 MINUTE REMOVING ALL THE COLUMN AND SO FORTH. !! IT SHOULD!

Typically, it's caused by a worn or damaged window regulator motor, but it can also be caused by damaged guides, bad electrical connection or faulty switch.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell you WHY it isn't working without checking it out in person.

you may be able to get it scanned for codes for free from the local parts store. Could be anything from TPS throttle position sensor to MAF mass air flow etc etc. Hard to know w/o knowing engine codes.

this opperation is quite simple. the sensor is located on the back of the throttle body. It is held on by two Torx type screws. T15 i believe is the correct size if i am not mistaken. It may be easier to access the unit by removing the throttle body itself. the throttle body is held on by two 13mm bolts. the entire process should take no more then 15 minuites.

drain all antifreeze, take off the serpentine belt, unbolt the ac pump and move to the drivers side, unbolt the pully cover to water pump, unbolt the water pump, put new pump in with a NEW gasket do not reuse the gasket even if it looks good and then bolt it back on and replace the item that were remove in the opposite order and then refill the antifreeze run the car for 10 min or so to get the bubbles out of the system without the radiator cover on and then top off put cap on and your done about a 1.5 hour job

Saturn does not recommend changing the timing chain at any mileage. If fact I owned a 96 SL2 that went 240,000 miles and never had the timing chain changed. When I later pulled the engine apart I found the timing chain to still be very tight and it showed no signs of ware. Also read this... "It needs to be changed if it has excessive slack in it. Usually this is indicated by a noise that can be heard at idle and felt in the valve cover. It usually doesn't go away with increased speed. If you replace the chain, I'd also recommend changing the tensioner."

what does idle funny mean? Does the whole car shake? (upper engine mount collapsed) Or does the engine shake/misfire? (Intake manifold gasket)

To get to the dash lights, first you will need to remove the plastic shroud around your steering column. the bolt size is 7/32. use a Deepwell socket, 1/4 inch rachet and extention to reach into the shroud to loosen it. Remove the top portion of the shroud and set aside. the bezel around the cluster has two push pin style clips. push the centers in to loosen the clips. do not push to far, for the pins will push through and be lost in the dashboard. after the bazel is off, locate the two screw covers in the center of the upper dash plate. pry them off gently, and us a 7mm socket to remove the hold down bolts. pry the upper dash plate with some force to loosen the metal clips holding it in place. once the entire front edge is loose, lift up, and pull out to remove. there are two screws behind the cluster 8mm i believe, that hold the cluster in from behind. you can also disconnect the wireing harness at this point. in the front of the cluster in the lower left and right corners, 2 more screws hold the cluster in. remove these screws and the cluster should come out. you may have to tilt your steering wheel all the way down in order to fit it out.

check link below:

Huge PITA but it is possible. My alternator for the 4th time quit working last weekend. My dad changed it for me and it took him about 4 hours. If possible, pick up a shop manual available at any auto part store for the car and read. It's in an impossible space to get to, but it goes on a lot faster than it comes off. Good luck!

Answer

You have to get the ignition core to turn otherwise you will have to replace the housing. If you get it to turn, put it in the run position. On the right side of the ignition switch housing there will be a small hole (aobut 1/16 to 1/8) (2002 Saturn). using a piece of coat hanger (about 3 inches, insert it in the hole ( about 1 inch or so). This will allow you to PUSH/PRESS UPWARD on a spring loaded tab/latch (about 1 inch in. While pressing upward, Pull on the key or lightly pry the ignition core outward to remove the ignition core/cylider. However if you are having trouble, the key is most likely worn excessivly. You will need the key to pull on to get the cylinder out. IF THE KEY will not stay in the cylinder than USE A SCREWDRIVER to lightly pry out the core. If you are having trouble than here are two tips, turn the key slightly back I MEAN SLIGHTLY BACK and try again also if the vehcicle has an automatic transmission remove the shift interlock cable from under the housing this will be a black plastic piece right underneath the cylinder, here the key will probably break the 3 little plastic clips. No worrys... If and when you do this, simply reattach it by wraping a wire tie around it, if you are curious how i know this it is because I'm a technician that works at a Saturn dealership.

If your Ignition switch/core is like mine, you will notice a lot of metal shavings that wore off the key. VACUME this out... DO NOT BLOW the shavings into the ignition switch housing. With the ignition core out of the car, blow the shavings out of the core. Then use WD-40 and totally soak the ignition core to flush out even more shavings while luberacating the core. While doing this insert the key key into the core 5 or 10 time to brake loose any remaining shavings. Flush the core again with WD40, wipe it dry. Reinsert the core into the housing and it should work smoothly. If you find that it is still sticky, you key may be worn to the extent that it does not correctly avtivate the ingition core. Goe to your dealer to get a new key. DO NOT have a key cut using your old key as the model as the new key will be cut to the worn our model and not work.

Also, the Haynes Motor Manual for Saturn 2002 shows the wrong ignition switch/core. It's VERY frustrating. The above worked very well for my 2002 Saturn. Hope this helps;-)

Possible the power steering pump.

Diagnosis procedure:

remove serpentine belt. Run car BRIEFLY (1min) and listen for whine. No wine indicates bad power steering pump or alternator.

Spin each pully seeing if the wine can be replicated.

Should not back fire upon start up. Replace ECTS and see if that helps

My daughters 1997 Saturn SC2 coupe automatic transmission has no reverse? what would cause this?? and how can i fix it without replacing the transmission.

The firing order for the Saturn in-line 4 cylinder engine is: 1-3-4-2

Connect the plug wires to the coil pack (on the front surface of the engine block) in the following order (left to right) 4-1-3-2.

The Saturn has 2 coils, one coil controls cylinders 1 and 4. The other coil controls cylinders 3 and 2.

assuming your bolt is visible, check to make sure that there is atleast something left of the bolt head. If so, sears sells a set of specialized strip sockets by craftsman. some parts stores will Cary IRWIN brand, who also has a good set of strip sockets. these tools are not inexpensive, but do come in handy if you work on your own vehicle.

A blown piston ring is a major mechanical problem. The easiest way to determine this is by checking on a bluish tint of the exhaust smoke.

There is a relay on the top of the compressor that allows the clutch to engage. Check to see if it is bad by removing the relay and use a wire as a jumper while the car is running to see if the clutch engages. If the clutch engages once the jumper is in place then the relay is bad it cost under twenty dollars to replace.