Several times in the last couple of weeks, we have had the following problem. After backing out of the garage (parking spot, etc.) and putting the car into Drive, I step on the gas and it acts like it is going to stall. A couple of times it actually did stall. I even had the problem after driving a couple hundred feet out of my neighborhood, as I was about to drive onto the main road. I've really only had the problem in the first two minutes of running the car. Outside temperatures have been 60-100 F recently. The car is a 98 SL2 with 93000 miles. The things I've done to it most recently are: 1. Attempt to solve the 'bang into reverse' problem as described here (seems to have worked, by the way): http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=23670 2. As I was doing that, the coolant cap leaked, so I flushed and refilled the coolant and replaced the cap. What sorts of things could cause this problem?
When was it last tuned? At 93K, it is time for replacement of wires along with the regular spark plug change. Are the plugs gapped properly? When was the air filter and fuel filter last replaced? When was the throttle body last cleaned? Does the engine warm up normally according to the temperature gauge since you flushed and refilled the coolant? Bob
Bob, thanks for the reply. I changed the spark plugs at 90k miles, but I didn't change the wires. I didn't notice any of the items that Haynes says to look for (corrosion, burns, cracks, etc). I haven't checked the resistance of the wires. I can do that later when the car comes home. The air filter is OK. It is a K&N and I check it when I change the oil. I haven't changed the fuel filter since I started doing most of my own maintenance, so that probably hasn't been done in the last 30k miles. Same with the throttle body. The engine warms up normally, according to the guage. Since I'm overdue for a fuel filter and cleaning the throttle body is supposedly cheap and easy, I'll try those first. I'll also check the resistance of the wires.
I had to change the plug wires at 50 K Resistance check means nothing , it is the Insulation that breaks down . If it is a little worse on a humid or rainy day , it probably is the wires . If you replace them , only do 1 wire at a time so they dont get mis-wired . I used aftermarket silicone wires , saturn parts are not that great anyhow . tim
According to the computer and a book at Autozone, 98's don't have a serviceable fuel filter. Indeed, my owner's manual says nothing about a fuel filter (probably why I didn't change it at 90k miles). Haynes says to change it every 30k miles, but they don't get all of the changes between model years. I did clean the throttle body tonight (sort of). I lacked a deep socket needed to get it off, so I cleaned it with a toothbrush and paper towels in place. It doesn't stick as much now as it did just after I started cleaning it. Stupid me, I didn't check it before I started cleaning, so I can't compare that. After reassembling everything, I started the car and it ran as before (tried to stall in Drive). My wires still look good. I tested the resistance, and they are between 3.5k and 7.5k ohms. Running the engine in the dark reveals no sparks at all.
I can't believe there is no fuel filter, but if it runs fine at speed, I doubt this would be the problem anyway. If you got the throttle body and plate clean, then that would eliminate this as a possible cause. I doubt it would be the wires, but suggest they be replaced sometime soon if they are original and you have the miles stated. Next areas to investigate in my mind would be the fuel injectors and computer feedback sensors. Maybe someone else on the newsgroup has a different thought. Good luck! Bob
I replaced the spark plug wires tonight, but didn't expect or see any change. I'll try to more thoroughly clean the throttle body when I get the right tool to remove it. I'll let you know how that goes.
After getting a deep socket set, I took the throttle body off and cleaned it some more. No change. I called the parts counter at the dealership to ask about a fuel filter. They said that on this car, it is integrated with the fuel pressure regulator, and costs about $100. Not wanting to throw that much money at something that may or may not solve the problem, I opted not to get that right now (it also doesn't sound very fun to change). Someone suggested I call the service manager at Saturn. I did that, and I told him that I didn't really want to take the car 100 miles to them so that they could fix it, if it was something I could do easily at home. After describing the problem, he suggested the coolant temperature sensor, and told me it was easy to change. I found one in town for $9 and changed it (with one of my new deep sockets). The old sensor head was cracked right in half. So that was a good sign. I drove it half a mile to Wal-Mart to get some more coolant (it lost a lot more than I had expected). Of course, the coolant lights were flashing, but I ran just fine! I refilled the coolant, and will have my wife tell me how it runs tomorrow.
It did solve the problem. Several test drives today confirmed that. Extra kudos go the sevrice dept at Saturn of Bakersfield for pointing me in the right direction even though I wouldn't be bringing my car to him for repair.
Make sure that you got the brass one. The plastic ones (the kind that Saturn originally installed in the cars) are really failure prone.
It's on the right side of the engine behind and a little lower than a coolant hose. Remove the electrical wires and then you'll need a 12 mm deep socket. Be prepared to lose a quart or two of coolant.
