Getting it back on the road again - timing cover, tranny
 

So after letting it sit for about 6 months while I recovered from a serious health issue I'm finally able to get back to working on my 2000 SW2 w/ 1997 engine/tranny.
I had parked it back around June 2025 when the transmission started acting up. Slam shifting, lost reverse, hesitating to get out of 1st, etc.
I figured another solenoid valve had gone bad and the slam shifting knocked the input shaft nut loose.
Been there, done that. I've got 4 spare valve bodies and a spare transmission so I wasn't worried about what it would take to fix it.
I was already considering taking it off the road anyway since I had a major oil leak that developed after I ignored a failing idler pulley bearing.
I assumed that it had cut through the timing cover when it went sideways.

So this weekend I finally got a chance to get back on it and fix these issues.
I pulled the side cover off and confirmed that the input shaft nut is still tight, so's the output shaft nut so that wasn't it.
I pulled the valve body and checked the harness connector, socket and all the solenoids. Found one that had about 1 ohm less resistance than the others so swapped that out for one that matched the rest.
(Resistance was 4.8 ohms at 70 degrees, bad one was 4)
Put it all back together and it still wasn't really working right.
Checked the pattern select sensor to see if maybe that was out of adjustment. Bingo!

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...fab83274f2.jpg
location of pattern select sensor

Should've started there I guess. There was no continuity between the two spade terminals when in drive (D4).
Adjusted it so that there was continuity (it's a very sensitive adjustment) and now it seems to work correctly.
Great, at least I can drive it again now.

Next is to see if I can fix the oil leak.
I ignored a failing idler pulley bearing last spring and waited entirely too late to replace it.
I had thought initially that it was a failing power steering pump but no, it was the idler pulley.
After disconnecting the lower passenger dog bone and removing the upper engine mount and support I've got fairly good access with the engine jacked up.
Here's what happens when you let a bad idler pulley bearing go too long.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...dce6629285.jpg
Idler pulley cut groove through timing cover
Nice! After my experience with the old transmission getting a groove cut through the side cover due to ignoring a loose input shaft nut you'd think I had learned better.
Nope, here we go again except I'm going to try to fix this without pulling the timing cover.
I'm going to try some liquid steel epoxy and see how that works.
I'll use plenty of brake cleaner before I apply it.
Hopefully it will work well enough. If it lasts at least a year before it needs redone I'll be happy.

I'd fill in the whole groove and sand it as smooth as possible, Jam. Let us know how that works out. Would JB Weld not do the same thing?

Back on the hunt, eh?
Good to hear from you, sir.
I believe you'll have to get the inner surfaces of the crack super mega clean for the epoxy to adhere Also, it's going to have to withstand hot oil at operating pressure.....
I know you will let us know how it goes.....

It's ugly and not finished yet but I got the epoxy applied.
After some research I switched to using the JB Weld steel reinforced epoxy instead of the steel stik since it has higher strength and temp stats.
I sanded the timing cover and cleaned it real well with brake cleaner first.
Then I preheated it with a heat gun since it was freezing in the shop.
Once the engine surface was warmed up I mixed up the epoxy and applied it to the groove working in and spreading it liberally around for better grip.
Now I've got a work light shining on it to keep it from getting too cold while it cures.
It'll take 24hrs for it to fully cure.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...6d33100759.jpg
epoxy repair to timing cover

To add to the fun I'm now chasing the cause for the driver's side rear window not going up.
I started backwards by pulling the window motor and regulator and testing it on the bench. Works fine so it must be a switch or wiring issue.

Don't worry about how the timing cover looks, man. As long as it doesn't leak, who's going to see it besides you?

Did the sl2s have the center switch between the seats with four window control buttons, as in all of them?
Yours is a later third gen sedan and I've only had coupes with two windows.

Anyway, what I found is that there's a bit of a design flaw on the window switches, at least the ones that had the power mirror switch included in the pod. If you pull and unplug the switch and depress the button very slowly, you may notice that, from wear, switch does not travel directly down but has play instead due to the plastic guide on the switch itself wearing away. What happens is that eventually the switch no longer triggers the contacts internally because it comes in off angle. I don't know how much wear those switches have seen in your vehicle, or the right rear in particular, but that center pod switch is easy to take apart and clean internally. It will be brittle so take your time if you choose to explore. You can usually get it to work by determining what direction besides down you need to lean on the switch during operation. In theory this should work for the individual window switches on the doors as well. I don't remember how it's wired but let me know when you want to chase the wiring and I will work on it with you

Looks like the epoxy fix is good.

As for the window I figured out the problem and got it working again.
I checked the switch on the rear door with an ohmmeter and it showed as working but I couldn't make the window go up or down using that switch.
Problem must be upstream so I looked at the main switch assembly in the center console and noticed the window lock switch didn't look right.
Seems like it's been smashed in and I couldn't tell if it was in the lock or unlock position. After several tries to no effect I pulled out the switch assembly.
Boy was that thing gross!
I did confirm that the window lock switch rocker was broken and looking inside the assembly I could see a single contact but nothing else.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...b025abc01d.jpg
broken window lock switch 3rd gen
There's supposed to be a tab on each side of that rocker to snap onto the pivot points on the main assembly.
I could also hear something rattling around inside the switch assembly so I took the whole assembly apart.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...29e7ca9cd7.jpg
center console switch assembly 3rd gen
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...6b90390181.jpg
window lock switch contacts 3rd gen

Sure enough the movable contact for the lock switch was out of place and that's what I heard rattling inside.
I cleaned up all the contacts and reassembled everything and this time used some gorilla tape to hold the window lock switch (and its contact) in place.
Window now goes up and down just fine.
Great!
All that's left is to get it inspected so I can put this thing back in the daily rotation.
(and a wash... it really needs washed. And the cobwebs cleaned out inside.)

I am glad you have recovered from your health problem!

Good job, man!