Hi again, Thanks very much for the comments regarding changing the transmission fluid on my 2002 SL2. Regarding TLC, I guess I left the impression the car has had no attention. I’ve replaced the alternator, starting motor, rear bearings, brakes, plastic intake manifold, serpentine belt, failed driver side powered door lock, and various other smaller issues. I also recently got a great pair of genuine artificial leather seat covers that protect the front seats as they’re still in great condition. Aside from changing the trans fluid, the other issue is the A/C, it used to work fine but has lost coolant so I suspect a leak. If anyone has any ideas on this I’d appreciate hearing about it. Also, is there anywhere I can get the owner’s manual for this 2002 Saturn SL2, in PDF format online? So far, I’ve had no luck finding that. Thanks for any help, I think this is a pretty good website! If I should be posting this elsewhere in the site please let me know. Thanks again!

 

Thanks. Having done just about every maintenance item or common part replacement on the Astra, I may come of help.

 

it's not a pdf but it's the website almost everyone uses here. for repair/maintenance manuals. but if I find a page that's useful to me I just print to PDF the page i want Hope this helps!

https://charm.li/Saturn/2002/SL2%20L...OHC%20VIN%207/

 

Hi again, Thanks to tweakweak, for the link to the Saturn 2002 repair manual, also, thanks to everyone else for their help. I'm happy to report I did get the trans fluid and external filter replaced using the drain method and so far everything is working fine. I realize this didn't replace all the fluid but the guy at the shop said my old fluid looked to be in very good condition. The car's transmission feels very smooth when it shifts, I almost think it's a bit smoother than before. So far, it's working great! The next big project for this car is fixing the AC. I had it recharged once and was told by a very good shop that they couldn't find any leak, however that recharge lasted maybe two years and it needs recharging again. So, I'm thinking there must be a leak somewhere. If anyone has any info on this please let me know. Thanks again for all the help, Bill

 

You likely have a pinhole leak in the evaporator.

All you have to do is dismantle the entire dashboard to get to it. If you do, please write down a how to with socket sizes and pictures I mean fastener sizes. If you write up a how-to, I will make it a sticky.

I can't guarantee that's where it's leaking but if they can't find any other leak, it's a very very common spot in the AC system for the s cars. I need to rip apart my '95- and replace mine. Hard to drive in the summer without AC. Last time I refilled the system I think it lasted 4 months also known as the summer. I'm sure it's much worse now, and sitting with nothing in it for 2 years is highly undesirable to say the least. If I ever get truly serious about finishing restoring this car, I will be going after that.

 

Hi again, I thought I had posted a response to derf but I don't see it anywhere so I'll try again. Thanks derf for your comment on the AC. I'm not in a situation where I can work on the car myself. I was going to take it to a local shop, they said it'd be around $250 to recharge and fix a leak, however, I doubt that involves taking the dash apart. So, I don 't know what options might work for this. I know there are sealers for this but I don't know if that's a valid option. I guess I'll have to do more research about what options there might be. Any further comments would be very much appreciated. Thanks again, Bill

 

I'm surprised they would quote you to fix a leak they can't find. If you can get that on paper for a fixed cost and sign off on it, legally they cannot charge you more. It's a dicey move though. No matter what the paper says even if they found and fixed the leak, and charged you more, they may just not give the car back.

One of the other places where leaks are common are the o-ring seals at the compressor, but they should have easily detected that. The compressor itself has internal seals, so that also might be leaking. Now I'm just pulling stuff out of my back pocket.

If you have already paid them to find a leak and they cannot find it, I wouldn't pay them $1 more. They may actually know where the leak is but want to make additional money on the job by charging you multiple diagnostic fees along the way. I don't know these people from a hole in the wall, and I'm not implying that all repair shops are full of evil cheating people, because that is not the case. The majority are knowledgeable and honest.

I'd take it to a shop with a good reputation for automotive HVAC so to speak. They may have more sensitive leak detection equipment. Just don't run around paying for 6 diagnostics at 6 shops or you will end up paying half of the cost of the available repair job upfront.

 

Thanks derf for your response. The content of what you've said has illustrated to me that I failed to clearly convey what I was talking about regarding having my AC looked at by a shop. My original post did not explain that I was talking about two different shops at two different times; for that I apologize. I was a victim of the 2018 Paradise, CA Camp Fire. My house was destroyed...I lost everything on the material level. I also lost a dear friend in that fire. Of the 4 vehicles I had, only the Saturn survived the fire because I evacuated in it. In the aftermath of all the confusion and distress of that major disaster, at some point I had a shop, in the same county as the fire, recharge my AC. I was told by that shop that they couldn't find a leak at that time. Later I was forced to move, yet again, as housing was virtually non-existent in Butte county after the fire. I had been living in a FEMA camp with many other evacuees from the fire. I recently called a local shop where I currently live, they quoted me that price of $250 over the phone, but said they'd have to look at the car. I haven't taken the car to that shop yet. I guess I still get a little rattled when I think back about all that's happened since the fire. After living a stable life in Paradise for close to 20 years, I was forced to move 8 times since the fire. It was all very difficult. Only now have I recovered enough, on all important levels, to start address issues with the Saturn. It's in very good shape, that's why I'm still driving it. This is probably more info than you wanted to know but it's certainly my fault for not explaining about the two shops. I'll have to look into the AC options in more detail. However, thanks very much, again, for taking the time to respond to my request for help.

 

Sorry to learn of your recent life upheaval.
I've not lived 8 different places in my entire life....

Don't ever take the time to apologize for stuff like that.
You didn't try to mislead anyone and you're not the difficult type that asks for assistance, then keeps adding more background that should have been supplied up front.

If you WERE the type I mentioned above, you would not be around long enough to not apologize.

Get back and let us know what was up.

 

Ditto what derf said. My wife and one of my brothers both had to find new places to live because of house fires. I can't imagine how devastating that really is. I have moved a LOT since I left home nearly 50 years ago, but that was by choice, not because I had to. Follow derfs advice on your car and it'll last you a long time. He knows his stuff.