I just purchase a 95 Saturn SL that needed a tensioner pulley! I Drove the car home about 10 blocks. the next day replaced the pulley and test drove it! Everything was ok but the idle seemed speratic.... high and low!
I checked the vaccuem lines and replaced a couple but still had the same problem (but thats another issue)
The next day i moved the car to clean it out and when i went to restat it, it wouldnt start. It just has a chugging sound like it wants to start!
I pulled the fuel line at the intake and cranked the car... It is getting fuel!
Then pulled all four plugs while cranking it and they are all sparking!
I also checked all the fuses inside and out!
If anyone has any ideas on what the problem may be.... i would appreciate it!
Thanks

 

Sounds like a bad ECTS sensor ... $14usd for a new one - make sure it has a brass tip

 

Hopefully ECTS replacement allows the car to start.
Is the idle cyclically gyrating up and down or just not idling smoothly at any single rpm?

 

I have a 1999 Saturn SL and I am also experiencing some idle jumping (100rpm up/down) but only upon coming to a stop. On a cold start however I have a rough idle which will steady out if I hit the accellerator a few times. I also noticed that my temperature guage isnt going nowhere near halfway when its fully warmed up like it used to. The computer shows no codes, and I was wondering if it could still be the ECT Sensor

 

Could be ECTS. Start there.

 

When it was running.... it seemed fine when driving but when just sitting and idling! I will go out and check it in a few! I read about someone jumping the two wires to see if the ects is faulty or not!
Once i check it i will post back

 

I personally don't recommend "jumpering" the contacts on the ECTS. Let me explain why:

The sensor is a resistive device, that changes value in response to the change in temperature of the engine. If you short the contacts, the PCM will think the engine is very very hot, and will change the air/fuel ratio, making the car hard to start (very much like the problem you are reporting). Disconnecting the sensor is not a good idea either, because then the PCM will think the engine is very very cold, and will adjust the fuel mixture causing a possible 'flooding' condition.

 

Ok... there are 2 ECTS on this car!
The one closest to the front of the car looks fine and has a black wire and a yellow wire connected to it.
The one closest to the back is split on the copper part and for some odd reason only has one green wire connected but two contacts on the ECTS! I looked everywhere for the second wire with no luck! (Is this correct?) If not, could i split the black wire to connect them both??
Also i found that the radiator fan wires were cut! The lazy losers that i got the car from must have had the fan constantly on so instead of grabbing a screw driver and disconnecting it..... they cut the wires! (I of course reconnected it)
Thanks for everyones help!

 

The unit with the two wires is the one you need to address. The wire going to the other sensor should be either dark green with a white trace, or dark green with a yellow trace -- which is it ???

With the wiring to the cooling fan cut, I'm suprised that you didn't have a heating problem while in traffic

 

Wow you reply fast OceanArcher!
The wire is solid green...I even cleaned it real well to make sure!
I only drove the car home about a mile total because of the tensioner pulley needing replacement, So I guess i didn't give it the chance to overheat!