1997 saturn sl2 dohc is there a timing belt or chain on it

timing belt not chain. you must be more than just a shade tree mechanic in order to tackle this job. If it is a DOHC it is even more difficult. the best advice I can offer you is that you are not fully sure of your abilities take it to the garage

If you are replacing a DOHC 1998 engine with another DOHC 1998 engine yes it will work. Saturn only made two engines from 91-99 and they all had the same block, difference some were SOHC and others were DOHC. The number "1" after SL or SC or SW means SOHC while the number "2" after SC or SL or SW means a DOHC.

Note if one is an auto and the other manual you are going to have to swap the flywheel/ring gear stuff over.

If your thinking of interchanging the head or short block then you can, depending on the cylinders, because the saturn sl2 2000 and 1999 were one of the few models ever to make a 1.9 liter DOHC. if you have a 1.8 DOHC then you should be fine with a 2001 or 2002

I do not know what your mileage is but if you are over 110,000 in a DOHC then a cam chain is in order unless it has already been done. when you do it get a kit as the are guides, sprockets, and a tensioner needed as well. when you are putting it back together do the serpentine belt tensioner and the dog bone motor mounts. generally a cam chain sounds more like loud whirr than click. sticky valves click, but that generally goes away as the engine warms up. a/c clutch could make a click cutting in and out if the system is dry and there is nothing to compress. have you tried this in park with the hood open and someone else hitting the gas pedal to hit the magic rpm? you might see something attending the click or get some better idea as to exact location.

requires pulling the head off and replacing the gasket. not an owner serviceable repair unless you have a lot of tools. while you are at it you will want to do the timing chain as well. might make more sense to buy a lower mileage compatible engine out of a junkyard. most saturn engines from 96-98 will fit in there, you must make sure that if yours is a SL2, meaning DOHC your donor vehicle must have the DOHC as well as the transmissions are different on the SOHC cars. SC1 and SL1 and SW1 have the same engines and SW2, SL2 and SC2 are the same. something i learned a long time ago was that if you have a valve job done on the head before you put it back together, the piston rings will go bad within a few weeks. good luck

1997 Saturn SL 1.9 liter DOHC VIN "8"




Hope helps (remember rated and comment this)

under the timing chain cover on the front of the engine

You should have a dot on the fron of the cam to line up before you put the chain/belt on..

2006 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe 2dr Cpe Ion.1 Base Manual
2.2L DOHC SFI 16-valve L4 Ecotec engine
Steel timing chain

not really your head holds alot of pressure any temp. fix will just break