My new Lw300
 

I should start a thread about what to do when you buy a used Saturn. I am going to bring a 02 lw300 back up to prime condition over the next few months. I will also be driving this car about 60 miles a day to work. The front end rattles which means it needs tierod ends at least. Today I put new middle of the road tires on it. I don't want to burn expensive tires so these will work until I go through the suspension. I also plan to replace the water pump and the timing belt and seals. I will post tutorials for most of the work. I repaired the drivers mirror with 3 small washers, it was taped on when purchased. Hopefully I will have an audience with lots of questions. First tank of gas was 27.25 mpg, not bad for freeway flying on an unknown car. It will do better! :D
Ps, I went to the Gmc dealer today and got 2 genuine Saturn keys cut by VIN for$16.00. Of course I know them. LOL

We're grateful that you're willing to document everything you do
If you can write it in a step by step "how To" format w pix that would be awesome.

If you do one subject per post then I can post them as individual stickies in the forum.

Trip to the Pick a part today. I actually went to town for several reasons today. First to get rid of a junk Metro that was on the car trailer, I got $50.00. Second was to get a rack and all the bolts for the Alero on my hoist, this is a future car for one of my grand daughters. Third was to get three yards of compost/soil mix for the raised bed gardens we have.
I scored some Saturn parts while at the yard today, a "new" door check, fuel cap with tether, lens for the door lamp, and a dash vent with all the teeth. All the Saturn parts have been installed, no more double clunk when opening and shutting the door. All the a/c parts have arrived and when I get the Alero off the rack I will begin the repairs!

Extra remote
 

Have you had any experience with programming a new remote?

Not yet, my remote works fine.

Previous owner lost the remote
 

The original owner lost the remote, so I'd like a backup one before the one we have left wanders off somewhere.

How about transmission filter change
 

Have you done the transmission filter change yet?

I put in an ATP B-171 filter, which came with a nice gasket just like the OEM. Draining the ATF was a pain as there is no drain plug in the pan. After that it was easy. After an earlier debacle trying to replace the filter neck seal (I can't figure out why they can't just use an o-ring) on a different car but with the same type of filter and filter seal, this time I knew better than even think of trying to remove the seal. The filter sat nice and firm in the seal, so I just pulled out the old filter, coated the neck of the new filter housing with some ATF, and pushed the new filter back up in place.

The ATF was not "burnt" but there was a good amount of muddy-looking sludge coating the pan. That was after about 109K miles. So, unless there is a record that the filter was changed on your L300 earlier, it is likely on your short list already.

you can get them on ebay just be SURE you're ordering the right one and a NEW one.
I believe L car remotes have to be programmed at the dealer because that system interacts w the bcm

Or I'm wrong

Programming remotes
 

I got a replacement remote from Your Keyless Remote via Amazon for about $30. Same model number and FCC ID as the original. The vendor says it has to be programmed by a dealer or a locksmith. So, I was just wondering if anyone had this done and what it cost to get a baseline.

On some other GM vehicles, you can initiate the programming process yourself with a convoluted combination of button pressing and ignition key position, but at least you can do it yourself for free. A little nicer.

vendor sounds familiar---i must have gotten mine through Amazon as well

I forgot the vendo on the one I had purchased for the LW200, but it had to be dealer programmed. Cost me thirty bucks plus tax. BUT, I was in a very small community at the time.

I have been asking my car dealer buddy to find a L200 so I can swap power train in my car. Today he bought a 2002 L200 sedan with the same interior options as my Lw300. I don't know if it is for me but I bet it is. My waterpump has started to leak and the timing belt, idler and waterpump are $150 and the tool kit is $80+ so the 2.2 ecotec swap looks good to me. Also the tranny is doing the P1811 thing so we shall see.
I will report back.

Found this while looking up what the P1811 was.

Peoples Transmission: P1811 - Maximum Adapt and Long Shift Mode Chevy, Pontiac, Saturn, and Buick Front Wheel Drive Vehicles

Good read for describing WHAT the CRITERIA are for setting the code, as well as what the PCM does in response, which leads to the hard shifting. Also suggests possible causes and possible solutions.

Andy -- the tranny's for the 300 and 200 can't be the same ---or can they? Meaning you'd automatically have to swap trannys, no?

I am not concerned as the other car is complete. This is the only way to make a swap like this, two complete cars. Both are automatics and the same year. One is a 2.2 and the other is a 3.0v6. I know how bad my 4t45 is by driving the 02 Alero that I am giving to my grand daughter later this month. Her 2.2/4t40 is nice and crisp in all gears and my 4t45 is really sloppy.

Found out today that the 4 cylinder car is for resale. That's ok I really would like a 2.2/5speed for the best fuel mileage. Waiting game time, the stop leak seems to have slowed down the waterpump leak for now. Lol

well that's a bummer....

good things supposedly come to those who wait....

I did a post sale search at the two main auctions my friend goes to. Only 2 L200 stick shift cars sold in the last year. There have been about 25 L200 automatic cars. They range from 2000-2003, no 4 cylinder L series in 04 or 05. I may just fix this car and see what shakes out.
Andy

bummer/silver lining maybe?

Water pump on V6
 

The water pump is not driven by the timing belt, so you can replace it without having to mess with the timing belt. Unfortunately, you have to take the front of the engine apart to the same degree. On the plus side, though, that way you can see how the timing belt looks. So, if you are not up to the 100K mile point on the timing belt and the belt does not look cracked or otherwise damaged, you can just do the pump.

All in all, replacing the water pump is really easy. The only thing that truly made the whole process miserable for me was the power steering pulley that would not come off combined with being under time pressure (like the car was already overdue to leave) and doing it in the driveway in the sun in the middle of summer.

Finding the right pulley puller and waiting for it to arrive dragged the whole process out.

Thanks for the hint on the ps puller. I went and looked at the L200 today and it is way to nice to part out. But they are at the auction all the time, they even come through with bad timing chains. They are really cheap when they have problems.

V6 Post 100K Mile Service
 

I'm not up on your Transmission code; however, as far as the water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, etc. involved with a 100K mile service, none of that is difficult (and our Saturn is literally the second Saturn I have ever sat in and the very first one I ever worked worked); it is just procedural with one having to remove at least three things for every one thing needed to work on, which will lead to frustration. So, if you have the time and patience, it is actually not a difficult or bad engine to work on. It will certainly make you wonder why anyone would design one thing or another the way they did, but you know it will keep things interesting for sure.

The power steering pulley flange, so far, is the only exception to that. However, that turned out to be a machinist/manufacturer QA issue more than a design issue.

Now that the L300 is back on the road (and we only drove it less than 120 miles after we bought it and before I started the 100K mile service), we really enjoy driving it. It handles really well and is a lot of fun to drive. Only one real issue remains, being I think the left front wheel bearing is noisy, so I will likely replace the front wheel bearings next month.

I have been reading about the Ion Redline and they sound like fun. I have found a 2003 Saab 9-3 Vector at the auction. It is the high boost 2.0 liter Ecotec, about 205 hp stock and a 6 speed manual tranny. It is the Epsilon chassis not the 2900 that the L series are. So the mounts and axles are unknown. I know you were waiting for it " but" if I find a stick shift L series car and use the 5 speed.... The Saab guys love to make big horsepower with their high boost Ecotecs and tunes are readily available for their cars. Just thinking out loud, what do you guys think?

I think parts for any Eurotrash are very expensive and often very hard to find. Personally, I'd steer clear and keep searching for the Saturn. But Saab used to make a pretty decent automobile, so the choice is ultimately yours. Any import from Europe is going to be twice as costly to maintain. That's all I'm saying about it.

You guys do realize that General Motors bought Saab in 2000 and sold it in 2010. The early Saab 9-3 uses the same chassis as the Saturn L and the 03+ 9-3 is a Saturn Aura is an Opel Vectra C is a Chevrolet Malibu.

Sheesh. Didn't know it had been redressed, reconfigured, reshaped, and relabeled so many ways

Tunes are available for the Ion Redlines, which include a factory supercharger under the hood.

How are the Saabs generating boost? I thought it was via turbo.

If I am correct, then it's not an apples to apples comparison.

Goaliemo and 19Bonestock88 are the two Ion Redliners around here. I have no experience with turbos or superchargers, but these guys have taught me a lot about the supercharger setup---the good the bad and the ugly)

I'm sure one or both will chime in

The Saabs are turbo cars, I would probably run a Saab ecm and factory software. Just looking, I haven't bought yet. The Saab does have some very nice factory 17" wheels and new tires. I put a Suzuki Swift engine in my 91 Metro and it became an enjoyable car. A little research will show lots of available options. I wasn't trying to pick a fight, just looking at my options.

who said anything about picking a fight? I don't think I came off that way---if I did, I apologize. I was simply pointing out that the engine+boost producer combos were different. Not that one was better than the other. I find "car x is better than car y" spats silly. The car that's better is the car that YOU decide you want -- not numbers on a page.....

I passed on the Saab, they run their own ecm system, not delco electronics. I am still looking for the ideal L200 for donor parts. Probably going to stay automatic, there are so many more out there. Hurry up and wait!

Used Saturn L-Series For Sale - CarGurus, if traveling is an option....here's 10...a bit pricey as they are retail/dealer...several have been on the market quite a while so I assume hey have issues---hopefully not serious.

Must set mileage range to unlimited , tranny to manual, and clk 4 dr L200, and the 2.2 eng (though they are all 2.2's anyway)

just tryin to help. What do these go for at auction?

I paid $1000 out the door for my car including $200 dmv. The only reason I paid that much is because it had about $200 worth of tow bar mounts already installed. I had just sold my Metro for $2400.

ok, so it won't come off a dealer's lot....
got it

Water pump today, the car started dropping coolant a couple weeks ago. It bled out in the driveway over the weekend. It came apart quickly, parts here tomorrow. It still will leak oil from the rear main seal area-some other day.
My wife and I went to Arizona over the weekend to pick up her mom. 1300 miles through California with a stop in Bakersfield to see grandchildren. 1150 miles home through Nevada and back across Oregon to home. Three nights out and 4 days of driving the Navigator @ 80mph, 17 mpg. Packed to the roof with a ShopSmith and other wood working saws, now I can build some new kitchen cabinets.

The saga continues:
About three weeks ago we had 11 of our 35 acres logged. They were logging 71 acres just East of our property. I went down to the timber management company and asked about cutting our border trees and some below the house. We have had a few dry years and the fire danger goes off the charts in September up until the rains come. A home burned about 1.5 miles as the crow flies from our place and it really scared all of my neighbors up on the ridge.
One of the foresters came out and we discussed the trees and my concerns. We walked the property and he advised to take some the timber now. Since the loggers were next door they used their existing roads. We will have the timber management company burn the slash and replant and spray for unwanted brush. The will do this part sometime next year when they do their acreage.
I will be able to build a new shop with some of the proceeds. We have been here 25 years and will leave the property to our children. Everything is in a living trust already.
So back to the car, I can make the car missfire with the throttle. I can get the light to flash at about 1/3 throttle. It drops cylinder #6, the car runs fine at cruise and at heavy to full throttle. I pulled the runners and the coil pack and looked at the plugs. They were new not very long ago but before I bought it. It has a new filter so it must have dirty injectors. It also has lean codes on both banks. When I have time that will be the next repair, I have all the equipment.
Black powder elk season starts Saturday and lasts for a week. I will be a little busy for the next week.
I will check in when I have time.
Andy

I think it's a great idea to make an L series Redline... That Saab has essentially an LSJ with a turbo, the engines are extremely similar, if not identical... The 6 speed is the F40 transmission, highly sought after by Redline and Cobalt SS owners alike... Would be a good package to modify, but swapping between the Epsilon platform Saab and the 2900 platform L series might be difficult(gives me a hell of an idea for my Malibu though)...

It is apples to apples, due to the overwhelming popularity of the LSJ-T which is an IRL or CSS with the supercharger thrown in the trash and a turbo substituted in... Other than the minor physical alterations for mounting the turbo, it's just as simple as re-tuning the PCM for the different airflow curve, and the lower IAT temps...

As far as engine management, you've got a couple options, depending on your chosen route... If going with an auto(grab the 4T45 from a Cobalt, HHR, Malibu), you might be ahead to look into whether or not the L200(L61 2.2) PCM could be tuned via HPtuners, or maybe Trifecta... Some of the Cobalts and IONs could be... If not the L series PCM, you might look into getting the PCM from a Cobalt or ION, and get enough wiring to splice it into your car, making it communicate with your BCM... If you go with a manual trans, grab either a manual L series or ION/ Cobalt, or IRL/CSS PCM, whichever is tune able...

All those aside, you could still do a standalone EMS, like MegaSquirt, or something from AEM or others, but then you lose emissions compatibility...

Good luck on the build, and please take lots of pictures!

Today was a beautiful day in Oregon, clear sunny and in the high 50s. The brake pedal has been pretty stiff for a while now, not much assist. I bought a rebuilt booster in December and this has been the first nice day. I even replaced the front 3 plugs, I had been getting a #6 missfire for some time. WOW the car has great brakes and the missfire is gone, what a nice car. Now I will replace the timing belt and install the new a/c parts.

I am getting ready for a road trip with the motorhome. The Saturn is going to get a four wheel alignment and a couple tires. I had the alignment read at the the shop. They use smart shims for the rear alignment. They are a dual shim in one, they correct the toe and camber in one shim. I will install the shims, replace both outer tierod ends this weekend and get it aligned Tuesday.
I serviced the tranny this last weekend. I had been getting the wrench light and high line pressure at times since purchase. I added a quart of Lucas a couple weeks before. There is no dipstick on the 4t45e, but if you drop the pan and change the filter it takes 7.5 quarts. I used a red bottle of Dextron 6 oil from Napa. I can't remember which brand. The tranny shifts great now and no light. The pan was clean, no debris just washed off the dust.
Trip will be a couple thousand miles. Oregon to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, then LA, across to the Grand Canyon, back to Death Valley. Then home. I'll post some pics of the whole train hooked up.

Drive safe, sir.

Home tonight, 2200 miles towing the Saturn. Put about 250 miles total on the car at three different locations. We had a great trip with great weather. We went to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. We then went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Next was Knott's Berry Farm in Southern Cal. We then spent two days in Death Valley National Park. Two days to get home and the 460 ran great, only a couple of very minor glitches. An o-ring on a water valve and a buss bar in the power investor.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I am actively trying to purchase a parts car. There is an 02 lw300 in Portland with a moldy cloth interior. They want $ 500.00, I am waiting for a reply to see if there is a title for the car. My tranny slips in second gear and the rear main seal is leaking now. I am on to summer projects around home like 2000 ft of fence and working on an 83 ranger I bought to use on our 35 acres. Ttfn.

You can buy a driveable mid 90's well kept S car hoopdie for $500.
I don't think so.
$250, talked up to $300 tops.

Just remember there's mold in the ductwork, etc that can't be cleaned and if there is any of that nasty black mold, run away. That WILL make you sick.