1995 Saturn SL2 Repairs

Discussion in 'Saturn S-series' started by Jeremy Byrn, Aug 30, 2003.

  1. Jeremy Byrn

    Jeremy Byrn Guest

    I bought my '95 Saturn a year ago for $3,000. I noticed shortly
    thereafter that it was consuming oil at an incredible rate... approx 1
    quart every 300-400 miles.

    I don't know if I accidentally added too much one day or what, but I
    was driving home on the freeway at speeds a little faster than I
    normally drove (maybe 85mph), and when I got off the freeway and
    slowed down, the car was running very rough. Ever since then, it
    would die if I took my foot off the gas pedal such as when I would be
    stopped at a red light. I'd have to put it in neutral and keep the
    RPM's up or it would die.

    So I decided to try and improve things by replacing the spark plugs --
    when I did that, I noticed that two of the four plugs had OIL all over
    them. There was apparently a bunch of oil in two of the cylinders --
    definitely a bad sign!!

    So I took the car to the shop and they did the following:

    1) Replaced engine head gasket, spark plugs, and various hoses.
    2) Oil and filter change (they said it needed an oil change very badly
    -- I had not been having it changed because I was constantly adding
    new oil since it burned so much and I thought it always had new oil
    anyways, but apparently there was a lot of slime and gunk that needed
    to be gotten out).
    3) Replace two tires and rims
    4) Replace tie rod ends
    5) 4-wheel alignment and balancing
    6) Replace brake light switch and right turn signal bulb
    7) Emissions testing and inspection

    Total Bill: $1,120

    My main concern is, once I'm finished paying off this bill and I have
    my car back from the mechanic, is my engine really going to last much
    longer? The mechanic said there is still a problem with one of the
    cylinders, and who knows how much damage was caused by not changing
    the oil. Are replacement engines available, or is it cheaper to have
    an engine repaired?

    I would like for this car to go another 100,000 miles. Is that
    unreasonable? It already has 100k on it.

    Jeremy
     
    Jeremy Byrn, Aug 30, 2003
    #1
  2. Jeremy Byrn

    Lane Guest

    The oil on the plugs may have also been because of the valve cover gasket
    leaking. They commonly leak around the plug wells, and then the wells fill
    up with oil. When removing the plug, it gets oil on it. I've had this
    happen.

    Oil consumption can get this bad if someone (previous owner?) neglects oil
    changes. But, even though it's thirsty, if you keep the level where it
    should be the motor will probably still last a long time.

    Watch eBay for engine deals. I got one with 39k on it for a couple hundred
    bucks off eBay.

    Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]
     
    Lane, Aug 31, 2003
    #2
  3. Jeremy Byrn

    Barnabas Guest

    That's exactly what my '94 did. The valve cover gasket leaks and the plug
    wells fill up with oil. I've been ignoring it for over 50,000 miles since
    there don't seem so be any other adverse effects.

     
    Barnabas, Sep 2, 2003
    #3
  4. Jeremy Byrn

    Detector195 Guest

    The oil leak sounds like it was for real, but you may still have
    another problem. The stalling sounds like the typical Saturn sticky
    EGR valve, which is exacerbated by oil burning. The two times that it
    has happened on my '95 SW2, the Check Engine light did not come on at
    first, but only after the second or third stalling episode.
     
    Detector195, Sep 4, 2003
    #4
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