Saturn done died this morning

Started by hotrodalex, October 12, 2011, 01:16:14 PM

hotrodalex

It's cold outside and the problem isn't too bad, so I haven't bothered to check anything yet. But a bit of googling led to another possibility - clogged EGR valve. I'll add it to the list in case it's not electrical.

hotrodalex

The lights, they be blinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N0OY8IFyuU&feature=youtu.be

This has been happening on and off the past month or so. I think I checked the coolant level a while ago and it was fine (maybe a little low, can't remember). Is there anything else that could be the reason for the blinking?

Rupert

Looks like the one on the right means coolant level low? Check it again?
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3.0L V6

Check ground straps and clean the battery terminals, would be my first guess.

When all sorts of weird funny unrelated electrical things happen, that's a good place to start.

If that isn't it and you've confirmed there is enough coolant in the system, the coolant volume sensor may be bad.

hounddog

Obviously they are coolant temp high and coolant level low.

It is possible you could have an airpocket in your system.  If you have never bled off a coolant air-bubble it can be difficult to get it out and you might be best off to go to a reputable corner mechanic and ask him to teach you as he does it.  Some will, some will not.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy of superstition."
~Edmund Burke

Fighting the good fight, one beer at a time.

hotrodalex

#35
Quote from: Rupert on January 14, 2012, 12:12:03 AM
Looks like the one on the right means coolant level low? Check it again?

I'll check it, but I would think only that light would come on and stay on if it was really low. The confusing thing is that the coolant temp light flashes even when the engine is warmed up and running at a normal temp.

I'll check the electrical stuff when I check the coolant.

I'm not sure how an air pocket could have gotten into the system since I didn't touch anything before this start occurring. But if the other two solutions don't work, I'll try that.

If none of that works, I'm guessing it could just be a bad sensor.

hounddog

Air pockets can form over time; over-heating the coolant, pin-hole leaks, others cracking open the cap under pressure, etc.

I would actually start with the coolant issues mentioned since, you know, the lights indicate coolant.  But that is just me.  :huh:
"America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy of superstition."
~Edmund Burke

Fighting the good fight, one beer at a time.

TurboDan

Quote from: hotrodalex on October 14, 2011, 02:00:00 PM
So Autozone can't check codes unless the CEL is on. They suggested Midas, though, so I just stopped by there and asked them. At first the guy wanted to charge $70, then $40. LOL NO. I'd pay like $10 max. Hopefully it just doesn't happen again and I won't have to worry about it.

I just waited 'til the code readers went on sale at a local hardware store and then bought one for like $50. Solved all the problems. Was able to get my friend's 14-year-old van through state inspection too, since I cleared the code and took it through the cycle benchmarks before the MIL came back on.  :lol:

ifcar

Quote from: TurboDan on January 14, 2012, 02:10:43 PM
I just waited 'til the code readers went on sale at a local hardware store and then bought one for like $50. Solved all the problems. Was able to get my friend's 14-year-old van through state inspection too, since I cleared the code and took it through the cycle benchmarks before the MIL came back on.  :lol:

My parents just did that.

hotrodalex

Meant to work on this issue today, but ended up working on trying to get our BMW started instead. I'll go check the coolant really quick right now, but I don't have time for much else. It'll have to wait until tomorrow or Monday.

hotrodalex

Coolant was a bit low, so I topped it off. Found some white foam/goo gunk on the cap, is that something I should be concerned about? Doesn't seem to be oil, but I'm not sure. I checked the oil dipstick and there didn't seem to be any milky-ness associated with a bad headgasket, but it was dark and I only had a flashlight so I'm not 100% positive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1G3RcwNDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXyZvUijbbo

Rupert

Did you put soap in there on accident? :lol:
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hounddog

Foam in the coolant is usually the sign of air pocket in the system, a leak on the suction side of the water pump, an bad water pump or low/no coolant in the coolant recovery tank.

You need to take it and have it looked at before you cook your engine.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy of superstition."
~Edmund Burke

Fighting the good fight, one beer at a time.

hotrodalex

Take it and have it looked at? I am looking at it. :lol:

It never overheats, I'm not too worried about it asploding my engine or anything.

Rupert

If it's a sign of bad shit to come, you should probably prevent it by fixing it now rather than let it break in the middle of the highway.
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hounddog

:facepalm:

It gives you the "I am too God damn hot" symbol.  :huh:

Take it to someone who knows what they are looking at and have THEM look at it.  :lol:
"America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy of superstition."
~Edmund Burke

Fighting the good fight, one beer at a time.

hotrodalex

It gives me a flashing light along with a low coolant light. The temp gauge never shows any sign of overheating.

I'm not saying I'm going to ignore it, just that I don't think it's a huge problem. I'm still going to try to fix it, though.

sparkplug

Getting stoned, one stone at a time.

hotrodalex

No lights when I drove it this morning.

VTEC_Inside

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hotrodalex

Oil light came on a few times while braking, so I tried to add some oil yesterday. The oil cap decided to be retarded and not come off, so I ended up breaking it and had to wait until today so I can buy a new one. Today after taking it off, the oil looks kind of milky. Hopefully it's just a little moisture that snuck in, not a bad head gasket. I'll find out when I change the oil sometime in the next week or two.

Another awesome Saturn video adventure

hotrodalex

It took 2 quarts to even get a dipstick reading. It's on my sloped driveway, so I'm assuming the reading is tad lower than the actual amount, so it should be good now. If not, oh well, since I don't have any more oil in the garage.

I noticed the exhaust was white when I started it and let it warm up. Combined with the 2 quart deficiency, this points to a problem.

AutobahnSHO

It's close to dead. Serious engine work time! :-(
Will

hotrodalex

White smoke has not appeared again.

Eye of the Tiger

Mix up a few quarts of Lucas, MMO, Slick 50, and STP. That should fix anything.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Rupert

Yeah, this is starting to sound like the end of your engine.
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2o6

Quote from: hotrodalex on February 06, 2012, 04:10:45 PM
It took 2 quarts to even get a dipstick reading. It's on my sloped driveway, so I'm assuming the reading is tad lower than the actual amount, so it should be good now. If not, oh well, since I don't have any more oil in the garage.

I noticed the exhaust was white when I started it and let it warm up. Combined with the 2 quart deficiency, this points to a problem.

My neon did this before I let it go. It got to the point where it was eating oil every 3-4 days.

hotrodalex

The radiator has a leak under the line for the transmission cooler, so that explains the coolant. Also seems like the valve cover is leaking oil, which could explain a little bit of the oil loss. There has been a spot on the driveway for years, so there's another leak somewhere that probably explains more of the loss, along with the possibility of it burning a little bit (not enough to make blue smoke, however). Don't have enough time to change the oil today, but I'll add a quart of oil and some coolant. Not sure when I'll have time to fix those leaks.

Rupert

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