Hello folks, I'm a new member to the Saturns, so please be kind. I picked up a 95 SC1 coupe for my son yesterday for $800. The body is in very good condition, just needs a good scrubbing and buffing then wax. It's white with the SOCH engine and automatic. It's showing 291,000 miles on it and the interior needs a little work, but it has a rebuilt engine in it and the transmission shifts good. The a/c kind of works but needs a charge. I did put a can of 134 in it today and it seems cooler. I may need another one, but I'll wait and see. I'm sure I'll have questions from time to time, but I know first hand that the Saturn is a pretty safe car. A friend had one a few years ago and got T-boned at a four way stop. They had to cut him out of the car, but he didn't suffer anything more serious than a few cuts and scrapes from the broken window. So I feel okay with my 20 year old son driving this one. And since it's not a hot rod or turbo, I won't worry too much about speeding tickets. Of course if he gets one, I'll yank his license and take the car back.

 

Welcome to the Forum .........

 

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Welcome to the Saturn forum. I think you'll find it's a great place to get answers to your Saturn questions. My daughter drove a 2000 S-series for years with no problems but she did prove that you can get speeding tickets with one. Good luck!

 

welcome.

Change the oil and monitor weekly for burning

 

Thanks for the welcome guys. Does this engine really burn enough oil to need to be checked weekly? I've driven Mopars all my life and found that every other week was more than often enough for them. Surely the 1.9 isn't that rough on consumption. Or is it just because of the mileage?

 

some burn nothing some burn a quart/1,000 mi. Oil control rings seize in their channels and allow oil to pass into the cyl. Valve guide seals are another source.

My point being it's new to you so you won't know your oil burning rate (if any) unless you begin to monitor it right away.

 

I agree with Derf fully on this issue. I'm blessed, because having owned my Saturns since they were new (excepting my '93sw) I'm fully aware of how much oil they consume between changes.

That being said, it is never a bad idea to take an extra minute each time you fill up, and grab one of the paper towels off the post next to the gas pump and check the dipstick ...

 

Thanks for the tip on the oil, gentlemen. I'll keep an eye on it. I went to the pull a part yard this morning looking for some headlights, a decent driver seat and an overhead interior light. I found a good seat cushion, pulled a horn off a Cadillac, and didn't really find much else I needed. Came home and pulled both front seats out to clean the interior and carpet, and swapped the seat cushions. Car looks much better now. I just have to figure out why the high engine coolant temperature/automatic transaxle fluid temperature and low coolant level warning light comes on. The transmission fluid is full and a nice pink color and the over flow jug has antifreeze in it. Any suggestions? I'm going to do a fluid and filter change on the transmission tomorrow as I just got the stuff earlier today. I may go ahead and flush and refill the cooling system. Are these radiators prone to scaling and clogging up? The body has 291,000 miles on it and I don't know if the radiator was replaced when the engine was replaced two years ago. Seller wasn't sure. Could this just be a faulty sensor somewhere? My son drove it the 100 miles home and said it ran and shifted fine. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Just for future thought -- technical questions like those above would be better off under the technical headings. Newbie area is just that ... kinda like a meet and greet. I started to answer your question here, but instead placed it under your other thread.

Oh, and another thing, try not to multiple thread the same problem/question -- it confuses dummies like me ...... lol