96 Saturn SC1 Engine Whine & Erratic Behavior - HELP!

neopolss · 06-17-2005, 02:28 PM

This just happened yesterday and now persists today. When the car comes to a stop, and I begin to accelerate again, the car has almost no response to the gas, or will barely move. It will suddenly hard shift (automatic tran) and go, but then will erratically shift for the first 20 ft or so. Once it reaches a higher gear the car runs fine. Odd things about this though.

There was a pronounced engine whine coming from the passenger side of the vehicle (under the hood) that is now much more pronounced since this has happened. It almost feels clogged. Power is very minimal and sluggish. Last time I was at my mechanic, he mentioned that there was a lot of carbon buildup, but that otherwise the engine was in very good condition. I tend to believe this as last year I had to replace an oxygen sensor in the car. I've tried carb cleaners as well, but the car still feels slow and sluggish.

Other repairs that have been done - I've replaced the water pump and added new coolant and new transmission fluid. The whine was originally thought to be linked to a water pump failure since at the time it was leaking coolant as well.

Any suggestions on what my problem can be? This is definately getting worse!

EDIT: I also wanted to add that the temperature gauge does not read in drive, only in park (will suddenly go from cold to warmed up). This has also just happened with the problem in changing gears.

PurdueGuy · 06-17-2005, 03:59 PM

Sounds like an odd one. I'd have a moderator put this in the "technical" section. We've got a member over there who's a tech, and he does a really good job with this stuff.

neopolss · 06-17-2005, 04:13 PM

It's very similar to the symptoms that this guy has -

http://www.saturnspot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25208

I had the same felt-like-I-was-rear-ended shift as well. Can it be the valve body? The car has not displayed any symptoms of a problem until *BAM*

*sigh*

And I love my little Saturn...

neopolss · 06-17-2005, 07:44 PM

update -

Took the car home for lunch. No shifting problems at all, but the acceleration is still very very slow until it reaches about 10mph. No erratic behavior for the moment. I'm thinking perhaps it is improving right? Wrong! I get home, check fluids, all levels are fine. Go to start the car, and it turns maybe twice and then nothing. The car had no problem starting at all going to lunch. Just fired right up. This thing starts on the first crank in below zero weather. And now all of a sudden it doesn't turn over at all!

My Saturn is possessed!

PurdueGuy · 06-17-2005, 08:39 PM

did you check the fluid with the car running? On an auto, you don't get an accurate reading otherwise (on a manual it doesn't matter - it's just a pool of oil). Of course, if you didn't, it's hard to check now that it wont' start.

Just a thought, though.

scottyr94 · 06-17-2005, 08:49 PM

Go to Autozone or other parts place that does free battery and alternator testing and be sure to get a load test done on the both. Sounds to me like the alternator is ready to take a crap, will cause messed up shift points. May also want to get the catalytic converter checked out, if it collapsed in you will notice significant power loss and possibly rough idle.

neopolss · 06-17-2005, 09:06 PM

Or already has crapped =)

Good advice - I will check alternator. Still feels like a *clogged* feeling when I was driving it. I will see if it starts again when I get home and test the battery. If it is dead, then the problem may have shown itself!

PurdueGuy · 06-17-2005, 09:23 PM

Well, testing the battery will tell you with about 95% confidence that it's either the battery OR the alternator. The battery could be dead because it's dead, or dead because it's run down from the alternator being dead. Of course, running down most car batteries is hard on them, so it could now be both if it were the alternator. There's always that chance that there's a short somewhere, too... but most of the time it's one of those two.

neopolss · 06-20-2005, 01:37 PM

It was indeed the alternator. I started to lean that way myself once my spedometer stopped reading on the way home!

Thank you guys for the advice! I've replced the alt and this Saturn will go on to see its tenth birthday!

scottyr94 · 06-20-2005, 05:35 PM

Great to hear. Yeah, when the diodes go bad inside those things then magnetic field can get way messed up and it can do some goofy things to your electronics.