Why is my 97 saturn sl2 wasting more gas now than before

Cut them off and push them out and replace them with regular grade 5 bolts.

Unplug the plugs and buy a used steering colum , with key , quickest easiest

have you replaced the fuel filter?

I guess my first question would be - are you saying it is slipping in 3rd gear ? If you push the gas pedal to the floor it should downshift into a lower gear.
If it is slipping, or not upshifting into 3rd gear, I'm afraid chances are the transmission is toast.
You can take it to a couple of shops for estimates but they will probably want to pull the pan and take a look inside.

jack up your car and operate same as what speed you hear that same, in that case you will now notice and pinpoint where does this sound came from,

Wheel bearing failure is your problem. And fairly easy to repair

There IS a fuse under the hood...the green 30A big boy labeled power/convenience. Use a multimeter to check power coming into the relay...if it's not there probably the fuse. If it is there, could be the switches.

If it's the fuse, go to a junkyard and get one cheap. But then, they're pretty cheap new too.

97 saturn turn over wont start , getting fuel ; no spark

my sc1 97 saturn dont work on reverse when is hot

check fuel pump