Saturn Repair: 1998 Saturn SL2 engine light, autozone auto parts, saturn service

Question
Hi Greg,

We have a 1998 Saturn SL2 & whenever the weather is humid or raining the check engine light comes on.  When the weather is dry, it's off.  Seeing as we live in FL, the light is on for the entire rainy season.  We have taken it in for an evaluation 2x (2 different Saturn service shops) & the only answer we're received is that it's because of humidity, and there is nothing wrong with the car.  Have you ever heard of this?   

Thanks very much,
Karen

Answer
Hi Karen,
Yes, I have come across it several different occassions.
The problem is vague, though, and No One has been able to pin point the exact cause.  One thing we know, though, is that it is sensor related and most likely due to a connection to one of the sensors.  There are SO MANY SENSORS on the SL2 engines and many merely have a basic two-wire contact that snaps on to the sensors...like there are a pair that go into the engine's head, above the spark plug coils, that monitor the Head's coolant tempurature and they  could easily be partially influenced by moisture.  There are two more located near the Air Flow Boot inside the intake manifold that would presumably report an error to the onboard computer if high humidty was in the air (it would fool the sensor in to thinking that the fuel mixture was too rich)it would send a fault code to the computer...that trips the Check Light but does not register a permanent error and it gets reset after shut off.  They are probably right in thier assemsment...your car is probably OK and you don't need to worry about it.  BUT, that only applies as long as the problem is ONLY HAPPENING WHEN THE HUMIDITY IS HIGH.  The first time it happens and it isn't as humid, take it to a dealer that will put the CODE READER on it while the light is one. That is the only way the the computer will be ableto tell the CODE READER of the correct fault.  Some Saturn Dealers (the nice ones) will read the codes for free.  If not, AutoZone Auto Parts Stores will do it for free!
I hope this helps a little.  For what it is worth, Saturn's are very picky about the info they receive from the sensors AND the sensors tend to go bad more often than other vehicle's. So between those two circumstances, it is hard to tell when a real problem is at hand!
Thanks for asking,
Sincerely,
Greg Moore
www.taylorgolfsupply.com (My Golf Company)
P.S.  Please feel free to leave any comments about me at the AllExperts.com site to help inform others of your experience!