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Car Forum / Saturn Cars / June 2006Need information, 91 Saturn SC runs hot
Have a 91 Saturn SC which is over heating on really hot days. I believe the air dam is missing and I understand that it needs to be replaced to aid in cooling. When I bought the car it was already missing so I'm not sure what the air dam looks like. I went to the local junk yard and they were no help. When I told them what I needed they had no clue what I was talking about. What Saturns they did have were laying on the ground and any plastic would be crushed. I checked with a friend who has a body shop and he looked in his books and found several different parts described as radiator air deflectors. He can get the parts for me but I'm not sure which parts to order. It looks like something was bolted on to the plastic inner wheel wells and this is also missing. Could someone please describe exactly what parts that I need that makes up the air dam, and where it is attached under the car? Or maybe even supply a picture. This would help out alot. Thanks. Regards, Dennis the air dam is usually 1 or 2 pieces of black plastic which are attached underneath the radiator. This usually consists of the radiadiator guard which fits underneath the radiator and is slotted and a second piece which is the air dam, attached in the front of the guard. My 94 SL4 was also missing this piece, replacing it fixed my running hot issues. marx404 > Have a 91 Saturn SC which is over heating on really hot days. I believe > the air dam is missing and I understand that it needs to be replaced to [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Regards, > Dennis The plastic air dams and inner fenders and other parts under the bumper are prone to damage from gravel roads or deep snow or other debris and particularly from parking curbs and the steel pegs that are used to anchor them, (but never seem to be driven flush to the top of the curb). Always avoid pulling your car all the way into these parking stalls, just put the bumper up to but NOT over any parking curbs or sidewalks. Striking concrete curbs and sidewalks with the subframe or sway bar can also cause expensive steering alignment problems. Any good Saturn dealer should be willing and able to print you an exploded drawing of all the components in the area under the rad (or anyplace else on the car). They can also give you the part numbers and retail prices for these parts and for the (usually only marginally effective) OEM fasteners. The under rad air dams are not very expensive but you do not want to make replacing them a habit. I do not have an air dam installed and have not had any problems with overheating, but those in hotter climates do report that they make a difference. >> Have a 91 Saturn SC which is over heating on really hot days. I believe >> the air dam is missing and I understand that it needs to be replaced to [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > overheating, but those in hotter climates do report that they make a > difference. In addition to (or before), you should also check the more common causes of overheating. Check the drive belt and tension. Reverse wash the outside of the rad cooling fins with warm soapy water (use caution with high pressure washers) and ensure that there is nothing obstructing air flow such as oily dust or dry grass or mud. Check the strength and age of the coolant. Standard EG coolant should be changed every 2-3 years and should be mixed correctly for strength both to protect against freezing and to raise the boiling point. If a change is required clean the system with a solution of Calgon dishwasher detergent and flush thoroughly. Check the condition of all hoses before refilling. In the recent past, engines often failed because of wear or oil system or materials failure but modern engineering has solved most of these problems and current engines are more likely to fail because of cooling system problems. Unfortunately cooling system maintenance is often neglected until it fails.. Thank you all for taking the time to help. Dennis. > Have a 91 Saturn SC which is over heating on really hot days. I believe > the air dam is missing and I understand that it needs to be replaced to [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Regards, > Dennis |
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