Electrical Parts -- Which Vendors are Part of the SAME COMPANY
 

Anyone know what changed?

They had to add a missfire monitor for OBD2. I don't know what else.

Thanks.


I have found 1 source for an AC Delco replacement 93-95 but it is re numbered by AC Delco but valid for only the same 93-95 Saturn S car application.
And whereas the old part number seemed to include the ICM + 2 coils, the renumbered part that claims to be an equivalent is only the ICM.


Is Standard Motor Products a reliable brand?
It's that or Airtex /Wells who makes a cheap version and a better version. Whenever I see Airtex Wells products on RockAuto, they are usually the cheapest brand so I avoid.


Standard seems to be the high end of what the retail stores offer.....


Price of Standard vs AC Delco is about 25%.


Is AC Delco worth it, given that the last few items I've purchased were made in China and/or Taiwan? (stereotyping quality issues)

Definitely want to avoid the Airtex/Wells crap, derf. Both are low end cheap junk, just as you expected. I'm not familiar with the Standard Motor Products. Who sells them?

Just remember Rube --- you asked.....


As usual, this parts search has expanded into a fustercluck of interwoven manufacturers , wrong part # cross references, and seemingly duplicate offerings by the same company for the same application -- some of which are still available, some of which aren't.


1) Standard Motor Products is related to BWD but they are 2 separate product lines
2) BWD is apparently the in house brand for AdvanceAuto
3) Eclhin seems to be the NAPA in house and usually only brand for NAPA electronics. Guess what, it's part of Standard Motor Products.


So Eclhin, SMP, and BWD are all part of the same company
And parts offered as CARQUEST by BWD are then also from this group


Then there's GM
In their efficient wisdom, I must have dug up 1 orig part # and 5 alternate numbers for this ICM. The part was used only on Saturn S cars from 93-95. How many part numbers do you need for the same part? Did some represent incremental improvements? Shouldn't need a new part # for that.


Then there's AC Delco, crossrefing different revised part numbers than RockAuto has. Of course the ACDelco specified by Rock Auto seems to be as extinct as the original GM part. Of several I have found ONE source for an AC Delco CLAIMING to be the correct substitute per the AC Delco site.


So my questions are


How would you rank the quality of the ignition parts manufacturers in today's world?


AC Delco
SMP/Standard line
SMP/Eclhin line
SMP/BWD line


THANKS


I know I am spending an inordinate amount of time searching for this part but I need the reliability as it is no longer my car and I do not want to have to keep feeding it cheap parts as that is a 120 mi round trip. It may be 21 years old, but the 1st 20 were pretty damn smooth. My nephew has had one thing after another pop up and I don't like to feel like I gave him a piece of junk that does noting but cost him money. There's a reason I gifted it to him -- and this is not it. Yes things reach their end of life after 2 decades -- I have with few exceptions gone OEM for decades and had nothing but smooth sailing. So smooth that I had no idea something this simple (AC Delco replacement) would be hard to find


Consider me awakened to the perils of older Saturn ownership (past)

When the ICM failed on my old Ranger, I bought a BWD unit and it worked fine... The one stock coil I bought for my Redline was also a BWD unit, and it worked great until I put the ZZP coils on... I would say that given the advanced age of the car a non GM part will probably last for the remainder of the service life...

I'm a Mopar man, derf. Soooo, I'm not familiar with any of the other stuff except the Echlin line from NAPA. And it's been over 30 years since I used any of it. But as I recall, it was good quality stuff at the time.

I use Echlin or O.E.M. for electrical. Echlin did not make a perfect replacement fender mounted starter solenoid for my Ford chassis motorhome. I purchased a ST404 Echlin solenoid and modified it with my die grinder. It fits perfectly now. I only use O.E.M. Fuel pumps.

Thanks folks.

Echlin it is.

It's moments like this(3:45 AM) that I truly appreciate the the Saturnforum experience.

No one person knows everything; everyone comes from different backgrounds with different personal experiences, and the sum of everyone's input allows others to gain the necessary knowledge to make an educated decision on how to address a situation.

Or, more succinctly -- you guys rock.

For future reference I have used alot of standard motor product's products and have never had any issues with them. Most of the sensors on the satty rebuild were smp, and there is a handful of thier replacements in the diesel and bronco. Rockauto is a beautiful thing because you get to see every brand and price offered and stick with preferred brands instead of chineseium, and if OEM (or I cant find who made the OEM unit) are astronomically expensive I will normally default to SMP unless I see another brand that I know and trust

Geez, reading this I am amazed at brand names I have never heard of or even give thought of that they exist. IHAVE HAD LITTLE NEED OF ELECTRONIC PARTS FOR cars, and what I have purchased worked. China has long since made quality parts and for years have been the only source for reproduction manufacturing for hobby cars of little interest due to cost of manufacturing with permission and overseeing by OEM not to mention those cars out of production and companies gone in part due to lack of recognition of patents. What is surprising is seeing a paper trail as an authorized GM part. Yet GM is selling Buicks manufactured in China!
It seems we have become as predicted, a service country and farmed out manufacturing to the lowest bidder country, The next generation can look forward to working for Taco Bell.
Rock Auto is very good at becoming a Drop Ship Corporation. They do not seem to keep their own inventory but have nation wide taps into others with access

Well wouldn't you know it....I found the original 95 GM ICM I swapped out as part of a troubleshooting session in 2006. Since the change made no difference, I just left the "then new one" in there.

I always save used parts that are still functional.

This is why.

Guess I get to spend 2 Benny's on the next surprise.

The visual differences between the 93-95 and 96-02 are that the 93-95 has a six pin and a five pin connector, while the 96-02 has a single 6 pin connector. Haven't checked the wiring diagrams to see what's different

Installation is on Thursday