Hi guys, first time posting but long time lurker as I already own a 1997.

I have the opportunity to buy a 1999 SL2 for $500, I haven't looked at it yet, the owner says it runs and will overheat because he thinks the water pump is leaking, he says it leaks a lot.

He says I can pay for the car after I get it fixed. Before I pay someone to fix it, could there be some kind of unexpected problem he's not noticing? I would hate to pay to get the water pump replaced and then find out there's a bigger problem

Also the check engine light is on. Could the leak be the cause of the check engine light?

 

Where is leak coming from?

Should be easy fix if water pump area. Water pumps are inexpensive for saturn sl ... less than $20 at Autozone.

Radiator is more costly fix.

The check engine light will come on if you need new thermostat.

Also light comes on with loose gas cap all the time ... Tighten it well beyond first few clicks.

 

I'd do two things. First determine exactly what is leaking, its not that hard to find, just follow the trail back to the source.

Second, get the code read. Fill up the reservoir and drive to an autoZone or other car parts place nearby that reads codes for free. Be sure to get the alpha/numeric code, not just the counter guys interpretation of the code. Post the alpha/numeric code here if you want help with that or go to http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/ and look for yourself. Post here because sometimes a generic code means something specific for certain vehicles.

 

"He says I can pay for the car after I get it fixed". This bothers me. Is he going to sign the title over to you without payment and then wait for you to fix it before paying. If he doesn't sign the title over to you, and you haven't paid him anything, then he is not under any obligation to sell you the vehicle after you pay for the repairs.

This smells of a scam. If this is not a close friend of yours that you know is honest, I would not do this deal. I would try to find the leak and get the code read and then decide whether or not to buy the car, but I would not put any money into it until I have a title for it in my name.

BTW, a water pump may be cheap, but they are not easy to replace.

 

I got the car, he signed the title over to me, I didn't pay anything.

When I tested it at his house, the car wasn't smoking and the oil looked normal.

Towed it to the shop, I turned it on to remove it from the dolly and now there's a little smoke coming out of the exhaust with a burnt smell. Immediately the mechanic says something about having to do the cylinders? Machine shop? $1400 He says the previous owner probably had the engine overheat and now it's messed up.

Do I take a $45 loss and just dump the car (cost of tow dolly), or is mechanic blowing smoke up my *** like the car and take it elsewhere?

I'm thinking trust the mechanic and just dump it and not waste anymore time on it. The body of the car is nice but for $1400 I can easily find another saturn in better condition

 

When you tow a vehicle with the front wheels off the ground, you splash oil into places its not meant to go, so when you start it up, a little smoke would not be out of place. Not sure why the mechanic went straight to head gasket, but a lot of them do.

Warm up the engine, then let it cool down and restart and see if it smokes again. A little oil smoke on start up could just be worn valve guide seals, provided it only smokes for a few seconds and no more. Often its just a puff of smoke. I would not be concerned over that and it won't use enough oil to justify doing anything about it.

Find the water pump, its on the forward passenger side of the engine. Put a paper towel on the bracket below it. If it gets wet when you warm up the vehicle, the water pump is the source of the leak.

 

I agree with Keith 100%. Sounds to me that you have a "mechanic" that doesn't think you know anything about cars. Even if it needs a valve job, it would be worth putting the money into just to have a 30+mpg car. Even if you do that and then decide to sell it rather than keep it, you can recoup your investment. A LOT of people out there want cars that get good mpgs.

 

I really appreciate the help guys.

The mechanic let me think about it overnight and with your encouragement I decided not to dump it just yet. I told him I'll save some money and bring it back later to fix it. He immediately offered me $100 for it. To think I was gonna just let him have it...........

So today is the first time I drove it, yesterday was just the parking lot and that was to get it on the tow dolly.

Drove it from the shop to home, around 10 mile, no traffic at all, just 2 stop lights. No overheating. The water lights were flashing and the service engine light was steady on.

My daughter noticed no smoke except for when I punched the gas. When I punch it when I'm driving 55 it doesn't seem as strong as my 97..... Also when going down hill I put it in neutral and the rpm would fluctuate up and down a little, it wasn't revving high but on a normal car it just stays low. (signs of bad head?)

It does leak fluid from the passenger area. The previous owner did say water pump, so maybe I'll just take it to another mechanic and get that replaced, or do I dare replace it myself? I've changed oil, and a starter and replaced some hoses but nothing that ever required jacking up a car. I'll do the paper test after work to make sure it is the water pump. But my real dillema is I don't want to spend more than just doing the water pump, any sure fire test to see if does need a head job?

 

Might wanna do a compression test to check overall engine health before sinking serious dough into the car. Rent a tester at autozone or similar, read up on the net how to do the test properly.

Actually you may have problems doing it at full operating temp since it will overheat. Start with a full coolant reservoir and warm it up for a few minutes. Then test. Post all 4 cyl values here

 

So instead of the paper test, I removed the front passenger wheel, and plastic protector, and actually saw it leaking from the water pump.

I was gonna take it to another mechanic I frequent but he's on vacation. A friend of mine, whom I don't ever ask to do my cars, as I don't want to take advantage of our friendship, agreed to replace the pump for $125 (i buy parts) He's doing it this afternoon. Hopefully, I won't have to do anything else to the car.

Is $125 a good amount to give to my friend? I don't mind if you guys think it's too much as he is a friend. I'm the one who came up with the figure. I wouldn't want him to think it's too little and he's just doing it because I'm a friend.