Saturn no start

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ray - 19 Dec 2005 15:11 GMT

Looking for things to check before I head over to my sister's this
afternoon...

99 or 01 Saturn SL2 (or SL1, I forget...)

stalled on her on Saturday night after about 2 minutes of driving (was a
cold night around -25C) but restarted fine. Now, this morning, won't
start. At this point I'm unsure if it's cranking or not. (it's either
not cranking or it sounds like the starter may be freewheeling - I
couldn't get a very good diagnosis from her.)

Things to check:
Battery & cable ends - it's in an unheated garage, so I'm bringing a
spare battery instead of trying to boost it with 20 foot cables.
Assuming that works, check alternator voltage - I don't believe the car
has a gauge, so maybe the alternator is over/undercharging/fubar.

If battery is ok and no crank:
possibly bad starter/wiring fault going to starter
?

If battery is ok and crank/no start:
fuel pump relay/listen for fuel pump.
pull one plug wire and check for spark.
Check for fuel injector pulse (never done this, how do I do it?)
Plug in my AutoTap and see what's going on.

I'm suspicious of it being:
Battery
Battery and alternator
Crankshaft position sensor (read a couple of web pages about them
failing at extreme temps.)

I've never seen under the hood of this thing and I'm not sure just how
"GM" it is - I'm used to my own cars and my friend's cars - either
powered by a smallblock chevy or a 2.8/3.1/3.4.

Any common failures on saturns or other things to check?

Ray

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HLS@nospam.nix - 19 Dec 2005 15:42 GMT

> Looking for things to check before I head over to my sister's this
> afternoon...
>
> 99 or 01 Saturn SL2 (or SL1, I forget...)

Battery and connection problems often crop up when the weather turns cold
and
wet, and I would take tools to handle this.

I would also carry a can or bottle of a good gasoline additive...if it is
cold there,
or if water has condensed, a can of a good additive might be added before
anything
else. There is often a tendency to let gas tanks run low, and this can make
the
condensation/icing issue a problem. Auto gas tanks dont cause as much
trouble
now as they used to, but condensation in some gasoline stations storage
facilities
can pass into your fuel tank. The fuel filter on some models is a good
place
for water to collect and freeze.

When you get there, of course, see if the starter is not engaging, or
whether it is
cranking over the engine.

If you have a spark plug tester (they are rather cheap,and can be very
helpful), you
might want to carry it along. If starter IS working and the car is not
starting, use it to
see if you have a nice hot spark.

And I would carry a can of starter fluid. If you have anonymous fuel
failures, a shot
of starter fluid can help you validate the base cause.

Past that, if you are getting off into sensors, electronics, etc, you may
have to take
it to a pro.

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news - 19 Dec 2005 17:25 GMT

>>Looking for things to check before I head over to my sister's this
>>afternoon...
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> and
> wet, and I would take tools to handle this.

> When you get there, of course, see if the starter is not engaging, or
> whether it is
> cranking over the engine.

Found out it's cranking, but not starting. Headlights don't dim out
when turning over, so it's probably not battery/charging system related.

I'm going to check the connections anyway (they're probably filthy),
then check for spark and then plug in my autotap and see if it helps me
find the problem. I have the shop manuals for my other cars, but not
for a Saturn.

I _think_ the Autotap will help diagnose a bad crank sensor, and they're
cheap enough I can afford to change it (assuming I can find it ;)

I don't even know if this thing is distributorless or not.

I'm also going to try and check for fuel - I wonder if there's a
schrader valve test port on it.

I'm stuck - it's my sister, and I don't have a mechanic to recommend to
her, but I can't take two weeks to diagnose it either - it's
Christmas... and I'm doing a balljoint and tie rod on the wife's car
after I get back from this.

Ray

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marks542004@yahoo.com - 19 Dec 2005 21:47 GMT

I had a sudden no-start problem which was resolved by pushing the car
into a garage that was at 38 degrees. After sitting overnight and
recharging the battery it started right up.

To me that indicated a frozen fuel line.

It is really amazing how much different the battery works at 40 degrees
rather than -10.

I put a can of HEET additive to the fuel tank and after getting it
started filled the gas tank. I have not had the problem since.

I had been running 1/4 tank or less. Never had a problem with my old
car but apparently not a good idea in the new old car.

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news - 20 Dec 2005 02:22 GMT

> Found out it's cranking, but not starting. Headlights don't dim out
> when turning over, so it's probably not battery/charging system related.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> I don't even know if this thing is distributorless or not.
> :)

turns over, no spark.
had a code of 1599 (stall) and 0341 cam sensor error.
unfortunately without a shop manual I'd be in parts tossing mode in an
unheated garage without most of my tools, so I had to send her to a real
mechanic - she needs the car back before Christmas and I just don't have
that kind of time this week to be diagnosing an unfamiliar ignition
system without a clue of how it works.

<sigh>

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