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Need help diagnosing a problem

R

RightIsWrong

Diamond Member
Here's the issue: I left work one day last week and found that my car wouldn't start. The first thing that I thought was that I left the lights on and the battery was dead. Then I happened to notice that the overhead light was on (bright not dim) and the radio came on along with the digital dash and all of the dash lights. Then I realized that the car wasn't even trying to turn over. No clicks or anything.

Thankfully, it's a 5 speed so I just popped the clutch and drove home. I thought that if it was the alternator, that the drive home would give me some pretty strong signals. Nothing. The battery has stayed strong, no discharge signals....nothing.

I ruled out the ignition fuses via physical inspection. I have since come to the very novice conclusion that it is either the starter or solenoid but I don't want to replace/repair needlessly since the starter/solenoid on this thing is $150.

Does this sound like the problem or could it be something else that I am missing like an ignition relay?
 
I had this happen to me on my '96 SL2. It happened once around 95k ??? and once I was at 99k, it start happening every other day. Usually it only occurred when the vehicle was hot for some reason. It turned out that my starter was failing, so I replaced it with a new one from Autozone.

Also check the ECTS. It's possible that is causing the no-start condition as well. I don't remember if they switched to the updated brass tipped ECTS in 2001 or 2002.

If you are nearing 100k and haven't replaced the fuel filter, you should do so. On the late model S-Series, they bundle the fuel pressure regulator and filter into one unit and it runs about $100 for the part alone IIRC.
 
Thanks for the info. We just bought the car about a month ago used with 140k on it. We felt that we got a pretty good deal on it (paid $2500) and if this is the only thing that happens....we'll still believe so.

I will check on those items though. 🙂

Edit: Would the ECTS have any role in the problem if the car had been sitting for almost 9 hrs or even overnight? The car has not run hot in the time that we have had it.
 
Those cars last a very long time. I have 112k on my '96 SL2 and it has plenty of life left in it.

Make sure you check the oil at every fill-up until you have an idea of what the oil consumption is like. These engines tend to consume a lot of oil but it doesn't affect the longevity. We have one guy over on Saturnfans who has 522,000 miles + on his '95 SL2 Automatic, but he consumes 1 qt every 200 miles.
 
LOL....I just found and was reading a thread about how to change the ECTS on Saturnfans.

Edit: I'm signing up for an acct on there....do you want me to list you as a referrer? If so, I'll need you s/n.
 
Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
LOL....I just found and was reading a thread about how to change the ECTS on Saturnfans.

Edit: I'm signing up for an acct on there....do you want me to list you as a referrer? If so, I'll need you s/n.
Click to expand...

My S/N is The Critic, it doesn't matter either way to me.

Even if your ECTS isn't giving your problems, if you still have the plastic one, I would change it out as preventive maintenance anyway as it's likely to give you problems sooner or later.

$15 and I can do it in 5 min with my eyes closed. 😉
 
Originally posted by: thecritic
Those cars last a very long time. I have 112k on my '96 SL2 and it has plenty of life left in it.

Make sure you check the oil at every fill-up until you have an idea of what the oil consumption is like. These engines tend to consume a lot of oil but it doesn't affect the longevity. We have one guy over on Saturnfans who has 522,000 miles + on his '95 SL2 Automatic, but he consumes 1 qt every 200 miles.
Click to expand...

Due to the valve gasket? Mine leaked like a bitch post 120,000, so I just epoxy'd the sucker on. Didn't leak for another 100,000 before I ditched it like a bad habit and got a truck.
 
Originally posted by: Izusaga
Originally posted by: thecritic
Those cars last a very long time. I have 112k on my '96 SL2 and it has plenty of life left in it.

Make sure you check the oil at every fill-up until you have an idea of what the oil consumption is like. These engines tend to consume a lot of oil but it doesn't affect the longevity. We have one guy over on Saturnfans who has 522,000 miles + on his '95 SL2 Automatic, but he consumes 1 qt every 200 miles.
Click to expand...

Due to the valve gasket? Mine leaked like a bitch post 120,000, so I just epoxy'd the sucker on. Didn't leak for another 100,000 before I ditched it like a bad habit and got a truck.
Click to expand...

Not really, these engines just consume oil due to ring problems. The later model S-Series are a lot better, but they weren't completely immune.

I've never had a valve cover gasket leak on me, but I had the spark plug tube seals fail on me at around 70k and caused my cyl #1 tube to fill up with oil.
 
I threw a rod at around 88k and had to replace the engine. Picked up one with 120k on it and it had a cracked valve cover which caused the leakage initially. Picked up a replacement cover cheap and had a shop in town do it while I was at work (didn't have a garage at the time, nor the tools to work on engines easily). Guy didn't torque the valve cover back on but used a drill instead. Warped the cover (or probably just cracked/warped the gasket) and leaked from then on in. 2 gaskets later I just sealed it up and said screw it for another 100k.
 
If it is the starter then rockauto.com has one for $96 and advance has them for $128. Rockauto you would have to wait a little whiel to get it but they alos have 10% off coupons as well.
 
It could be one of two items:

On some cars, the contacts fail in the
Igintion Switch .. when that happens
the Solenoid on the starter does not work,

It can very easily be just the Solenoid on the
Starter .. all that is a High Current relay which
also moves the gear to engage the flywheel.
They do wear out the contacts with time.
Or you could just replace the whole starter motor.
 
Before you go and repair anything big, test the battery properly with a tester that can put a load on it. The lights and dashboard take vastly less power than cranking the engine over and it's possible to have bright lights and fully-functioning radio/dash without having enough power to crank the engine.

Otherwise, I think that bruceb has the most common issues.

ZV
 
One last thing to check before you spend the big bucks. There is a lock out switch on the clutch pedal so you can't start the car in gear, with the clutch engaged, unless it is in neutral. Maybe one of the Saturn gurus here knows exactly where it's located. You should be able to bypass it to check it.
 
Zen's post is dead on, my 01 SC1 had its battery die... enough not to crank but the lights were good. Easy check before you rip into heavy duty stuff.
 
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