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Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die
for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
Gunner Asch wrote:
The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Check the fuel filter . -- Snag "90 FLHTCU "Strider" '39 WLDD "PopCycle" BS 132/SENS/DOF |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:17:09 -0600, "Snag"
wrote: Gunner Asch wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Check the fuel filter . ????....!!!!!!! Ill do that first thing in the morning! A very good first start!!! Many many thanks! Id absolutely not considered that at all. Indeed! Crom but I hate that car.... Gunner |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
"Gunner Asch" wrote in message ... On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:17:09 -0600, "Snag" wrote: Gunner Asch wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Check the fuel filter . ????....!!!!!!! Ill do that first thing in the morning! A very good first start!!! Many many thanks! Id absolutely not considered that at all. Indeed! Crom but I hate that car.... Gunner I had a Ford Falcon (Ford Taurus to you?) that did the same thing. I had a thick film ignition module on the side of the distributor. Would run, heat up, fail, cool down, run again.... Don't know if your vehicle has the same - maybe some spray freeze (or compressed air) could aid diagnosis. Fault finding engine electronics can be a game of elimination even for the pros. |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
In article ,
Gunner Asch wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Hmmm.... Does it maintain fuel pressure when one these stall events occur? Do you have spark if you crank it in a dead period? Do you have a 'for real' shop manual & code scanner? (Be careful checking/messing with fuel pressure/lines on this car... it's injected and you'll need a suitable gauge assembly to avoid being 'hosed down'.) Intermittent issues can sometimes be frustrating to isolate. I have a hunch it may turn out to be a bum hall effect sensor or some such... but it's only a hunch. Check the simple stuff first and go from there. Also, take a look through these... 'massage' the search terms as you deem appropriate. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&a...rn+SC&as_oq = &as_eq=&num=50&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch =&as_qdr=all&as_rights= &as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=off Let us know how it goes... Erik PS, I'm not big on Saturn either. Their only contribution to civilized society was the spin on transmission filter. |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
Also try asking over at, and searching through:
news:rec.autos.makers.saturn Erik |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:17:09 -0600, "Snag" wrote:
Gunner Asch wrote: Any suggestions? Gunner Check the fuel filter . And the fuel tank vent! Mark Rand RTFM |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:34:40 -0800, Erik wrote:
Also try asking over at, and searching through: news:rec.autos.makers.saturn Erik Saved for later in the day. Thanks! Gunner |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Nov 24, 6:03*am, Gunner Asch wrote:
The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. *This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. *No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. *For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Another easy one is the oil-pressure switch that keeps the fuel pump running after the car starts. Dave |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:03:54 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. It's okay, you have Tools and know how to use them... Eric is right, get a fuel pressure gauge and see if the in-tank pump is dying. They will drive you nuts going intermittent and you are checking the wrong end of the car. The pressure regulator can fail open and loop all the fuel back to the tank, too. When it dies, follow the signal from the crank sensor through to the coil pack. The crank sensor tells the computer where the engine is, and the ECU sends the firing pulse out to the CDI module and then the coil pack. Not a lot to go wrong there - unless it's losing an input, or the output devices have problems. And you can watch the signal lines to see whether it's an input failure or an output failure. The ECU computer is rarely the problem, the I/O lines are protected nine ways from sunday. And it's expensive even from a junkyard. It gets changed last, and only after you are absolutely sure it really is the problem, and you've proved it a dozen ways. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Gee, Mom's is a 95 SL2 twin-cam 5-speed. Energizer Bunny car, it just keeps going, and going, and going... Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Pay attention to /how/ it dies - if it was one bad coil you'd lose one or two holes and it would sputter and *try* to keep running, but fade away as it dies. If it's a total signal loss from a bad crank sensor or a CDI Module (coil driver) problem common to both coils it would die Now. Boom! Switch Off. Same for the fuel pump, pressure drops off fast and the squirt stops. Oh, and don't discount a mass airflow sensor problem - that could also cause the computer to throw up it's virtual hands and go "I Quit!" Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Yeah: Grin and Bear It, and drive it like it's supposed to be driven. I always have to get the smile pried off my face when I totally stuff a Beemer or Ricer trying to guttersnipe me, they see "Little car, (Dad's) DP license plates, Easy mark!" WRONG. Eat Bus, Sucker. Makes it worth squeezing into that little car. -- Bruce -- |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
Gunner Asch wrote:
Gunner Check your Email... -- Steve W. |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
fuel filter and a plugged vapor line to fuel tank will both cause this
effect |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
When dead; spray starting fluid into the throat.
If ignition, it will not run; if it fires and then dies, fuel. -- A host is a host from coast to & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433 |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:45:39 -0800 (PST), XR650L_Dave
wrote: On Nov 24, 6:03*am, Gunner Asch wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. *This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. *No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. *For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Another easy one is the oil-pressure switch that keeps the fuel pump running after the car starts. Dave Your ****ting me. They use an oil pressure switch as a safety on that car? Ill check! Gunner |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
Your ****ting me. They use an oil pressure switch as a safety on that
car? Ill check! Gunner Not sure about the pressure switch.... But that engine is notorious for having a stuck ring problem if I remember correctly. My old Saturn would "eat" a quart every 500-1000 miles depending on traffic conditions. -- Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. (800) 871-5022 01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com Production Tapping: http://Production-Tapping-Equipment.com/ Flagship Site: http://www.Drill-N-Tap.com VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AutoDrill V8013-R |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Nov 24, 4:06*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:45:39 -0800 (PST), XR650L_Dave wrote: On Nov 24, 6:03*am, Gunner Asch wrote: The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. *This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. *No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. It has a dual coil..a 4 banger with a pair of replaceable coil packs on a bottom assembly. Coil packs are $33 each..the bottom assembly is $113. *For a total of $179.... Any suggestions what to look for? Coils seem to have the proper ohms both to each other in each modual and there appears to be proper voltage on the pins going to the bottom electronics assembly. It could be something besides the coils assembly....any ideas? Any ideas of how to test the coils and bottom unit? Autozone doesnt have the adapters to test this particular assembly. Ebay has the parts..for more than what I get em for at Autozone...geeze.... Its a 1998 Saturn SC, 1.9 engine. Crom but I hate that car...but its the only ride she has..so..it has to be kept running. I can probably go to the wrecking yard in bakersfield and pick up a used one..but Id like to find out for sure before I blow half a tank of gas. When I pulled the coil pack..I did notice one pair of plug wire terminals were badly corroded with "white stuff" so used a wire brush on them and put it back together. Ran 5 minutes then shut down. Crom but I hate Saturns....phut! Of course..she is 5'2..and Im 6'2....and I have to put it on like shoes... Any suggestions? Gunner Another easy one is the oil-pressure switch that keeps the fuel pump running after the car starts. Dave Your ****ting me. *They use an oil pressure switch as a safety on that car? Ill check! Gunner Not sure if that engine does, but it is commonly done. Our 92 minivan had that setup. Now if it was a ford pickup, I'd say check the fuel cutoff impact switch under the dashboard on the passenger side. They would get flaky on those models. Dave |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:09:51 -0500, "Steve W." wrote:
Gunner Asch wrote: Gunner Check your Email... Darn it, email problems causing the engine to cut out! I knew things had gone too far when they started putting computers in cars ;-) Mark Rand RTFM |
Engine issues...98 Saturn SC..help!
Gunner Asch wrote:
The wifes car has started to run for up to 5 minutes..then simply die for another 3-4..then start right up and run for another few minutes..then die again. This happened in Bakersfield and I had to have her towed 43 miles home. No lights show up on the dash..cranks fine, just dies. Not sure if it is the ignition but if it is a case of no spark: http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=110475 Yup. Thats me with the problem, I document the good and the bad. Wes -- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller |
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