1997 Saturn SL - Page 8 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

That sounds like a security system malfunction. I had a sunfire that did the same thing. You can call gm, and they will give you a code to deactivate it. Sometimes you have to take it to them to get it reset. Hope this helps.

on the front of the engine there are two coil packs, and underneath them an ignition module. go to a junkyard and get another set, they are all about the same 91-99. if that does not work then you are looking at another computer. i am assuming you have actually checked and there is no spark at the plugs and that the plug wires are in good shape.

Hope this helps ??

Disconnect your car battery for 5 minutes. Reconnect and retry.

My guess is it has something to do with the anti theft security system. This is the system that has to do with that little black chip in the shaft of you key. Is the SECURITY light lit up on the dash when you put the key in? If you see it at all, this is your problem. Check this link for info http://vatspasslockpasskeysecurityhelp.yolasite.com/ and answers to the problem.

The horn is located at the front of the vehicle near the radiator. Before you even look at the horn, check the fuse - the horn has its own fuse. Then check the horn relay and then the horn. Lastly, if the horn still does not work check the horn switch/button

well if you look on www.youtube.com there is a nice guy who has some saturn repair videos. one of them is how to troubleshoot the wiper switch, part of the multifunction device under the steering wheel. this is done from the wiper motor connections so you are going to have to pull the wiper motor out to get at the connections. while you have it out replace it in case it turns out the switch is good. your problem it is one of the two parts and saturns had a long history of short lived wiper motors.

PURGE SOLENOID VALVE LOCATED ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOLLOW THE PCV VALVE VACUUM HOSE CONNECTS TO PURGE SOLENOID VALVE.PURGE SOLENOID VALVE WILL HAVE VACUUM LINE THAT CONNECTS TO EVAP CANISTER TO REAR OF FUEL TANK AREA.

That shake is probably due to a bad cylinder. This means you are missing either one of the three...
no spark
no fuel at the cylinder (Bad injector)
No compression
You need to test these to know.

Hi there, this is your sender unit that teh wires connect to on the radiator. Basically when the radiator heats up to approx 95 degrees Celcius the sender unit makes a contact that creates a circuit to drive the fan. If this is malfunctioning the circuit will not be made and the fan will not run.

hope this helps
iain

Reconnect the battery, the engine needs the initial power provided by the battery to start the car, then the power is provided by the alternator

Are you sure youre not getting a spark? pull a plug wire off the plug of a cylinder and put it on another spare spark plug and crank the motor and look for a spark. If you have spark then its a fuel issue. check your fuel pump. Also be aware of alarm systems and immobolizers if you have them. what i mean is do you have to program your keys? if your keys are not programed then there won't be a spark, even if it fits and can turn it to start. Or if an after market alarm system is stuck on lock.

No - I don't believe that if you have those codes that your problem would be a head gasket. Saturns are kind-of a wierd animals. They use spark duration on the ignition coils to determine camshaft position. They don't actually have a Camshaft Position Sensor like most cars. If you are getting a Camshaft Sensor code, the most likely problem is worn out spark plugs, bad spark plug wires, a bad ignition coil, or a bad ignition module. If the vehicle has not had a tune-up in a long time, I would try plugs and wires first. If this doesn't work, I would replace the ignition coils. This will usually fix it. I have had a couple howerver, that ended up with a bad ignition module (the thing that the coils mount on) but this is somewhat rare.

The head gasket needs replaced. This particular Saturn is known for having this exact problem, and 9 out of 10 times, replacing the head gasket fixes it. I just did it myself for $35.

Go to checker/autozone and get a head gasket (should just need the gasket and not the entire kit) and a tube of RTV silicon grease to help make the seal.

Unhook everything from the engine (plugs, wires, etc, and unscrew the head. There should be about 10 or so screws surrounding the black plastic head cover. You'll find things a mess in here, but clean it up best you can. Remove the old gasket and clean the entire gasket area completely and make sure its dry. Put down your RTV grease, the new gasket, some more RTV, and screw the head back on. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SCREW IT TOO TIGHT. The screws only need to be snug. Tighten it like you would a spark plug. Put everything back together and you should be good to go. Might run like **** the first half mile or so.

when you say it won`t turn over do you mean it tries to turn over with the starter or it won`t start.if you mean it won`t turn over then when it dries out a bit(water has drained from electrical components)try it again.if it still wont then its possible it may have sucked up water into the cylinder.pull the plugs and try to turn the motor over.if it does then this is the problem.if you mean it won`t start then let it dry still for water in a component may cause electrical issues when wet.just suggestions.

There are two things is can be. If the liquid is clear, it is condensation from the A/C evaporator coil and the drain is stopped up. The coil has a drain that drains out under the car, that drain can get stopped up with road debris. Now if the liquid is colored and smells like anti freeze, you have a heater core leaking and it will have to be replaced.

Have someone replace the broken
exhaust system part !!!!

We don't have your car to examine & answer that question

Have it checked again and repaired at a local shop
that does A/C work. Not all repair shops do

I would look into the coolant sensor. (assuming you have the 1.9 liter) Its' located on the drivers side of the cylinder head, with a small two wire harness connected. These go bad and send the wrong temperature reading to the computer, so it will thinks it's extremely cold out, and dump more fuel. I have had this issue on a couple of saturns I have worked on. The best way to diagnose it is to hook up a scanner, and see what the coolant temperature is. Then you are not guessing.

The 96-99 saturns had a special 3 wire horn which included its own relay. You need to have someone troubleshoot your horn. It sits under the driver side head light assembly and is not hard to get at if you have a few basic tools. You can NOT replace it with a generic 2 wire horn. The little horn buttons in the steering wheel have been know to go bad also, so before you start replacing parts spend a few bucks and pay someone to figure out whether the horn is good or not.