James - They did say 'smoke' but since I didn't see it for myself I
don't know if it was steam or smoke. It was a hot sunny day, no rain or
moisture to speak of, so would it have been possible to get enough
"moisture in the crankcase" to cause some steam like that? The oil was
very dirty and needed changing at least a month ago. I wouldn't say it
looked like chocolate milk, just real dirty oil. I've been real good
with oil changes on this car, except for this one time.

I am concerned because I've known for quite awhile something hasn't been
right under the hood. The engine gets hot but doesn't overheat, because
I make a point of not driving it far like I've wanted to do. I basically
go to work, the store and back home. Oh well, this mystery will be
solved someday when I save enough pesos.
Jeff

Oil changers at Sears! and parts changers at Saturn dealer!  Did the oil
changer take a sample of the oil so you could have it analyzed by an oil
lab?  Did they save the filter so it could be cut apart and inspected?  Did
they have the equipment to test the coolant for combustion products?

If the coolant is leaking into the oil then this would only cause
overheating if the coolant level got very low and this would result in more
than just a little coolant in the oil, this is often visible on the dipstick
(and often referred to as 'making oil' due to the rising level) and it would
be readily visible in the drained oil, .however I suspect that the oil
flunky just drained the oil into a big sump where it was not possible to let
it settle out to check for coolant.  This is just another good reason to
change your own oil and to drain it into a CLEAN pan so it can be checked
after settling..

When a blown head gasket causes overheating it is more common for the
combustion products to blow INTO the coolant and this can cause overheating
but will usually also show as foamy or oily and dark contaminated coolant.
In this case the coolant will only leak into the cylinder after shutdown
(due to the cooling system pressure) and usually only in small quantities
that will normally get blown out the tailpipe on the next startup.

AFAIK the twin cam head does not suffer the casting problem that the 96-97
single cam heads did.  IMHO a gasket problem is more likely, but suspect
that any overheating is more likely cased by some other problem.  I suggest
you find a real mechanic and rule out the more common problems first.  They
are lack of coolant circulation due to plugged or corroded radiator or
thermostat that is not opening fully.  Any obstruction of the airflow or a
dirty rad or ac rad or missing lower air dam or faulty fan can cause
overheating as can faulty ignition timing.  The most obvious thing to check
is the gauge which may be reading high.

As in all mechanics eliminate the most common and easy to fix problems
before jumping to expensive conclusions.

Good luck, YMMV

BlaBla wrote: "...have YOU ever noticed a measurable loss of engine
coolant?"

Absolutely none in fact. I guess it was last winter that Sears changed
the antifreeze to the orange colored coolant that's made for cars with
some wear on the engine. I didn't know they were going to change it and
they didn't charge me, but it was something that needed done. Never
ever, before or since have I had to add coolant. However, during this
long hot summer I did have to add a quart of oil two different times
because the engine did burn some of that up. I'm assuming that's not a
huge deal considering the heat we've had ths year. And one of the times
I added a quart was after the one long drive I took this year.

Just so you guys know how this all started: It was actually over 2 years
ago that a truck tire tread flew off a truck that was 2 spots in front
of me on the highway. The tread hit the car in front of me, went under
his car, his back wheels popped the tread back into the air, then hit
and broke the shield under my bumper before going underneath me car. The
Saturn dealership here in Omaha 'eventually' told me a piece of the
shield lodged up against the "intake gasket" which they replaced. I
swear though that before they changed that gasket, that I heard a small
piece of the shield get sucked up into the engine. Maybe that's not even
possible but it sure did seem like it. Anyways, immediately after the
truck tire tread caused the damage my car has ALWAYS been running warm
but has never overheated. And after changing a thermostat, a water pump,
and an intake gasket, I still can't take the car on long trips. It
wouldn't be so bad if I had money to continually throw at the problem
but I'm just an average working stiff trying to pay the rent every
month.
That's the breaks I guess.

Posted my reply before finishing it. Just wanted to add that Saturn did
check the cooling system on two different occasions. According to them
it was working properly. I will write down what you suggested I do to it
next. Thanks for the advice, Jeff

 Every time someone tells about a REAL cracked head in their
Saturn-due to a manufacturing flaw- Bla Bla accuses them of being a
troll related to me!  Everyone knows that cylinderhead casting flaws
have been STANDARD at SATURN!

Sorry to hear about your SL1 'micven55'. I found the Saturn dealership
here to be very expensive, especially considering the problem still
exists. I know shops at dealerships are more expensive, but I feel I
really got hosed.

Good info the rest of you gave. I'll definitely write some things down
so I don't forget any of it. I'm considering just getting my tires first
then saving for whatever other repairs are needed. Who knows, I may even
move before doing anything else to it. Although I will be getting a new
belt put on. I'd hate to get stuck halfway between Omaha and Casper or
Billings with a broken belt. The friend who sold me the car kept all his
service repair bills, and I don't see where a new belt was put on.
That's almost 7 years. And the car has 71,000 miles on it. It's possible
he did change it and lost a bill, but I hate taking chances and the belt
is worn. Heck, I've put about 26,000 of those miles on it and I
obviously haven't changed it.

Man, am I ready to get on the road and head west. One of these blue
moons....just maybe.

Jeff