Fix It

If your Saturn is experiencing failing fuel injectors, you may want to consider using a better quality gasoline. Symptoms of faulty fuel injectors include jerking movements while driving and loud knocking sounds upon acceleration. You will need to know how to properly relieve the fuel systems pressure before performing this repair procedure. Unless otherwise noted, some steps do not require tools.

Instructions

Removing the Fuel Rail and Fuel Injectors

1

Relieve the fuel system pressure by removing the fuel cap.

2

Disconnect the negative cable from the battery with a wrench.

3

Remove the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail. Unbolt the two mounting bolts with a socket wrench then remove the regulator.

4

Disconnect the air intake duct by detaching the connector from the intake air temperature sensor then removing the PCV hose from the duct. Unscrew and remove the hose clamps with a flat head screwdriver at both ends of the duct.

5

Remove the EVAP canister purge hose and loosen the clamp for the coolant hose from the hose guide. Remove the hose guide and separate the PCV hose from the valve cover. Set aside the hoses.

6

Unscrew and remove the two nuts from the fuel rail mounting studs with the socket wrench. Remove the engine wiring harness cover from the valve cover and push it aside.

7

Remove the fuel supply and return lines from the fuel rail by unscrewing the two line fittings with an open-end wrench. Take out the O-rings in the holes and discard them.

8

Unplug the connectors from the fuel injectors by pulling on their locks.

9

Unscrew and remove the two fuel rail mounting nuts with the socket wrench.

10

Pull out the fuel rail/injector assembly.

11

Free the injector retainers from the small lugs on both sides with a flat head screwdriver. Pull each injector out.

Installing the New Fuel Injectors

12

Install the new fuel injectors and secure them onto the fuel rail by fastening the retainers back onto the side lugs.

13

Lubricate the O-rings on each end of the injectors with clean engine oil. Insert the fuel rail/injector assembly back into the intake manifold.

14

Install the fuel rail mounting nuts and torque them to 89 inch-pounds with a torque wrench.

15

Reconnect each electrical connector to the fuel injectors. Check to make sure they are securely locked on by slightly wiggling them.

16

Insert the new O-rings into the fuel line holes. Install the supply and return fuel lines onto the fuel rail and tightly screw on their fittings with the open-end wrench.

17

Position the engine wiring harness cover onto the valve cover. Tighten the mounting nuts over the studs with the socket wrench.

18

Follow Steps 4 and 5 in Section 1 to reconnect the EVAP and PCV hoses and the air duct.

19

Install the fuel pressure regulator onto the fuel rail and tighten its two mounting bolts with the socket wrench. Reattach the vacuum hose to the regulator.

20

Reconnect the negative cable onto the battery with the wrench. Replace the fuel cap.

21

Start your Saturn and check for any fuel leaks.

There are two oxygen sensors integrated into the exhaust system of the 2001 Saturn SL. The sensors help the 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine generate an ideal fuel-to-air ratio for optimum emissions. One sensor is located near the manifold and monitors this mixture. If the mixture becomes compromised (too much air makes the mix too lean; too much fuel makes the mix too rich), the sensor transmits a trouble code to the computer in the car. The rear sensor monitors the efficiency of the catalytic converter, which filters the harmful exhaust gases and converts them into less-harmful emissions.

Instructions

Upstream Sensor

1

Start the engine of the Saturn on a level ground for at least five minutes to warm the engine. This will help expand the metal of the manifold and sensor junction. Be caul and dont let it run too long, because it wont take long for the manifold and sensor to get hot enough to burn you.

2

Open the hood and locate the upstream sensor at the bottom of the manifold in the front of the engine. Disconnect the wire harness plug connection.

3

Spray penetrating lubricant along the threads of the sensor where it screws into the manifold and allow it to soak in for a few minutes.

4

Place the socket onto the ratchet and place the sensor wire into the slot of the socket (or feed the wire through the box end of a 22mm wrench) and turn the sensor counterclockwise to remove it from the manifold.

5

Inspect the new sensor before inserting it into the port hole in the manifold. Most quality aftermarket sensors have a light coat of high-temperature anti-seize compound on the threads of the sensor. If there is none on the threads, apply a very light coat to the threads only. Avoid getting any on the sensor itself.

6

Thread the sensor into the manifold porthole by hand, then tighten snugly. Do not over-tighten the sensor or youll strip the few threads it has and will ruin it. Plug the wire from the new sensor back into the wire-harness connector.

Downstream Sensor

7

Park the Saturn on a hard, level surface and then apply the parking brake (after warming the engine for five minutes; again, this will expand the metal of the exhaust pipe and sensor junction). Use the vehicle jack to lift the front of the Saturn, one front quarter panel at a time, high enough to place a jack stand under each front frame rail.

8

Put on safety glasses and crawl underneath the Saturn with the remaining items.

9

Locate the downstream sensor near the catalytic converter (in the center of the undercarriage under the front seats of the passenger cab).

10

Disconnect the wire-harness connection, then spray the threads with penetrating lubricant. Allow a few minutes to let the spray soak in. Use the ratchet and socket or 22mm wrench as described in Step 4 of Section 1 to remove the sensor from the exhaust piping.

11

Insert the new sensor (again making sure it has a light coat of high-temperature anti-seize compound on the thread section only) into the porthole of the exhaust pipe, and tighten snugly. Reconnect the wire of the sensor to the harness plug connection.

Extremely cold outside temperatures or leaving the lights on while the motor is off, are factors that may cause the battery in a Saturn Vue to lose its charge. In the event that this happens, you will need to perform a jump start to get the Vue up and running. Exercise caution when performing a jump start because there is a risk, albeit remote, that an explosion may occur.

Instructions

1

Open the Saturn Vues hood and locate the terminals on the battery.

2

Move the operational vehicle close enough to the Vue that the jumper cables can reach between them.

3

Connect one of the jumper cables red clamps to the positive (+) terminal on the dead battery, and then connect the other red clamp to the positive terminal on the jumper vehicles battery.

4

On the jumper vehicles battery, connect a black clamp to the negative (-) terminal and then connect the other black clamp to an unpainted metal surface on the engine block to ground the connection.

5

After five to 10 minutes, start the Saturn Vue. Idle the engine for another five to 10 minutes before disconnecting the jumper cables.

6

Disconnect the jumper cables by reversing the above steps. Close the hood. The jump start process is now complete.

You can reset and turn off the "Service Engine Soon" light on your 1997 Saturn L1. The On-Board Diagnostics computer keeps track of regular service intervals. Its important to always do the servicing first before resetting the light. This will allow the vehicles computer to keep accurate track of when the next service is due.

Instructions

1

Pop open the hood of the vehicle. Find the battery. Behind the batter is a black fuse box. Release the retaining clips and lift off the top of the box.

2

Look for the "Reset" button below a reddish-orange block. Press the button and hold it for five seconds.

3

Put the key in the ignition and turn the vehicle on, but dont start the engine. Wait one minute. The light should have turned off. If not, turn off the vehicle and turn the ignition to the "ACC" setting. Press the "Reset" button again and hold it for 15 seconds.

4

Turn off the car and remove the key. Put the key back in the ignition and start the engine. Let it run for at least two minutes. The computer should now have registered the reset and the service engine light should now be off.

The heater core in your Saturn converts cool air into warm air by utilizing already heated coolant. The heater core has fins for air to pass through. It also has water tubes to let warm coolant cycle in and out. This process causes the air to heat as it blows into the passenger compartment. When replacing your Saturns heater core with a new one, look for the correct specifications in depth, height, width, and diameters to the inlet and outlet ducts.

Instructions

Removing The Heater Core

1

Disconnect the negative cable from the Saturns battery.

2

Drain the coolant mix out of the cooling system. If the coolant mix is still good, save it for when it is time to ill the system. Otherwise dispose of it properly.

3

Remove the heater hose coming out of the thermostat housing behind the engine block on the 4-cylinder engine. This hose is connected to the heater core pump on V-6 engines. Drain any additional coolant mix.

4

Remove both heater hoses from the firewall-heater/air conditioner housing by squeezing the tabs on the locking couplers and pulling.

5

Take out the right console extension inside the passenger compartment by sliding it back.

6

Use your flathead screwdriver to pry the tabs on the heater pipe clamps. Remove the clamps from the couplers, then remove the pipes from the heater core.

7

Unscrew the heater core strap-mounting screw. Move the strap to the side.

8

Firmly grasp the heater core and pull it out of its housing.

Installing The New Heater Core

9

Install the new heater core into the housing.

10

Position the heater core strap and tighten the mounting screw.

11

Place the new rubber O-rings on the pipes. Fit the pipes back into the cores appropriate inlet and outlet tubes. Install the clamps on the couplers.

12

Slide back the right console extension.

13

Install both heater hoses back onto the firewall-heater/air conditioner housing.

14

Refit the heater hose back onto the thermostat housing behind the engine block for 4-cylinder engines. For V-6 engines, it the heater hose back onto the heater core pump.

15

Refill the coolant system with the coolant mix.

16

Re-connect the negative cable on the battery.

17

Turn on your car and test the heater.

The Saturn L-Series was a family of mid-size sedans and station wagons that General Motors produced from 2000 to 2005. The LS model was a sedan with a four-cylinder, 2.2-liter engine. The 2000 Saturn LS had an anti-lock braking system as a standard feature, which includes a brake control module, or BCM. The BCM has a microprocessor that calculates the braking power for each wheel during an emergency stop. The BCM in a Saturn LS is a black box in the engine compartment near the dash on the drivers side that can be replaced in a few simple steps.

Instructions

1

Turn the ignition off. Clean the BCM and surrounding area with a shop cloth to prevent contamination of the ABS when you remove the BCM.

2

Detach the electrical connector from the BCM. Remove the four retaining bolts that attach the BCM to the brake pressure modulator valve with a socket wrench. Pull the BCM carefully away from the valve.

3

Clean the the valve with a shop cloth and denatured alcohol to prevent contamination of the new BCM. Mount the new BCM to the valve and align the electrical terminals for the BCM and the valve.

4

Install the four retaining bolts that fasten the BCM to the valve. Tighten the bolts to 27 inch-pounds with a torque wrench. Attach the electrical connector to the BCM.

The Saturn Ion (manufactured from 2003 to 2007) uses an integrated low beam and high beam headlight per headlight assembly (drivers side and passenger side). The halogen headlight is inserted into the back of each headlight assembly and accessed through the engine compartment. While both low beam and high beam filaments rarely burn out at the same time, the headlight needs to be replaced when one or the other beams fails for optimal night vision.

Instructions

1

Park the Saturn Ion on a level ground surface, apply the parking brake, ensure the headlight switch is in the off position, and release the primary hood release latch from inside the vehicle.

2

Release the secondary hood release latch located underneath the center of the hood in front and lift the hood prop to rest the hood onto the prop.

3

Lift the two headlight assembly retaining brackets located at the back of the headlight assembly with the faulty headlight. The brackets only need to be lift up about an inch to unseat the headlight assembly retaining tabs.

4

Pull the assembly forward away from the Ion to unseat the ball socket headlight aiming guide pins.

5

Place towel under the assembly while resting it on the front bumper to avoid scratching the paint on the bumper.

6

Angle the headlight assembly outward far enough to reach behind it and disconnect the wire harness plugged into the headlight socket. Lift upward on the harness plug tabs and then pull it out of the headlight socket.

7

Turn the headlight retaining ring 1/3 of a turn counterclockwise and then extract the headlight and ring from the back of the headlight assembly. Discard the spent headlight.

8

Put on a pair of latex gloves before handling the replacement bulb. If skin accidentally contacts the glass bulb section of the composite headlight, a heat or weak spot will occur and shorten the life of the headlight.

9

Insert the replacement bulb through the center of the retaining ring and then align the tabs of the ring and headlight to the grooves in the headlight assembly. Turn the ring and socket 1/3 of a turn clockwise to tighten and secure the headlight in place.

10

Reconnect the wire harness plug to the socket of the headlight and test the headlight for proper operation before replacing the headlight assembly and retaining brackets.

The tail lights on the Saturn SC1 are also the brake lights for the coupe. The procedure to replace the rear lighting on any Saturn vehicle from 1993 through 2002 is very similar. There are three lights per tail light assembly--the backup/reverse light, the turn signal and the tail light/brake light bulb. The bulb part number changed in 2001, but the procedure to remove the tail light assembly remains the same.

Instructions

1

Verify that the headlight switch is in the "Off" position. Release the trunk latch.

2

Open the trunk and locate the two retaining screws on the inside of the tail light assembly.

3

Remove the two screws with a T-15 Torx head screwdriver.

4

Pull the assembly outward and away from the back of the SC1 far enough to access the wire harness connections attached to the back of the assembly.

5

Press the lock of the tail light/brake light socket (top center bulb inside the red section of the tail light assembly) and twist the socket counterclockwise 1/3 of a turn then pull the bulb and socket assembly out of the tail light assembly.

6

Pull the bulb straight up and out of the socket then push in the 3157 replacement bulb. For the 2057 bulb, push slightly downward on the glass bulb and rotate it 1/4-turn counterclockwise to remove it from the socket. Align the small tabs at the base of the replacement bulb to the grooves in the socket and twist the bulb 1/4-turn clockwise (again, pushing slightly downward on the bulb) until it locks into place.

Saturn produced the SC2 coupe from 1997 to 2002. The vehicle was available with either an 8-valve 85 horsepower engine or a 16-valve 124 horsepower engine. The solenoid is actually part of the starter, and the starter assembly has to be removed, repaired or replaced as a single unit. The neutral safety switch, which prevents the engine from starting if the automatic transmission is not in park or neutral, is also part of the starter assembly, as is the clutch start safety switch for manual transmissions.

Instructions

Removing the Starter Assembly

1

Loosen and remove the negative cable from the battery with a box or socket wrench. Raise the front end of your Saturn with a jack and lower it onto jack stands.

2

Spray all of the electrical connections on the starter assembly with penetrating oil. Leave the oil on for a few minutes so it has time to soak into the threads.

3

Put a piece of masking tape on each electrical wire. Note on the tape the wires position on the starter assembly, using the felt marker.

4

Loosen all of the electrical connections on the starter assembly with a wrench and remove the wires. Push the wires so they will not interfere with the repair.

5

Loosen and remove the lower starter mounting bolt with a wrench. Loosen and remove the upper starter motor bolt with an obstruction wrench. If you dont have an obstruction wrench, you can reach the bolt through an opening in the intake manifold support bracket, provided you have a long extension for the socket.

6

Loosen and remove the bolt holding the starter motor rear support bracket to the Saturns frame, using a wrench. Rotate the starter assembly until it will clear the axle shaft support bracket. Pull it to the rear and out.

Replacing the Starter Assembly

7

Raise the starter assembly into place. Install and tighten the rear support bracket bolt with a wrench.

8

Install the upper starter motor bolt and tighten with a wrench. Install the lower starter motor bolt and tighten with a wrench.

9

Attach the wires to their electrical connections and tighten with a wrench. Make sure all connectors are free of dirt and grease.

10

Test the starter solenoid assembly by turning the ignition to crank the engine over. Lift the vehicle up with the jack, remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.