QuestionChris,
We'll take it somewhere & get those codes pulled. Does it seem like it is ok to drive it without causing damage/further damage or should we tow it (we have a way to do this on our own)? I really appreciate your time in helping w/ this as we are short on time to take the car to the shop & your responses will help me to determine if I can put it off a few days. Not that you can give me a definite answer nor that we'll be driving it regularly but we are headed to TN (in another vehicle) to adopt our first child in a few days (money & time are tight). Your thoughts about what is wrong are helping put my mind at ease. 2 other questions related to this- 1) does the 7yr/70k mile emissions related warranty apply when I bought it used or is it only to the original owner? and 2) how can I know if they did the previous repairs correctly? I have all the paperwork & I actually had to take it back after they did the first repairs related to the emissions b/c they messed something up that caused a delay & jerk into reverse. They wound up doing the emissions work like warranty work b/c I had just bought the car & it was supposedly "certified" w/ one of the 180point (whatever number) inspection checks. Anyway...I'll get back to you & thank you so very much for your help!
Betsy
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Followup To
Question -
Chris,
Yes, it is an SL2 (though I wish it were the nicer L series!). I appreciate your responding so quickly! Hope to hear back soon.
Betsy
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Followup To
Question -
I was headed to the gas station yesterday & ran out of gas. I had obviously waited too long after the gas light came on! I parked the car, came back & put some gas in then drove to the gas station. Everything was fine. This morning & headed out to work & the service engine, security & gas lights came on (the service engine soon light had been on as this has been a near constant problem since getting the vehicle). The gas gauge began dropping from full & was at 1/4 full by the time I made it back to the house no more than 1/4 mile round trip. The service department has repeatedly told me the code that sets the SES light off indicates a very small leak in the gas tank that isn't worth repairing. There have been some other repairs related to emission stuff but I'm not sure exactly what & those were 2-3 yrs ago. Could I have really screwed my car up that bad letting it run out of gas (this is the first time I've done that but it was pre-owned)? What could be wrong? It is a 2001 Saturn SL2.
Thanks!
Answer -
Betsy,
I don't think that running out of fuel is your root problem. I do need to know for certain that your vehicle is a SL2 and not an LS200. I only ask because your concern would be easily diagnosed if it were an L-Series, and sometimes people confuse the two. Problems like this rarely happen in the S-Series, more often in the L. Please write me back and confirm if your vehicle is the small S-Series, or the larger L. Then we can get to work on what your problem could be. Hope to hear from you soon!
Chris
Answer -
Betsy,
Well, let's be glad that it's not the "nicer" L-Series. The L line has a reputation of being the "Hell" series-pardon the language. The car that you have is MUCH better than any L-Series.
Anyway, let's deal with the first concern. The SES light on your vehicle can be caused by many things. If your repair facility is telling you that you have a small leak in the fuel tank, they are probably right. The diagnostic trouble code is a "P0440" or "P0442". These are codes that your engine's computer stores for later use. More often than not, these codes are caused by a loose or leaking fuel cap. However, if you have had some repairs to the EVAP (evaporative emissions) System, I would have concern that your facility did not complete the repair correctly. An EVAP leak is not a true safety concern, but one that I would get looked at.
Second, the ever elusive "security" light is another story. It's problems are almost as hard to track down as the EVAP system's. There are two usual causes for this light to come on in an S-series. One: the passlock sensor starts sending poor voltage values to the engine computer. The sensor is located in the key cylinder housing (if you have a bunch of keys on your key ring, take them off and use a smaller key ring, it helps!!). Two: the PCM, engine computer, is inoperative on one or more circuits. This should only be diagnosed by an "old hand" or someone who has worked on that type of vehicle for a while.
Third: The gas light. I can think of only two parts on your vehicle that would cause the gas light to come on. One, the fuel sender (the mechanism that measures the amount of fuel in your tank). Two, the PCM. That's right, we've come back to the PCM again.
I've never seen these three problems, all at the same time, on a vehicle like yours. If I had to shoot from the hip right now, I would probably say that your PCM is on the way out the door. However, I say that with reservations due to the fact that I have rarely replaced S-series PCMs for these types of conditions. Remember, your vehicle came with a 7 yr / 70K mile EMISSIONS warranty. Any sensor that breaks (related to emissions) is covered for replacement.
I really can't say for certain what your vehicle's problem is, but I hope this helps. My best advise to you, take your vehicle somewhere that a technician can retrieve all of the Diagnostic Trouble Codes and write them down for you. All I need to know are the numbers. They all start with a P, B, C or U, and then have four numbers behind the letter. Find out what the codes are and then write back to me. I'll let you know what I think.
Chris
AnswerBetsy,
CONGRATS on your new kiddo! To answer your questions quickly and concisely, here we go:
1. Won't hurt to drive your Saturn around town. As long as you aren't having a stall/no start condition you should be fine. (an EVAP leak doesn't constitute a fuel leak, usually just small amounts of fuel tank vapors leaking, not a huge deal.
2. The 7/70 warranty applies to the vehicle, not the owner. As long as you are under that time/mileage and there is a broken emission part, you should be covered. The covered parts list should be somewhere in your owner's manual. This warranty doesn't cover all parts, but it does cover the PCM in case that's what it turns out to be.
3. There's no real way to know if they did the previous repair correctly. If you'd like to fax me the repair invoices that you have, I'd take a look at them. Other than that, there's no real way to know. If you'd like to do that just let me know.
Chris
