hey guys I'm new here, i'm also a fresh technician at a dealership who's got about 4 months under his belt, i know all of the basics and a tiny bit of bigger stuff. I just recently bought a clapped out 1995 Saturn wagon (1.9 SOHC Automatic) and I love it so much, but it has so many issues with it and I'm looking for some advice on whether I should keep and fix it or part ways with it?

Here's what's wrong with it:
-oil was blacker than sin when I bought it
-a decent amount of oil leaks
-it just started smoking out of the exhaust just yesterday, smells like oil burning, smokes on idle and somewhat heavy on accel. (it blew a huge cloud out and then started, it hasn't done that for the almost month I've had it. Hope it wasn't the head lol)
-it has a misfire
-the engine shakes like a **** (probably from the misfire)
-rear drum brakes are completely shot, very rusty brake fluid leaking from the cylinder and the shoes move side to side with ease
-brake fluid is also blacker than sin
-coolant leaking out of the return pipe from the thermostat
-vacuum leak somewhere on engine
-it surges at idle, will rev up to 1500-2000 rpm then down to 600-800 rpm, but is fine upon accel. (suspected to be related to the vacuum leak)
-it's bottomed out on struts with no springs at all (i do have coilovers to put on the car, just haven't yet)
-needs new CV axles, both sides
-possible transmission issue? (think i had it in low gear once when i was driving it lol)
-no a/c at all, dude i bought it from cut a line out and made a connector disappear (i live in Florida too ): )
-missing both front door panels
-both rear windows are stuck in position, won't move at all (stuck closed thankfully)
-check engine light is on, for god knows what (OBD1)
-the interior is taken apart, previous owner was "planning on doing a manual swap" and took the dash pad, center console and a bunch of other trim pieces out that i have to put back together
-radio and speakers are garbage, there is no mounting bracket for the head unit it came with, i only have the bezel to go around it. the head unit still needs to be wired in and i don't have a diagram for the wires. dude also zip-tied some oompa loompa lookin' 4 inch speakers to the factory 6.5 inch mounting brackets and tried to wire 4 other speakers into the liftgate in the back (why?)

There are some new parts on it already, came with a new radiator and fan, thermostat, calipers, rotors, front brake pads, transmission flush and new exterior trans filter, and a new valve cover gasket (i believe). I did change the oil recently and used an additive from my job to clean out the grime and gunk from the engine. After that oil change was when said smoke blew out of my exhaust. I also put a whole new exhaust in from headers to muffler. I love her so much already, but i don't want a money pit. Do you guys think it would be worth it to fix her up? Also don't say anything about the hood i bought it like that as well lol. Thanks!

 

Sir,

Too much wrong and too expensive to fix. You'll be spending many times the value of the vehicle to bring it back to anything resembling stock. The springs are supposed to take most of the suspension load so without them, that's just pretty effing ignorant. Guess he couldn't afford drop springs. Or window motors, or anything else that would help the car stop properly.

Oil smoke on acceleration is simply not something you want. If you're getting that much oil into the cylinders, it's way past its prime and needs to be let out to pasture.

Probably needs at least an intake manifold gasket.
Lord knows how many times it overheated before he put a new radiator and fan and thermostat in. If you don't change the oil in these cars, you are massively shortening their life under the hood.

Let it go.

 

I'm hoping that you are correct. I even have the AA catted DPs and am looking to upload the Akrapovic resonated Ti mid pipe. I even have a CS so i dont need to get rid of the axle lower back.







192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1

 

A nearly 30 year old car that needs the engine rebuilt and probably should do the tranny as well. You will learn hands on experience or get so frustrated you change career paths.

 

I wouldn't doubt it lol, probably so many broken bolts coming from that thing. I've been thinking about parting ways with it. Don't have the financial ability to commit to it yet. Would love to though i would love the experience.

 

@derf what would your opinion be on this? you seem like a true saturn man. keep and fix or let it go?

 

It's a Florida car ? (no rust? ) If yes then go ahead and fix it, Saturns are easy to fix and cheap to maintain. You will learn a lot !

 

My opinion would be several posts above yours.

 

Yes @dauraf it's a florida car with no rust, wouldn't be much rust anyways bc its all plastic lol but the only somewhat considerable damage is just scrapes on the frame from speed bumps and how low it is

 

It just clicked. Somebody had that in their backyard for 15 years or worked on it in a junkyard to get it to run after having partnered out most of The interior and other important wiring and connectors. The reason they're gone is because nobody can find them anywhere else so they took them from your car.