Over the years with rare exceptions excessive oil consumption has generally pointed the fickle finger of fate to a worn out engine. And the only solution is to rebuild it. A job that generally fixes the problem but is both expensive and time consuming.
Has it everynow and then been something else, well yuh but generally something done by either being stupid such as breaking a piston by using low octane gasoline when I shouldn't and racing and detonation sets in or I have a bad set of umbrellas on the valves of my 390 and it is easier to keep feeding it oil than dealing with it. But the good part is when the engine is done and the loose bits and pieces are taken care of that have been neglected and everything gets painted it looks like a million dollars and runs like stink. And that is the time to put a good set of cams in the thing. I love a good cam. It makes so much difference as to how an engine runs.
Being old school and having no problems with Iskenderian I call them and have them send me what I want:
phone: 323.770.0930
I guess I don't know why Saturns were so prone to wearing themselves out after about 100,000 miles, but then again they are not the only ones. An internet search of oil consumption and studying the results indicate they are not the only one and it started with cars introduced about the time the suggest oil to use was the light weight 5W20 which violates engine usage practice as I learned it. And living in the lower SW U.S. since the late 70's I don't. I use an oil weight indicated by a viscosity vs temperature chart and my Saturn does not use a drop and frankly neither does anything else I own. Except the 390 which I installed low compression heads on and the Valve Stem umbrellas were poor quality and deteriorated from sitting on the shelf too long.
Good luck with everything. I kinda wish I had the ambition to get a set of cams for my 94 twin cam car. It sure would be nice to have another 15 horsepower from it. But wishful thinking ain't gonna fix it and besides I have to paint it again.

 

A rebuild is in the near future for sure, and Cams will be going into it. I was looking at the SDA ones, but I might just give those guys a call (but this wont be for awhile, Im waiting until I can get another car before I completely tear into this thing.)
next time I get my oil changed im going to start putting in 10W30 instead of 5W30, which I should have done from the start. I know it can handle how cold the jersey shore gets, since we had it in my sisters mazda.

What car is that 390 in? I help my friend occasionally with the 390 in his 64' galaxie 500.


Oh, I must have strained the water pump at the track, since it is leaking from the pulley now (was expecting it soon though) . Already have the new one, which is getting replaced tomorrow if the weather lets up.

 

The 390 is an AMC 390 and is in a 1970 AMC Javelin. I've blown up that engine twice due to the reduced octane rating of gasoline since the car was built. 91 Octane is the best street gas in my area avialable anywhere. I got tired of running octane boost. It was at best a crutch anyway so I have reduced the compression from 10:1 to a smidgeon over 9:1, Isky Cam, Edelbrock AFB about 600 cfm, Edelbrock Air Gap manifold, factory Free breathing exhaust with duals and an H pipe. A 5 speed and limited slip 3.15:1 rear axle.
I also have a 1980 AMC Spirit with a mild custom, 258 cu in I-6, 9:1 compression, Isky cam, multi-port fuel injection, auto transmission (Chrysler Torqueflyte was used by AMC, a 904) with a 2200 rpm Stall lock up torque converter and a 2.53 final drive.
The above have to deal with smog certification and can. The FI is turn key the 390 CAN pass and does.
I have built a 5.7 L Mercury Marine Boat motor that will mate up to a 700R4 with a 2200 rpm stall Torque Converter, World heads at a smidgeon over 9:1 compression, HEI Distributor, Isky Cam, A Chinese knock off of an Edlebrock AirGap intake (or somebodys air gap intake), I have not selected a Carburetor yet, but will either be a Carter Thermoquad, AFB or Eldebrock performer, 4 bolt main engine with a windage tray. This is slated for my AMC Hornet Station wagon and I have the parts to build an AMC 232 I-6 with a Clifford dual plane 4bbl manifold, a Carter 400CFM afb and some Eye Candy or Bling with either a 3speed straight up torqflyte or a T-bird 5 speed. The compression will be stock between 8 and 9:1 as that was factory. So what ever factory was then.
I've have all the parts for the drive trains. Ultimatly this will end up in a street roadster.
I've built and driven cars through the 101 octane days and the change to no-lead. It differens quite a bit around the country. In the South West premium is 91 octane with N.M. mountain area being 90 Octane.
Yes you can MAKE a high compression engine run on this stuff, but not well, running hot, bloweing exhaust manifold gaskets and a handful on a hot day.
Or you can drop the compession down where it works and tune it to run and it will.
Having had a couple of these back where 93+ is availabe, it is almost like the old days.
And even if you have a new car that monitors detonation and detunes for it when running 87 octane, when you push it hard and it needs it, it runs better on premium.
As to 87 Octane? Peronally I use it to kill weeds and clean parts.
As to your choice of 10-30 for the N.J. to me that is a winter grade oil, too light for summer use anywhere. I would use that or a straight 20 w when I lived in that area, for the summer I would use a 10W40 or a straight 30 Weight.
Out here I use a 20W50. Year around.

 

Well. Funny enough the other day i read this "checklist" for the S-series on one of the other saturn forums and it mentioned that between 100-120K miles that the water pump, thermostat, and radiator like to go, all in specific places. Last week I replaced the water pump, since it was leaking right where it mentioned, and the thermostat as a precaution. Guess what was leaking this week. The radiator.......

Quite convienent how they all go near the same time. Pain in the *** though.

 

i got 200-220K from my radiators
lucky I guess

 

I never lost a water pump, or thermostat in all 10 or so S-Cars I had. Lost one radiator and never had one Saturn that burnt oil.

 

My one Saturn has not been a maintainence issue. It has had what I would call typical problems and not many of them. A serpinetine belt tensioner, brakes, the heat sensor thing came up some where around 1999 and I had the tech note on it, however it was not really causing the problem of funky heat gauge readings it turned out the Catalytic converter was comming apart. It would still pass smog and run pretty fair but when pushed hard run hot. It took awhile to figure that one out. An alternator and that dang sunroof I like so much was and is a constant problem. Now after 18 years the plastic bits an pieces and the paint and the interior have taken a beating from the heat and the U.V. from the sun. I am on the 2nd paint job and it needs another, some interior work and I am very careful now what I touch as to interior plastic pieces, can't get replacements. As to the engine, I have seen a lot of them oil burning and heard of more, and burning a LOT of oil and it seems to start somewhere around 100,000 miles but mine has not burned a drop. But in my opinion the reason, I never used the factory recommended oil weught and never will.
The radiator is beginning to weep a drop or so and that is typical of the style, plastic and metal. They seem to have a finite life span. I have had more than a couple of GM cars with that problem after 10 years and mucho miles.

 

Well, its maintenance time again! This time my rear hubs are going (im starting to get a knock out of the pass. side rear ) and since Im having HORRID problems with my drums (passenger rear is always rubbing, no matter what I have tried - it takes me 2 hours to get the drum off for some reason, the other comes off without a problem.) im doing a rear disk swap. When I step on my brakes, there is a pulsation in the pedal (car does not have ABS). rotors are not warped (there getting replaced anyways) and the only explanation is the hanging drum shoe. Im getting the rear knuckles off of a junked 94' sl2 (or I think its 94', its a first gen I know that) and redoing the hubs on them.

I found this strange as well- when I did my drum brakes, the hole for the adjuster was on the opposite side of the adjusters teeth. Is that right? The adjuster would not go in the other way either. I dont really care anymore, since im not even gonna attempt to take the drum off this time, im just gonna pull it at the strut.

Down the road im also planning on supercharging or turbocharging the twin cam - some work is ahead of me but my friend gave me a funny name for the project once it begins (which is when I blow the original engine up or get another D.D)
Project "Super Saturn"

 

Haha, sorry, but that struck me as funny! Takes me to all those Honda jokes my buddies and I tell each other.

Good looking ride, man. Love the pictures.

 

Sweet looking ride. Don't laugh but I've always had a "thing" for the 88 nissan maxima...