Hi guys,I'm having a bizarre problem with my Saturn.Whenever you hit the brake for more than a couple seconds, the RPMs just bottom out and the car stalls.Also, (sometimes) when the car is first started, the RPMs are are in the 2-3k range. The problem disappears with a little voodoo - applying gas, restarting, and when the RPMs are really high, some black smoke from the muffler etc.Back in December, when the cold hit, the car simply would not start, no matter how much you cranked it. We replaced the fuel pump (from the wreckers) and fuel filter. Eventually, after cleaning something out or messing around under the hood, it worked magically. The car ran like a dream for a few months, until the high RPM/stalling problem started. The problem was fixed for a couple weeks by flooding the carburetor with carb cleaner, but returned shortly thereafter. Flooding with carb cleaner no longer has an effect.We replaced a bunch of sensors, as well as the idle air control valve with no effect.So far, I've been told by one mechanic that there's a leak in the intake air manifold gasket (you can hear a hiss at high RPMs), and by another that it's either the security system, BCM, flasher stick in the wheel or maybe something else altogether - he has no idea. I'd like to get the car fixed, but trying all of these different things could cost more than the value of the car, and possibly not even solve the problem!Anyways, it's a '92 SL2. Any ideas on what the problem could be? Someone mentioned something in passing about a fuel relay switch or the PCM sensor on the transmission. Could that be it?-Thanks in advanceflamesrock
Edited by: sw2cam

Have you ever replaced the coolant temperature sensor? The lower one, not the upper one?

You also dont have a carburetor by the way.

Thanks, Low Saturn. Someone mentioned that on another forum too. I'll try that first.

Yea newer cars dont have carburetors anymore. They are all direct port fuel injection

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Flamesrock:


I experienced the same issue from time to time. "Service Engine Soon" light also comes on after a while. I can turn it off, immediately restart, and it's reving normal. A 4.99 bottleof Lucas Fuel Injector cleanor did the trick.


mike in fla
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I bet seeing why the SES light was on would help too. The car was trying to tell you something.

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"Low-Saturn-Mike":


Of course there's no certainty the issue flamesrock had with his 92 is identical to mine w/ my 95. Mine just 'felt' like it was a fuel-related issue. I was for a while buying the cheaper 'Murphy USA' gas at Walmart. At highway speed it would all of a sudden begin mild surges and hesitation, a few minutes into it the SES light would come on. Or decelerating to a red light rpms would drop to nada, either it would stall, or i'd have to pull it out of gear real quick and rev it while left-foot braking to keep it from stalling. Sometimes i'd kill it, restart, and it's immediately normal w/ no SES light. Other times i'd restart, and it's still the same, with the light again on. Sometimes on the highway it would just return to normal on it's own. 'Flames' reports hearing an air leak at higher rpm's which a mech said is the air intake manifold --the higher one revs it, the harder it would be to hear that leak...and one should still be able to hear it at idle...? Mine didn't do its act from a cold start-up; engine had to come up to normal op temp first. Other Carb/Injector cleaners/treatments didn't get it...but the Lucas did. Worth a try.....


"Low-Mike, " maybe you can answer this: What's the most common thing to go wrong first inside the clutches of these 95 1.9 DOHC w/ 5-spd manny-trannys?: Throw-out bearing?, clutch plate?, pressure plate?... Anyone know? Mine died suddenly, never any slippage first.
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From the ones I've worked on, the first and most common thing to go is the hydrolic assembly. The next is the clutch disc.

Mine recently and suddlenly would not engage and it was the hydrolic assembly. I picked on up at the local puck-n-pull out of a 99 SC1 with low miles for $20.

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"Low-Mike;"


My hydraulic assy was fine. Had the slave/actuator piston w/ the pushrod out in my hand yesterday. Was able to push the pushrod back in, assistant saw the pedal come back up to normal height, and then when he worked the pedal the piston worked fine. The internal fork is not coming all the way back up to where it should be to push back up on the rod and piston...so that's why the pedal is barely one inch off the floor. Would have been nice if it was the hydra-assy, something easy that I could do... Something internally broke... Clutch disks burn up, right? This has the feel of broken springs, or something bent like a 'fork,' a bearing that's completely disintegrated. My only warning was a roughness to the pedal the day before, with no noises or burning smell. I got it to a guy recommended by some people i trust for 150 for the clutch and at the highest (worst case) 250 for the labor. He says he's done a hundred Saturn clutches....



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Mine did the exact same thing. The system could have enough pressure to move the pedal and to push the rod by hand, but once installed there isn't enough pressure to move the fork.