1999 SL1 Died today! Advice Needed
 

Hello everyone,

My saturn died and I figured i'd ask for some advice. I drove it about 15 miles this morning, did some shopping then went to leave and it started up for about 5 seconds then died. After that turning the key yeilded no motor action and just lights on the dash. There is no clicking from the starter so i'm thinking its the starter or alternator. Anyone had this happen or know what's up? There is a salvage yard about 5 miles away with atleast 5 saturns so i'm sure i can find the parts needed and fix it. The car has 129k miles and he battery is 1 year old (the AAA guy tested it, thats not the problem - Jumping didn't work either).

Thanks!
Joel

Do the lights come on brightly, and does the radio play?

Radio and clock do not turn on. lights are not very bright, fuel arrow goes up.

Thanks for reply.

Check battery cables .. best guess the positive cable.

It's connected properly the AAA guy even cleaned the connection. What else should i check?

Check battery cables .. best guess the positive cable.

I didn't say a thing about the connection, or terminals.

Cut abit (inch or so) of the positive cable covering at the battery end and see if it's corroded.

Tap the starter with a hammer and then try to crank it. It may be locked up. sw2cam is probably right though. He's a LOT more familiar with Saturns than I am. But, corrosion inside a cable is a real buzz kill.

I'm with SW2cam on this one. Over time, the battery acid will get up/under the cable jacket/insulation and rot it out from the inside. When that happens, the cable cannot carry sufficient power to spin the starter, and it (the cable) needs to be replaced