New owner of one owner 02 SL2 Auto
#7
09-06-2014, 12:39 PM
But to answer your question, follow the maintenance schedule listed in the owners manual, change the oil when the little monitor tells you to although I prefer 10w30 over 5w30, but thats just me.
One exception would be that you change the transmission fluid (ATF) every 30k miles. Drain and replace the spin on filter and then refill, do not flush or allow someone to flush it. Use Dexron VI instead of Dexron III. This maybe a little overkill but its cheap compared to a new transmission.
Do not let anyone convince you that Dexcol is bad for your cooling system, it is fine as long as it gets changed every 5 years or so. You can also use a universal long life coolant instead if you want but do not use the old fashioned green stuff. Never use any flush chemicals in the cooling system. I prefer to not flush the cooling system with anything, just drain and refill. The residual old coolant will do less damage than the minerals found in tap water. Use only the correct antifreeze and distilled water.
The only thing that you flush is the brakes and I typically do mine when I change the pads. If you have anti-lock brakes, then they need to be flushed every two years. Do not drain the brakes, just suck out the brake fluid form the master cylinder with a bulb and fill with fresh brake fluid. Then attach a short 1/8" dia vinyl hose to each bleed screw and open each screw until fresh fluid comes out. Watch the level in the Master cylinder and do not allow it to empty.
If you have anti lock and you follow the procedures above and do not have anyone stepping on the brakes to bleed the system, you will not get air into the system and you will not damage the anti lock system. Just gravity flush.
Edit: I recently sold my 02 SL with 275k miles. It has been the most reliable car I've ever owned and that includes a slew of Honda's, Toyota's and Nissan's. I have 97 Nissan Pickup that I bought new that is a close second though.
One last thought, use this board. Anytime you have an issue, come here first. Saturn's have some unique issues that are really simple if you know about them. A mechanic that is not familiar may waste a lot of your money trying to fix something that can be fixed easily and cheaply.
One exception would be that you change the transmission fluid (ATF) every 30k miles. Drain and replace the spin on filter and then refill, do not flush or allow someone to flush it. Use Dexron VI instead of Dexron III. This maybe a little overkill but its cheap compared to a new transmission.
Do not let anyone convince you that Dexcol is bad for your cooling system, it is fine as long as it gets changed every 5 years or so. You can also use a universal long life coolant instead if you want but do not use the old fashioned green stuff. Never use any flush chemicals in the cooling system. I prefer to not flush the cooling system with anything, just drain and refill. The residual old coolant will do less damage than the minerals found in tap water. Use only the correct antifreeze and distilled water.
The only thing that you flush is the brakes and I typically do mine when I change the pads. If you have anti-lock brakes, then they need to be flushed every two years. Do not drain the brakes, just suck out the brake fluid form the master cylinder with a bulb and fill with fresh brake fluid. Then attach a short 1/8" dia vinyl hose to each bleed screw and open each screw until fresh fluid comes out. Watch the level in the Master cylinder and do not allow it to empty.
If you have anti lock and you follow the procedures above and do not have anyone stepping on the brakes to bleed the system, you will not get air into the system and you will not damage the anti lock system. Just gravity flush.
Edit: I recently sold my 02 SL with 275k miles. It has been the most reliable car I've ever owned and that includes a slew of Honda's, Toyota's and Nissan's. I have 97 Nissan Pickup that I bought new that is a close second though.
One last thought, use this board. Anytime you have an issue, come here first. Saturn's have some unique issues that are really simple if you know about them. A mechanic that is not familiar may waste a lot of your money trying to fix something that can be fixed easily and cheaply.
Last edited by keith; 09-06-2014 at 12:46 PM.
#8
09-06-2014, 03:24 PM
Sorry for the confusion guys lol. I had a 99 SL2 auto before this one and it had 218k before it was totaled in an accident ,ran great too. Luckily i found this one. I actually just did the coolant two months ago with Dexcool. Shifts good ,no reverse slam (knock on wood lol) .My Ultra Gauge is showing code p0341 so i am gonna do the plugs and wires ,according to suggestions i've read. Any thoughts before i do so? Thanks!
#9
09-06-2014, 10:44 PM
If the car is good use at least a 10W30 motor oil in it and pay attention to usage to find out if it is burning any. My 94 doesn't burn a drop, but it has had proper weight oil in it since for ever. 10W30 initially and right now 20W50 due to the fact it is still in triple digits. Temperature wise.
With normal care 300,000 miles is not unusual.
With normal care 300,000 miles is not unusual.
