No, I hope you get a handle on this soon because I am done.

 

Thank you for all your help. Sry to have taken up this much of your time. This is all brand new to me.

This is what im looking at getting right now. Hoping i didnt miss anything.

Valve cover gasket



Lower engine cover gasket



Timing chain kit



Water pump gasket kit



Thermostat




 

I double checked the rock auto site versus the part numbers you have listed. Everything looks good. Looks like you are going to do the whole shebang with the water pump and thermostat, additional chain, all of the guides, etc. better to do it all at once than to pay for the same labor multiple times doing it piecemeal.

Coming from basically no engine background whatsoever, you've come a long way. There is a near infinite amount of information out there. Andy is in my mind part of a very small group of professional mechanics that are able to speak about these detailed subjects in a way that those without experience can understand.

Definitely go over your list of purchased items with the person doing the work so that they see exactly what you brought. If they need anything, the time to tell you yes before they start.

Please return and let us know how this all shakes out.

 

Thank you for that. With so many parts, and rather important ones, i agree that id rather get it all done at once if i can.
This last year or two iv kept coming up with new maintenance things that need to be done that i hadnt heard of before and that i hadnt seen mentioned anywhere. So i keep getting surprised. So id rather not leave parts i know could be an issue soon, undone, when we are right there working on them anyway.

Between having to fix or replace unexpected things where i live and with the mower and with the car.. iv learned quite a bit lately. Usually i have to find a way to do it myself, cause thats the only choice i have. Tho i know when im out of my league on a job. And car work is usually one of them.
It does make me think of my dad when i was a kid tho. Always seeing him doing everything. Seemed so amazing that he could know how to do anything and everything. Now i wonder if he was just like me in this situation lol. Better figure it out cause thats the only way its getting done! lol It explains all those hours and day and years watching bob villa and norm abrahm with him lol.

And i truly appreciate ppl him and ppl like that. I can only imagine how screwed id be if i just had to drop it off at the shop blind and tell em to figure it out.
A shop i went to last year tried to sell me on almost $6,000 worth of maintenance items to be done. And it wasnt even the whole list. (Yes. On my, then, 17 year old car). So you can see why im so gung-ho about trying to figure some of this out ahead of time now so i know what im dealing with.

The first time i went down to ask them about some work, i suddenly blanked on half the stuff i wanted to ask them about. Some times my memory takes a **** ever since disability. So I should have known better. Ever since then, i make a print out with names and pictures of all the items so they can see everything im talking about specifically. That way there is no confusion. I feel a bit like a kindergardener handing the teacher a drawling lol. But its far safer that way. I dont want to surprise them and more then i want them to surprise me.

I will do just that.
I plan to ask them to look at the timing chain section to see if it really is the issue causing this noise. If it is, ill have the parts on hand to replace it all and hopefully fix that issue. If not, ill tell them to find the source of the noise. So we shall see.


Thank you both for all your help! The difference it makes for me is extreme! And i appreciate it!

 

One last word of advice. Get a firm written quote for diagnostics. Get a firm written quote for repairs that you sign and date. Whatever the quote is if you accept it, there should be somewhere on the page that states they are authorized to do repairs up to x dollars. If the repair is going to cost more than x dollars, legally they must contact you and explain why the price is changing. Many people get taken for a ride because they don't put a limit on how much can be spent on the repair. Some people put $0 so they must be called about everything. Other people put the exact dollars and cents amount of the quote so that the overall price cannot change without your approval. This protects everyone legally and also lets them know you are paying attention to the total cost of the repairs as well as the individual items to be repaired.

 

Update; and i wanted your thoughts on this. My mind is having a hard time switching over to this new line of thought...

Under the assumption that my noise in/at/near the engine has been a timing chain issue, this last month i havnt been using my car much. I dont need to end up stranded. And zero chance of fixing/replacing the damage a snapped one could cause. - And also worth noting, as it comes in to play, i dont drive all to often. Its a 2007 with 136k miles. But when i do drive, its usually around 50 miles one way, 50 miles back. And then could be a week or a month or such before i go anywhere again. Maybe an occasional trip to get milk or something. But driving isnt an everyday occurrence for me. Another side effect of disability.

So i took the car to the mechanic down the road today. I wanted to get a solid diagnosis that it was the timing chain before doing a replacement. And if it wasnt the timing chain, to figure out what is was. Best case scenario i can afford one repair right now. If i do the timing chain and then find out it wasnt my issue.. im screwed. So i wanted to be sure.
He took out some stethoscope like device, except the end had a long metal rod. He placed it against various parts of the engine/under the hood, i assume to get a better hearing of it internally without having to take the whole thing apart.

He said the timing sounded perfect and wasnt the issue. Then asked me how often i was driving. Told him the same thing i mentioned above. He said it seems like the cam and some other part (im sry, im forgetting the damn name. Disability over a long time killed my short term memory as well.) were not getting lubricated properly from the car being ran now and then. The oil, being gravity fed, falling to the bottom while the car is not running for long periods of time, is likely causing the parts to become unlubricated.

He said i actually need to ride the car (or at least start it and let it run) more often. Over time it should help lube those up better and the sound should slowly start to go away. He also recommended upgrading to mid tier gas instead of the 87 regular. And seemed fine with me telling him i just started using lucas oil stabilizer last oil change as well.

I try to take car of my car anyway... but its an 18 year old car and i have no chance in hell of getting another one. So all the more reason to do so. Not being a mechanic myself, i assumed any noise in/near the engine is not good (potentially to the extreme.) And having not been riding in the car the last month out of worry about a time chain snapping... I guess im having a mental issue flipping the switch from not using the car (until repairs) to 'the solution is to ride it more'.

Id hate to start riding and then find out HE was way wrong after something went horribly wrong... So i figured id ask here if what i was told makes sense.

And just as a singular added detail, the mechanic did not charge me for this. Granted it was only 5-10 min. But he didnt charge for that. Didnt try to sell me on any repairs or products or anything. (unless you count the suggestion for upgraded to mid tier gas.)

Edit: What I dont understand, is if hes right, then why the noise doesnt the noise go away a minute or two after starting the car once everything lubes back up. When i make those 2 hour trips once in a while, why is the noise the same at the start and the end?

 

I would get a second opinion from a different shop. Oil pressure is almost instant the moment the car starts running. Mid tier gas will not change a thing on a regular fuel spec car with a knock sensor controlled timing.

 

I think he doesn't know how Saturn engines are supposed to sound, nor does all the oil drain off of engine internals in a week. Let alone ONLY the cams. If the cams were being starved of oil, you probably know by now in a bad way. And, as you say, the sound should disappear after startup if they are getting oil to them. But it's a constant sound.

Per Andy, most engines that were built to run on 87 will take any other gas put in and adjust their operating parameters to account for the extra octane. The only possible benefit is detergents to possibly clean your fuel system. Kind of scary if he doesn't know that. It's been that way for decades.

Second Andy's recommendation to get another opinion.

 

yea, i agree on the second opinion. I have another place i can check with. About a 45 min ride there. But i really need to head down that way soon anyway. So i mine as well. Ill give em a call and make an appointment. Thank you both.

 

I suggest having them remove the valve cover and visually inspect the timing chain and tensioners, guides.