Top 10 1996 Saturn SL Questions & Answers

check your ac belt and make sure you can hear the compressor cutting in and out if all is ok get it tested and regassed that should work

Coolant leaks can occur anywhere in the cooling system. Nine out of ten times, coolant leaks are easy to find because the coolant can be seen dripping, spraying, seeping or bubbling from the leaky component. So open the hood and visually inspect the engine and cooling system for any sign of liquid leaking from the engine, radiator or hoses. The color of the coolant may be green, orange or yellow depending on the type of antifreeze in the system. The most common places where coolant may be leaking are:Water pump. A bead shaft seal will allow coolant to dribble out of the vent hole just under the water pump pulley shaft. If the water pump is a two-piece unit with a backing plate, the gasket between the housing and back cover may be leaking. The gasket or o-ring that seals the pump to the engine front cover on cover-mounted water pumps can also leak coolant. Look for stains, discoloration or liquid coolant on the outside of the water pump or engine.Radiator. Radiators can develop leaks around upper or loser hose connections as a result of vibration. The seams where the core is mated to the end tanks is another place where leaks frequently develop, as is the area where the cooling tubes in the core are connected or soldered to the core headers. The core itself is also vulnerable to stone damage. But a major factor in many radiator leaks is internal corrosion that eats away from the inside out. That's why regular coolant flushes and replacing the antifreeze is so important.
oses. Cracks, pinholes or splits in a radiator hose or heater hose will leak coolant. A hose leak will usually send a stream of hot coolant spraying out of the hose. A corroded hose connection or a loose or damaged hose clamp may also allow coolant to leak from the end of a hose. Sometimes the leak may only occur once the hose gets hot and the pinhole or crack opens up. Freeze plugs (casting plugs or expansion plugs in the sides of the engine block and/or cylinder head). The flat steel plugs corroded from the inside out, and eventually eat through allowing coolant to leak from the engine. The plugs may be hard to see because they are behind the exhaust manifold, engine mount or other engine accessories. On V6 and V8 blocks, the plugs are most easily inspected from underneath the vehicle.
Heater Core. The heater core is located inside the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit under the dash. It is out of sight so you can�t see a leak directly. But if the heater core is leaking (or a hose connection to the heater core is leaking), coolant will be seeping out of the bottom of the HVAC unit and dripping on the carpet. Look for stains or wet spots on the bottom of the plastic HVAC case, or on the passenger side floor.
Intake Manifold gasket. The gasket that seals the intake manifold to the cylinder heads may leak and allow coolant to enter the intake port, crankcase or dribble down the outside of the engine. Some engines such as General Motors 3.1L and 3.4L V6 engines as well as 4.3L, 5.0L and 5.7L V8s are notorious for leaky intake manifold gaskets. The intake manifold gaskets on these engines are plastic and often fail at 30,000 to 80,000 miles. Other troublesome applications include the intake manifold gaskets on Buick 3800 V6 and Ford 4.0L V6 engines.
INTERNAL COOLANT LEAKS
There are the worst kind of coolant leaks for two reasons. One is that they are impossible to see because they are hidden inside the engine. The other is that internal coolant leaks can be very expensive to repair.


visit for more info:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/coolant_leaks.htm

P1406 - EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) Valve Pintle Position Circuit

You most likely have either a defective EGR position sensor or a peice of carbon holding the EGR pintle valve off it's seat.

Yes! It is a whole lot easier and faster to take off the passenger tire. Remove plastic cover with speed pins. It is a lot easier to get to the belt tensioner to release belt tension also.Just put a 14mm wrench or 9/16" wrench on the tensioner at the 4:00 o'clock position and push down the belt will be easy to remove and reverse this to install the new one GOOG LUCK *****badgto1NJ

Check to see if any of the door locks aren't working by going to each door and seeing if it has refused to lock while trying the power lock on you key remote or attempting the one on the master door. If one refuses to lock, you could have a bad door soleniod which is causing your doors to get a bad signal accasionally and that would account for the problem.

Just is one way to replace. Review this:

1996 Saturn SL 1.9L MFI SOHC 4cyl



If the starter is to be replaced, remove the bracket from the old starter

REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Raise and support the vehicle safely.
3. If equipped, remove the starter shield pin by pulling on it with pliers, then lift and release the shield from the solenoid.
4. Spray the solenoid electrical connection nuts and studs with penetrating oil, and allow it to seep in for a minute to loosen the connections. While the oil is soaking in, tag the solenoid electrical connectors for identification during assembly.

It is very important that the solenoid electrical connection nuts and studs are sprayed with penetrating oil prior to removal to avoid damage to the solenoid end cap. A cracked cap will allow debris and moisture to enter and corrode the solenoid contacts.

1. Carefully loosen the bolts and detach the starter electrical connectors. Position the wires to the side and out of the way.
2. Remove the lower starter mounting bolt.
3. Using an obstruction wrench, remove the upper starter mounting bolt. If the upper starter mounting bolt cannot be reached from below the vehicle, it may be accessible from above, through the intake manifold support bracket opening.
4. If equipped, remove the bolt attaching the starter rear support bracket to the vehicle. Rotate the starter until the bracket misses the axle shaft support bracket.
5. Carefully support the starter, pulling it rearward and toward the left side of the vehicle to remove it.

To install:

1. If equipped on the old starter, install the rear starter support bracket to the new starter. Tighten the bracket nuts to 7 ft. lbs. (9 Nm).
2. Guide the starter into the bell housing and rotate the assembly until the lower bolt hole in the starter aligns.
3. Verify that the bracket is properly aligned and loosely install the bracket bolt, then loosely install the starter mounting bolts. It may be necessary to raise or lower the vehicle for access to both the upper and lower bolts, but do not tighten any bolts until all of the mounting bolts have been started.
4. Tighten both upper and lower starter assembly attachment bolts to 27 ft. lbs. (37 Nm).
5. Reconnect the electrical wires and install the nuts. Be careful not to overtighten the nuts and crack the solenoid end cap. Route the wiring cable so it will not contact any rough surfaces. Tighten the starter positive terminal nut to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm) and the solenoid terminal nut to 44 inch lbs. (5 Nm).
6. If equipped, install the starter shield and push pin, being careful that the pin is positioned for possible future removal.
7. Lower the vehicle.
8. Connect the negative battery cable and verify operation.

Fig. Remove the starter motor dust shield retaining clip



Fig. Lift off and remove the starter motor dust shield from beneath the vehicle



Fig. Loosen the starter solenoid wiring terminal screws ...



Fig. ...then label and disengage the wiring harnesses from the starter solenoid, carefully positioning them out of the way



Fig. Loosen the lower starter motor mounting bolt ...



Fig. ...then remove the bolt from the vehicle



Fig. If accessibility is limited from below the vehicle, use the opening in the intake manifold support bracket to reach the upper starter bolt



Fig. Remove the rear mounting bracket bolt, then remove the starter from the vehicle




I hope help you with this (remember rated this help) Good luck.

Under the floor board of the driver's side about where your left foot would rest.

Click on the following free, direct Link. It has all the Serpentine Belt Diagrams you will need for the 1.9L 4-Cylinder Engine and various Engine Options (AC/No AC etc.), complete with Instructional and Directional Diagrams.

http://www.2carpros.com/car_repair_information/year/1996/make/saturn/model/sl/1996_saturn_sl_drive_belt_routing_diagram.htm

Let me know if this helped or if you have additional information or questions. Feel Free to contact me at FixYa.com!

"HOW TO":
Standard Rules to Removal the Serpentine Belt with an Automatic Tensioner:
1. Find the Tensioner(s). (See Diagrams on Link)
2. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool, Or Wrench OR Ratchet, Rotate/Move the Tensioner USING THE AVAILABLE NUT (on the Pulley or Arm Base) OR the OPENING (3/8ths or 1/2 inch square opening) rotating the Tensioner Pulley/Arm - moving it away from contact with the belt and towards the area where the belt is not in contact with the Tensioner Pulley. The Tensioner is spring loaded, and is hard to rotate/move.
3. Remove the loosened belt off one of the other more easily accessed Pulleys.
4. DO NOT quickly release the Tensioner, but gently allow the Tensioner to rest in its closed position.

Standard Rules for Installing the Serpentine Belt with an Automatic Tensioner:
a. Pick a Pulley that is most easily accessed. This will usually be on top. This will be the last Pulley that the belt will go on.
b. Using the Diagram: Install the new Serpentine Belt on the remainder of the Pulleys....over, under, left right.
c. Using a Serpentine Belt Tensioner Tool or Wrench or Ratchet Tool: Rotate/Move the Tensioner Pulley/Arm "away" from Belt contact area on the Tensioner. This spring is pretty hard and with a new belt, it will be even harder to install. Rotate/Move this to as-close to the maximum allowed inorder to have enough slack in the belt to get it up and over the last pulley.
d. Using your other hand - Pull the Belt up and over the Last remaining Pulley.
e. Before releasing the pressure on the Tensioner, visually inspect the remainder Pulleys and the Belts' Positioning on them.

That black plasict box with part number P/N: 136-2268 is a Audiovox car alarm brain. On one side it should have 4 individual connector slots. First one is a blue color for a 2 prong, second is a small white with 2 prongs, third is also white whith a 4 prong, and the last one is 2 prong is a off white color. The other side should have a long port for a 11 prong horizontal connector.