20 Most Recent 1996 Saturn SC - Page 5 Questions & Answers

There seems to be a no charge state in this case. i recommend checking the charging system. use the procedure below to isolate this issue.

Wear protective eye wear and clothing and remove all jewelry when checking your battery and charging system. Jewelry is a good conductor of electricity and is not recommended. Most batteries wear out every 3 to 5 years and need to be replaced. Always replace your battery with an equal replacement battery to assure proper operation. Automotive batteries have a +positive terminal (red), - negative terminal (black). Electricity is stored in the battery and then supplied to the vehicle when the engine is not running. While the engine is running the vehicles alternator charges the battery for future use. (Note: never disconnect the battery while the engine is running. If the battery cable is disconnected from the battery a spark can be generated which can cause the battery to explode or a major electrical malfunction to occur.)

To check a battery surface voltage, remove the positive terminal protective cover. Connect the +positive side meter lead (red) to the positive side battery terminal. Connect the - negative (black) side meter lead to the negative battery terminal. With the vehicle not running and the car sitting over night the battery voltage should be between 12.5 and 12.8 volts.(You will need to use a voltmeter for this testing procedure)

The alternator is rotated by a drive belt driven by the vehicles engine while it is running. Electrical voltage and amperage are generated to recharge the battery and supply voltage to the electrical system of the car. The alternator is held in place with mounting bolts. There is a main electrical wire on the rear of the alternator that supplies voltage to a main voltage junction box. If your alternator is not charging properly, your battery will slowly drain down from operating all the electrical systems in your car and stop the car from running.(most non charge states will be the cause of a loose belt or a low tension rate, due to a mis-adjusted alternator. make sure you have enough tension in the belt for full rotation of the alt pulley)

Next, you will need to check the alternators output with the Amp meter.

Testing the amperage output of the alternator is good for measuring the amount (not the level) of voltage the alternator can produce. This test can be tricky because if the alternator is weak it can still show it as producing amperage. Which is good, but if the voltage is low, it will still allow the battery to go dead. To check the amperage output of an alternator an amp meter is needed. Once the meter is connected start the engine. Next turn on all electrical accessories and raise the engine idle to about 1200 RPM. The alternator should output the max amperage it was designed to produce. Example: a 90 amp alternator should output about 88 amps. Note: An alternator cannot sustain maximum output for long periods of time. If the alternator is forced to operate at maximum output it will overheat and fail. An alternator is designed to operate at max amperage output only for a reasonable amount of time.

((Connect the voltage meter lead the same way you would in a battery static voltage check, Start engine (do not drive) at engine idle the voltage should be between 13.6 to 14.3 volts. If not the alternator may need replacing.)))

BRAKES are the things that save lives and its not very nice for someone to have to go to the hospital to see you. so if the engine goes good THEN the brakes have to be even better so it dosent cost much to get them done by the Experts as look at it another way HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH a lot of people say they can do them untill they go wrong or the fail light stays on then they dont want to know beleave me.. Ron

There is a switch between brake pedal and shifter that can fails. Also from ignition

Spray Ether in the air intake...if it doesn't start then, I would suspect the timing chain.

White smoke from the tailpipe tells it all. You have a bad head gasket & or possibly a cracked / warped head etc. at a minimum which could be either the cause or a result of the overheating.
Weigh your options carefully, especially if it has been badly overheated. The car is after all close 14 years old .

OIL LEAKING ON TOP OF PLUGS.YOU COULD HAVE LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET.REPLACE VALVE COVER GASKET.

It'll be located inside your gas tank

the rotors just come off when you remove the calipers, the barings are sealed and you can buy the whole hub or you can buy a barring and have it pressed in the hub.

Issue 1.) The wonderful thing about Saturns is they were build with a spin on type Transmission filter. Its located under the battery tray on the drivers side. Replacing it and putting new fluid in is a great way to help remove some of the sludge that builds up in the tranny valve body and causes it to stick.
Issue 2.) Your cooling system is a delicately balanced critter. The fan is electric and has a sensor on the radiator to detect high temps. Your AC bypasses the circuit and will run the fan as you've discovered. Replacing the sensor, and getting the Coolant system flushed, while installing a new radiator cap is a start. The original factory coolant left a buildup in the system on mine and led to a complete blockage of my heater core. If your car's issues are left unserviced you will probably warp the cylinder head.

Your title got gut off 1996 Saturn SL-?

SL1
Original Equipment Size: 175/70-14

SL2
Original Equipment Size: 185/65-15

check the relay it may be sticking

The three prong is an older design. They went to a new model so you will have to replace it with newer style assembly, horn and socket.

Try pulling the engine coolant temp sensor, They often crack not sure why but the ceramic tip cracks makes the car hard to start, the car's idle may race while shifting gears, and often smokes. The sensor is on the right side of the engine when looking at it on the head. Easy to change and get too

a wheel bearing will make noise when there is weight on it. if you turn the wheel from side to side while driving and shift the weight it will tell you what side is the noisey bearing. the bearing is pressed in. you must use a press to replace.

just remove plasic triangular shaped cover on inside door oppisite of mirror and remove 3 nuts and install new

You have to remove the outside part of the door panel. The screws are located around the edge of the inside panel. There is a pin in the outside handle that needs to be removed, prop it in the up position w/ a screwdriver handle or something, remove carefully if you can. The mirror comes off and a couple of more screws by inside handle ect. then you'll have both in and out off. Rather simple procedure if you're mechanically inclined.

should b 3 15mm bolts on the bac side and 1 axel nut hammer on the old bearing it should come out it might have an abs plug

does it have spark? Does it have Fuel Pressure?

Sounds to me like there is an alignment issue witht he clutch disk. DId they buy a clutch kit with install tool? If not then good chance its not aligned and will need to come back out to align. you can also pick up a universal clutch alignment tool from autoparts store.

on the driverside bolted to the fenderwell