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New member...just checking in!
Hi everybody! I’m new to the site so not quite sure how all of this works but I like what I’ve seen so far on here! I’m hoping to get some help with my Saturn! It’s a 2000 LS1 (I think)! It actually belongs to my mom but I am currently using it & its having some issues! Yesterday I stopped to talk to someone, put the car in park & the shifter moved to park & got stuck there while the car remained in drive! I drove it home, engaged the emergency brake & turned the car off! Now I need to figure out where the problem is so I can fix it! Any ideas? |
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Does it look like this? If so it an L series car, I can help you with this car. |
Does the car restart or just no crank? I suspect the shift cable either failed or became disconnected. It is mounted on a ball at the transmission end, I will have to look at a shifter to see how it is mounted at that end. The shift cable connects to the transmission right below the brake master cylinder. I can take pictures tomorrow when I get home from work of the shift cable area. The neutral safety switch is mounted on the transmission so if the transmission itself is still in drive the car will not start. |
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...d2a0da731.jpegHere’s a pic of the hoses...I think it’s the one on the right that’s leaking! Yes...it looks a whole lot like that one! I actually had time to look at it better today & figures out where it came loose & it was the cable end that is under the hood! I’m not exactly sure what held it on before...I’m assuming some type of cap (of sorts) but I’m working on a homemade solution at the moment! To answer some of ur other questions tho, the car wouldn’t start...the key wouldn’t even turn until I reattached the cable & put it in park! I removed the shifter cover the other day to see if the problem was there & figured out how to move the white plastic safety piece that had the shifter locked in park so when I found where the cable came loose today, I shifted it down to line up with the cable & put it in park which allowed me to actually start the car! I could probably drive it as is but may have issues with it popping off again since there’s nothing really holding it on there! I’ll let ya know if my homemade solution works & thank u so much for responding! I’m gonna keep u on standby for future issues if that’s ok! In fact, I have a question for u...there r 2 hoses that r about an inch-inch & a half in diameter that come out of the “under the hood” side of the dash just above where that cable comes out! One is leaking what looks to be water (sorry I’m not real good at actual terminology)! I’m thinking they may be to the heater core but not sure! Is that something I should worry about...maybe fix right away & if so, what would I need to fix it? |
Let me go look, I think there is a clip. The top two aluminum pipes are a/c, the large rubber hoses are heater. The air conditioner condensation drain is between and directly below the heater hoses. It will drain water on the ground, this is normal. If you are leaking coolant which I doubt it will be a different color and the radiator tank will be low. |
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It is a ball. |
A dorman 14055 transmission cable repair kit might work. It fits a Chevy Cavalier and they use the same transmission. |
Thanks! I might check into that repair kit! For now I rigged a rubber earbud cover (the ones that u can change out to make ur earbuds different colors...it fit over the piece almost perfect but I wanted it to be a lil tighter so I superglued a piece of rubber band around the bottoms lip of it...it fits snug and holds it on pretty well for the time being...we’ll see how it holds up! Lol! As for the hoses, they do have clips on them & I saw the ac drain too but the ac doesn’t work in this one & it does lose a little radiator fluid! Do u think if I replaced the hoses it would stop the leak? |
Do you see the leak on the ground? Usually it is the water pump that leaks first on these cars. If it is leaking from that hose it has a release built into the hose end itself. It is sealed by an o-ring at the heater core end. There is a spring clamp at the engine end. There is probably a you-tube on how to release the heater core end. |
Welcome to the forum. Whereabouts in TN are you? I'm a TN native that transplanted to FL a little over 3 years ago. HUGE MISTAKE. Looking to move back in the next year or two. I don't know anything about the L series cars, but Andy sure does. Listen to him and you can't go wrong. Make sure you keep posting because if you don't, your account will be deleted.
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Thanks (both of u)! I live in the boonies of northern middle tn...Clarksville is the closest town which borders Ft. Campbell, KY about an hr or so from Nashville, Tn! Where did u live in Tn? I can’t see moving to Florida as being a mistake...winters gotta be way better there anyways! Lol! Andy has been very helpful so far...super nice too! This Saturn has a ton of issues so I know I will be needing more of his expertise in the future...I’m trying to make it last as long as possible! I’ll certainly try to remember to keep posting! Do u know how long it will take (of not posting) b4 somebody gets the boot? Andy, I had to remove the same kind of hoses from the heater core on my f150 this past winter to flush the heater core & if I’m not mistaken it had the same clips on it so I shouldn’t have a problem getting them off but if I do, I’ll YouTube it! The Saturn is much lower to the ground tho so I will have to find a shorter container to catch the water/fluid when I do (I’m sure I have something) & from what ur telling me, sounds like I might be able to just replace the o-ring in there to stop the leak rather than the entire hose itself...good to know! I don’t think the pump is leaking but I will check to make sure...I actually noticed the leak when I was under the car following lines to figure out where the cable had come loose on the shifter...it’s definitely coming from that hose at the clip! I also need to check the power steering hoses/lines & gaskets too cuz I have to top off ps fluid every now & then...it needs a tune up for sure too cuz it’s eating oil...like I said...it has issues & those r just a few of them! Whoever had it b4 my mom got it did a very poor job of keeping up maintenance on it! |
You might want to get a can of Restore when you do your oil change. That stuff works pretty good to reduce oil consumption. I grew up in Waverly. It's about 60 miles south of Clarksville if you take Highway 13 South. I miss the cold weather in the winter and the change of seasons. All you get here is hot and hotter. It SUCKS. As far as getting booted, you'll be fine after you hit the 10 posts minimum. Derf will see that you have a car with issues and that Andy is helping. All is well.
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I haven't cleaned up the user database in nine months. I've noticed that when I don't do it for long periods of time, it's a better reflection of who ever comes back and who are the wununduns. If I accidentally whack your account, my email is at the bottom of my signature
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Sweet! Thanks Derf! |
That’s pretty cool! I know right where waverly is...I actually right off of hwy 13 in Montgomery co but just a few miles from Dickson co line...like I said “the boonies”! Lol! I’ll definitely get some restore too! |
I have a cousin that's retired Army living in Clarksville and another cousin that lives in Dickson. Home, sweet home!
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That’s cool! It’s a small world! That’s how my family ended up here too...my dad retired from the army here some 20yrs ago! He got stationed here when I was 9 so I’ve been in this area most of my life...just moved around from one side of town to the other! Lol! When we moved here, my parents bought a house off of exit 19 in Robertson co & then sold it after my brother & I finished high school! I lived in Clarksville for awhile, then Dover for a short time then eventually moved out this way when I met my man 20 yrs ago! He grew up out here & we wanted to raise our kids in the country so we’ve been in the Cunningham (south side) area ever since! |
Cunningham? Damn, you ARE in the sticks. LOL I have ex-family in Springfield (long story about wills, inheritance etc.) Anyway, EX-brother and nieces and nephews all in Robertson Co. I sure hope y'all haven't had the misfortune of being acquainted with them Bunch of criminals and losers.
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Wow, Rube. Just when I thought I couldn't think any less of of you....😁
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You know Derf loves you.
Hope I get to meet you before you suffer the same fate as frosty the snowman..... |
LOL! I’ve known my fair share of criminals & losers over the yrs but not many from Robertson co...just cuz I moved to Montgomery co when I turned 18...I also got homeschooled 7th-9th grade then my parents paid for me to go to Clarksville high school for 10-12th because I got in a lot of trouble going to Jo Burns in Robertson co! That school was k-12 all in one school & only offered Ag in HS bk then! I was (still am) a tiny person & got picked on by all those cornbread fed hefty kids so I got into a few fights in 5th-6th grade! Plus I had no intention of becoming a farmer & wanted to take art courses in HS! Ironically I ended up living in the country as an adult, raising animals & gardening & actually love it! Still love art tho & my creativity has helped me in every aspect of my life! My kids say I can fix anything! Lol! The rubber earbud piece is holding up nicely on the shifter cable btw! Lol! What’s ur ex-family’s last name? I might’ve went to school with one or 2 of em bk then! |
Patterson. It's a Scotch-Irish name that means cursed! LMAO
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Spot-on, I'd say
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Oh wow! That’s too funny! I didn’t know that! I don’t remember any Patterson’s from Robertson co but my son went to school with a girl here in Montgomery co with that last name & she was crazy! Lol! |
Well, none of my nieces or nephews went to school there in Montgomery County, but I'm not going to say it couldn't be a distant relative. LOL And I was being facetious about the meaning, but derf knows me and the wife, so I can't tell him to be quiet. Right, derf? LOL
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It’s been a lil bit!
Its been a lil bit since I posted on here...figured I’d drop a line! Lol! Having some issues with this Saturn again! Ugh! Just had to replace both front tires...one right after the other (literally just changed a flat yesterday)! Then tonight it started wobbling with a short jerk as I was driving down the road! I thought one of the tires I just put on it had blown or had a busted belt or something but I pulled over, checked the tires & they were fine! Then when I got bk in it & got bk out on the road, it had stopped & drove fine! I’m still worried tho cuz that can’t be normal...something’s about to go out on the front end...anybody have any ideas what it could be? Wheel berrings or ty rod maybe? Really don’t wanna get stuck somewhere! The blower motor on the heater has been trying to go out too & well it just decided it’s done working today as well! It’s always something! The blower was only working on full blast for awhile, then in the last week or two would kick off and on...now it won’t even defog the windshield! |
Jack the car up one wheel at a time with enough clearance to get your hand under it. Put your hands at 1200 and 600 position and try to move it. It could be ball joints are loose if it wobbles. Then put your hands at 900 and 300 position and try to move it. If you get side to side motion, check your tie rods. As for the blower motor, Pull A Part in Nashville has a LOT of Saturns you can pull one from.
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Thanks! I’ll definitely try that with the tires! & as for the blower motor...I got to looking around on other threads earlier after I posted that & I think I’m gonna check the wires behind the radio first! I noticed several other ppl have had the same problem, especially how it was acting before it just stopped working & said that they found a cluster of wires (10-12) in one plug where 1-2 of the wires (possibly ground wires) had gotten hot & melted! This car I have has terrible wiring problems (bad when we got it) & my mom swears she has already replaced everything that has to do with the heater. My cousin also told me that bk when they were doing all of the heater stuff trying to get it to work then that they had done something else (ignition work I think) & it suddenly started working again on high so they quit messing with it! Always better to start with simple, cheap stuff first! |
Has anybody in this thread ever pulled the radio & temp control panel? I pulled them to check the wires & found a gold threaded ground wire that wasn’t attached to anything at one end & other end was attached to the bar that runs vertically behind all of that stuff (radio, heater, etc)! I have no idea what it supposed to be attached to! Additionally I discovered that the blend door is broken, the actuator was just laying on the panel under the glove box attached only by wires to the blend door (not properly mounted to it) & there is a larger “plug-in” (than the one going into the actuator) attached to the wires that is not plugged into anything! The knob on the control panel (floor, dash vents, defrost, etc) makes a white plastic part move (motor controlled turn) but the moving part is not attached to the actual blend door & I can see a metal bar in there which looks like that how it was attached to that motor then it looks like the actuator should be mounted to the other side of the blend door axle! That being said I’m not exactly sure what the actuator would doconsidering it looks as if the other side would open & shut the door...is there a way to tell if the actuator works too so I will know if i have to buy of those along with the new blend door!? |
I have a heaterbox out and can take pictures tomorrow for you. I believe the ground wire attaches to the back of the factory radio. |
Running only on full blast sounds like it may just be a blower resistor issue. Obviously, there is more to it to that; I'm just saying the blower motor itself might be fine.
I would think that changing the heat / cold setting on the climate control front panel would send a signal to the actuator. If it is plugged in, it should move. But that assumes the wiring to it is good and the climate control head unit is good. |
The best way to see how the sum beech operates the way it's supposed to is go to the Pull A Part and take one apart there in the yard. Use your cell phone to take pictures as you take things apart, so you can put them back together properly. And you can buy any parts you need while you're there.
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Pull apart idea is great! I’ve pulled everything apart in this dang car & it’s a flipping mess! I’d say I have a resistor problem cuz there isn’t one! The actuator was just laying inside the panel under the glove box...plugged in but not mounted where it’s supposed to be! The blend door is broken on right side! Im not sure how it was ever working in the first place! Im so frustrated at this point! I still can’t figure out why the blower motor isn’t working! I checked the fuse & it looks fine! Shouldn’t the blower motor still kick on with it on high? |
Oops! I guess I said most of that in my last post! Lol! This car is making me crazy! I think that ground wire does go to the factory radio & the car has a different radio in it now! |
On the plus side, I guess I’m learning some new stuff! I’ll be an expert on this stupid cars hvac system! I need a garage or shop tho cuz it’s too dang cold outside to be working on cars! I’m freezing! I don’t have enuf meat on my bones for winter weather! |
I just saw on the national news that you guys are going to get hit with a lot of rain, ice or snow depending on what part of TN you're in. Believe it or not, I miss that stuff. Too damned hot in FL year round and the humidity is an ass kicker. At least when I was home (TN) I could get a break from it. If all goes well, I'll be a TN native back in TN sometime next year. Not sure exactly where, but probably in East TN somewhere. Probably in the Knoxville area. I'll be close to several friends that way.
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Yeah! It’s sposed to get nasty this weekend! Wish I could switch with ya! I’d take warm all the time any day! It’s lookin like we might get one of our infamous ice storms where it rains then temps drop below freezing & everything turns to ice! It’s kinda pretty cuz the trees look like they’re made of glass but it also causes some trees to fall on power lines which causes power outages & roads get bad! I just don’t like the cold! It’s hibernating weather! I only weigh 90lbs...I’m not built for cold weather! Lol! |
Sounds like you lost your ground for the blower motor circuit. Trace it back through the blower motor resistor pack. I'm going to guess that the ground is open in the resistor pack or that the ground at the resistor pack is open
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Derf! Ur giving me hope! But I’m confused...resistor pack? Not quite sure what/where that is! The actual resistor (computer chip looking thing) is missing or do u mean the plug of wires that should be plugged into the resistor? Help me...I wanna know! I need to know! Don’t even care if I sound stupid for asking! Lol! I need heat again! I pulled the blower motor filter out & looked at the blower motor but didn’t actually take it out cuz I didn’t want to have to remove the windshield wipers & all of that! I couldn’t see any wires without actually removing it & I tried to look up there from the passenger floorboard & couldn’t see that high up or find any wires coming from that general area! I really think it could be a ground wire too since it was working then started randomly going off & coming bk on (sometimes from banging around on the dash or slamming the door)...like a loose wire then just finally stopped coming on altogether...like the wire finally lost connection! |
The blower motor resistor or resistor pack, for manually controlled HVAC systems (manual control of blower motor speed USUALLY works in the following manner.
Each fan speed setting routes the current through a different total electrical resistance in the resistor pack EXCEPT the HI setting, which directly connects the battery to the blower motor. . The total electrical resistance determines how fast the blower motor spins. The higher the electrical resistance, the lower the current flow. So the lowest speed setting has the highest electrical resistance. And so on. When the blower resistor pack goes bad, often but not always all of the speeds EXCEPT. high will not work. Remember the highest speed setting bypasses the blower motor resistor pack. That is why it continues to work when all other speeds have failed. The high speed setting will stop working if the blower motor connection to battery voltage or the blower motor connection to ground is broken. Most blower motor setups that I have seen have a simple two wire plug hanging off them and route whatever the output of the blower motor resistor module (including max setting which is the battery voltage) is to the blower motor. If all speeds except high stop working, it means the output of the blower motor resistor pack is no longer electrically connected to the blower motor. This can be because of resistors that melt, wires that melt, contacts that melt, etc. The point being this behavior indicates the blower motor resistor pack has failed. If the high setting still works, then that electrical path is still intact. If the high setting does not work or stops working, either the ground has been lost usually as part of the connection included on the blower motor resistor pack or the battery voltage input has been lost. Also routed through the blower motor resistor pack. The blower motor resistor pack is almost always mounted into a vent duct near the motor. This is because resistors get very hot, so the flow of air across them while the system is operating is enough to keep them from burning up. In theory. I've seen vehicles like early 2000s Chevy Silverado pickups go through blower motor resistor CONNECTOR HARNESSES because the wiring in the harness got too hot or the pins got too hot and melted the connector harness to the resistor module, including the metal pins of the connector, thereby breaking the electrical connections. Your blower motor resistor pack would have to be present for your high blower setting to function so I believe you may have a failed blower motor resistor pack. However since the high-speed stopped working, you may also have an issue with the ground at the blower motor resistor pack where it meets the resistor pack wiring of the car. Or could be same issue with the battery voltage feed. You need to find the blower motor resistor pack, disconnect the wiring connector, and remove the resistor pack. Do not operate it outside of the ducting as it will likely quickly melt down. With the harness off you can measure the voltage drops for each switch setting to figure out which terminals are carrying the current on each switch setting. There is a common ground wire, so find that first and measure the voltage drops relative to that Not sure if the "melted bunch of wires" you mentioned earlier is this issue. I don't know where the blower motor resistor pack is on an L car. I am well known on this forum for my overly long-winded descriptions and explanations of things that could probably be said in three sentences or less. If you are still reading this book consider yourself traumatized like the rest. Some people like it some people hate it. The way I look at it, the more useful, factual information shared, the better chance that someone will learn and understand. Peace out. Have to go clean the entire house |
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