Hello all,

Have found some resourceful info on here as a lurker, decided to register and help contribute, ask detailed questions on my 98 Saturn SL2.

Background info:
I purchased the car about 2 years ago for $1200. Over the past two years it has been a great car. Has about 240k miles on it, and I have done little maintenance/repairs on it.

But lately I have had to do a few repairs and fixes. So I have a few questions that hopefully I can get some feedback to resolve. For the past 6 months or so my car was running hot when stopped in park or idle. I found a leak on my water pump, so I replaced the pump/gasket, thermostat and the temperature sensor(which was cracked and busted) After all that was fixed, the car seems to have no issues running hot, however the low coolant light still flashes. Does this need to be reset? Or is there something else I may need to do?

Also, my "Service Engine Soon" light has been on for awhile. I know I could probably get this answered by going to Auto Zone and having them run a test on it, but was wondering if this light is on because of some bogging issues I have.
I get great gas mileage. Full tank can get me around 350 miles. But when I drive, especially up a hill, the car bogs when Im pushing on the gas and I have to almost punch it to get it to go. Then the car shakes out of its bog, revs to like 4000rpm's and takes off. Does this quite often. Is this an O2 sensor issue, or more along the lines of throttle body/throttle body sensor?

Any info or help would be greatly appreciated!

 

You need to get the code(s) read, otherwise you are just shooting in the dark. Post the actual code here (P0xxx) and we will be happy to help.

 

Sounds good, I will go do that today and post the results. I kind of figured Id be shooting in the dark if I didnt, and end up replacing 15 things in the process.

 

Crankshaft Sensor was bad. Bought a new one, will replace this weekend. So just a heads up for anyone having similar symptoms.

Also found that 1st gear was bad. I did some googling and found that I have the "Reverse Slam" issue with my car. Which I had suspected there was some type of transmission error.

Upon reading more online I found that one of the best resolves for this is changing the fluid and filter, refilling and then keeping in reverse with engine on for 20 minutes. Guy at part store agreed, but said to be aware that sometimes when a car goes as long as mine with transmission fluid change(240k from what Im aware of) that sometimes it can cause issues, cause the removal of fluid could loosen things that the old fluid had been "keeping in place." What are your guys thoughts on doing this?

 

Stop in the new member area and give yourself a proper intro. Then go into the user cp open your signature and add your first name, location, and car.

 

Hmmmm, I've never heard of leaving one in reverse for 20 minutes. What the heck is that supposed to accomplish? Did the crank sensor cure your bogging problem? If not, I'd think you need to check your catalytic converter. It could be coming apart and stopping up. But please do what sw2cam asked you to do before replying to posts, okay? Thanks

 

I attempted to change the crankshaft sensor yesterday. Good lord, the starter is going to be a nightmare to get off to get to the sensor. Will have to wait til this weekend. I have a friend who has a shop with a pit. That may be the best bet because the room allowed near the starter is slim to none. Or if I can find some ramps to use. Cause a simple jack and jack stand doesnt give me enough room to work.

Heres the info I found on fixing the reverse slam. Alot of people have said that this has fixed their issue:

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23670

 

Not sure why my signature is not showing, I have it updated in the User CP. Can even see it in the "Signature Preview."

Edit-There it goes.

 

Thanks for that link, Judobrad. I just had my SES light come on and I ran the codes on it. Got an 11 and a 26 from the SES and then the HOT light came on and flashed more codes. I counted a 72, 74 and 81 and they are NOT in my Haynes manual. Closest I can find are a 75 and 78 which indicate 3rd and 4th gear are stuck on. Makes no sense to me, but the damn thing does feel like it's slipping between changing gears. I changed the fluid and filter 10 days ago and added some Lucas transmission treatment. I'm currently trying the reverse slam procedure while I'm typing this. I'll let y'all know if it works.

 

Great, look forward to hearing how it works for you. I was planning on trying the reverse slam fix this evening when I get home from work. I have found this resolution on other sites across the web. Says it works for the majority of people but not all. If I can be in that majority with this fix and postpone/bypass a valve body replacement, Im all for it.