Saturn Repair: 95 saturn sl2, saturn sl2, poor oil

Question
Hi.  I have a question.  My Saturn is blowing smoke at acceleration.  Does this sound like a serious problem?  The oild was extremely black on the last oil changed which leads me to believe the previous owner did not keep up the servicing.  Do you think it is just really dirty and needs some major cleaning?  I am going to do a 48 hour MMO Soak this weekend and then have the oil changed again.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Christopher

Answer
Thanks for the question, Christopher,
It is funny as I was going to recommend the MMO (I call it a NAPA Foam, same thing). and then as I read further, you answered your own question.  That is the correct proceedure.  It will break up the glazing on the cylinder walls which are most likely the reason for the blow by.
Poor oil maintainance on a Saturn spells sure death for the engine.  The clearances are so tight that any slacked oil changes cause major wear. THe big one to look for is the Timing Chain Tensioner becoming stuck in the loose position and causing the chain to slap and eventually skip teeth...killing the engine. (requires a new head, at very least).  So, the deep cleaning will be a positive step but may not be enough.  Check the No. 1 cylinder spark plug.  If is oily and then after cleaning and running for a few miles, gets oily again...you have to really de-gunk that cylinder.

Let me know how all works out so I can pass it along to others.  I have 130,000 on my '93 SL2 (with an engine replacememt at 110,000).  The replacement engine was a '94 SC2 w/ about 60,000 and it was really well maintained and it runs great.
Sincerely,
Greg Moore
www.taylorgolfsupply.com