Hey Guys,

New to the forum, just bought a ''95 Saturn 4-door with the SOHC 1.9L and the 5 spd. Previously I was using my 1981 Datsun 280zx turbo as a daily driver, but it''s old and needs constant upkeep, and I was getting sick of having to take it apart, troubleshoot issues, and get it all back together for work on monday.

Picked up the little saturn for about $1100, and here''s where I made a mistake; I didn''t get it checked at a shop. Well, it turns out it failed to pass smog for the last owner, so I need to get it to pass smog. Not sure what the issue is yet but it seems to have some misfires on idle, although not serious enough to cause the tach to move at all, just a little trembling from the car. Also, the motor heats up quite a bit (which is apparently normal) and spills coolant after longer drives (not normal :-P)

So my plan is to replace the plugs, wires and air filter for emissions, and run it on ethanol during the testing if that fails. Regarding the overheating, it looks like it''s leaking out of the resevoirs (both the coolant resevoir and the windshield washer fluid). Anyone know with this particular car if that''s more indicitive of a bad res tank or a bad water pump? Also, it looks like from some other info that I''ve seen that I should replace the cylinder head temp sensor (I forget what it''s called for this motor) that turns the fan on/off, or disconnect it so that the fan always runs. Haven''t been able to find it quite yet, so I guess I need to get the FSM.

Any suggestions? The car has 205K miles on it but it seemed to be running well during the test drive. I know Saturn''s supposedly have a loyal fanbase so I''m hoping for some good responses :-)

 

Maybe I am just the local dummy, but I fail to comprehend why an engine that is running hot would cause the windshield washer fluid tank to overflow.


The Engine Coolant Temp Sender (ECTS) is located on the driver side of the engine. The sensor has two wires going to it. A replacement sensor costs about $15usd. Make sure you do not purchase a sensor that has an exposed resin coated tip, as these type of sensors tend to fail quickly. Be sure to use teflon tape on the threads, and make the change when the engine is cold - no burns that way.


Also, it is a good idea to replace the connectorfor the wires that go to the ECTS, as this connector corrodes over time, leading to improper readings.


With respect to the overflow of the coolant, does the cooling fan run when you turn on the air conditioning, and set the controls to maximum cooling?

 

Thanks for the heads up on the sensor types. Any idea why the fan is designed not to run until the coolant is almost at boiling point; craziest feature I''ve ever seen for engine management; and it seems like it''s just setting the car up to blow the motor if one little sensor goes bad over time.

I checked the fan by running the A/C; that works perfectly. Seems like it might be best just to unplug the sensor so that the fan always runs... I''ll take the 1-2 mpg less.

I was confused regarding the washer fluid res as well; I can''t see the connection there either :-/

 

Just an opinion here (and you know what they are worth), but I would suspect that the designers/builders figured that the radiator had enough flowthrough at highway speed that the fan is not needed.


Oh, the sensor does more than just turn the fan on and off - it is integrated into the computer to assist in the economy and driveability of your car. I believe that disconnecting the sensor will not make the fan run all the time, although it will make thecomputer think the engine is cold, causing extra fuel to be pumped in - possibly causing a flooding condition, hard starting when warm, and poor gas mileage.


Also, that will probably cause your smog test to fail too ...

 

I had the same issue with overheating. At slightly under mid-range on the temp guage, it would boil out of the reservior. The fan would never run at all. Today I replaced the coolant temp sensor and the connector(all bought at local dealer; they told me this is a common issue). Now temperature guage rises to about 3/4 of the way to hot, fan turns on and cools to about 1/2 of full gauge reading. Everything seems to be fine. Now that I have the Saturn P/N''s, I found I could buy the parts at www.saturnparts.com for about half of what I paid at the local dealer including shipping. For the ''96, the two p/n''s were


sensor 21025106


connector 12117087


Hope this helps.

 

To Iceman81005 ...


Glad to hear you got your problems under control. Thank you for the p/n data, I am sure there will be many calls for it in the future.


Thanks again ...

 

Yes, this is very common for these cars. Its amazing how many parts people will replace just to find out its was just a $14 sensor that was the problem.

 

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the help. Checking the color of the overflowing coolant, it definitely wasn''t the green color it was supposed to be. Hasn''t been overheating since I put in the green coolant, so I''ve got my fingers crossed on that. I still haven''t picked up the sensor yet. I''ll be taking it by to get the emissions test done after work today, so I''ll find out then if I need to replace the sensor. I switched out the air filter, plugs and wires yesterday.

Looks like the car is getting good mileage, I''m at about 170 miles on the $20 worth of gas I put in the other day. :-) Much better than the 90 or so miles I would have gotten out of my other car...

 

SaturnVII7 ...


Good luck with the smog testing ...

 

Thanks! Good forum here thanks for the help everyone.

Car passed smog yesterday! Free test because the previous owner had a free test left over (waiver) after the last failed test. Previously it was at .88/.8 on the hydrocarbon levels, passed (barely) at 78/80 this time. While the test was running I asked the supervisor if the hydrocarbon level usually indicated a bad Cat, and he told me it was generally plugs/wires or timing. Good thing I switched out the plugs wires and filter!

I''m guessing it''s probably still a little high due to the ECTS, so I''ll have to get that replaced; sounds like it''ll help with power as well.

Other than that the car needs a new front drivers seat (the back gives out), a new front windshield (3'' long cracks in the current one) and probably an alignment, as I have some pretty serious vibration issues above 60. Still, I''m more confident in this 205K mile to get me to work every day versus my 170K 280zx.

And just an offhanded comment, but the last thing I expected to see in here were 11 second Saturn SLs :-P Good torque out of the inline 4 though, and the weight balancing seems pretty nice. Maybe I''ll want to autocross it at some point. I used to autocross a Toyota Matrix XRS I had lowered with some Eibach springs, and I think this car might be better suited than that one was (and I won class last time :-)) The engine/transmission combo is a lot smoother than I expected from an American build compact...