Why a Saturn?
The Saturn S series are very light cars, they can do a lot with little horse power. Their lightness gives them excellent acceleration, braking, handling, and fuel economy. They are not the fastest cars on the road but they are a blast to drive even at legal speeds. S series engines also respond very well to forced induction, it's not uncommon for a turbo S to put out more than 200 hp at the wheels. Late model SL2s (four door) and SC2s (coupe) can be picked up for under $3000. The S series are easy for weekend mechanics to work on and with proper maintenance will last 250,000 miles or longer. Insurance rates are low making the S a good choice for beginning drivers as well.
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1999 Saturn SL2
Sports Sedan | ||||||||||||
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Vital Info:
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Extended Information:
How do they compair to other cars?
The table below shows the P/W ratio for well known cars and Saturns (lower numbers are better):
The table below shows the P/W ratio for well known cars and Saturns (lower numbers are better):
| 2005 Honda S2000: | 11.704 lb/hp |
| 2003-05 Saturn Ion RedLine: | 13.132 lb/hp |
| 2000-05 Mitsubishi Eclipse V6: | 13.766 lb/hp |
| 1995-98 Nissan 240SX: | 17.761 lb/hp |
| 2000-05 Mitsubishi Eclipse V4: | 18.325 lb/hp |
| My SL2: | 18.637 lb/hp |
| 2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS: | 19.094 lb/hp |
| 2003-05 Saturn Ion: | 19.229 lb/hp |
| Stock SL2: | 19.355 lb/hp |
| 1995-98 Nissan 200SX (base model): | 20.261 lb/hp |
| Stock SL1: | 23.510 lb/hp |
| 1997 Geo Metro STD: | 33.309 lb/hp |
What's not good about them?
Like all FWD cars the S is front heavy, the weight shift when breaking isn't too bad but the car will understeer if pushed hard when cornering. The manual transmissions will break if you attempt to smoke the tires. There is less aftermarket support than found for more popular sports cars. There are no performance 'chips' for them. Many like to burn oil. Oil MUST be changed on regular intervals and the filter is a pain in the neck to get to.
Like all FWD cars the S is front heavy, the weight shift when breaking isn't too bad but the car will understeer if pushed hard when cornering. The manual transmissions will break if you attempt to smoke the tires. There is less aftermarket support than found for more popular sports cars. There are no performance 'chips' for them. Many like to burn oil. Oil MUST be changed on regular intervals and the filter is a pain in the neck to get to.
Worklog:
Before the site went up, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Coolant flush, used Prestone flush from Walmart, refilled with premixed DEX-COOL, and added WaterWetter. | Routine Maintenance. | Engine runs a bit cooler now, no more nasty looking/smelling coolant. |
| MMO pistion soak. | Routine Maintenance. | Probably helped a little. Most of the MMO leaked around the piston rings so I guess my compression must be pretty bad. (No forced induction for me!) |
| New spark plugs. Used NGK 6954. Checked gap on all new plugs. | Routine Maintenance. | Old plugs looked ok, was time for new ones anyway. |
| Changed ECTS. (factory part) | Preventative Maintenance. | Old one was also a brass type and looked ok. Better safe than sorry. |
| Changed PCV valve. (factory part) | Preventative Maintenance. | Old one not the right kind, good thing I did this. |
| Oil Change, used Mobil 1 (4.5q) and PureONE PL25230 filter. | Routine Maintenance. | Old oil was redish, hmmm. And the filter was stuck on with the force of a thousand angry midgets. |
| Removed air dam, underhood sound dampening, and airbox resonator. | Weight Reduction. | Lost about 14 pounds. P/W improved to: 19.242 (-0.113) Every little bit counts. |
| Notes: | ||
| Passed NC inspection 5/12/06. | ||
5/20/06, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Crankcase breather tube was falling appart, replaced with some vaucume tube that came with CP intake. | Routine Maintenance. | Junky tube, collapsed/kinked and caused a SES. Replaced with 3/4" id fuel injection line from Advance Auto. |
| Installed ebay strut tower bar, used loctite on bolts, tighted to 21 ft/lbs. | Handling Upgrade. | Helps reduce body twisting. |
| Donut-ectomy. Bought tire slime and portable pump. | Weight Reduction. | Lost about 35 pounds. P/W improved to: 19.000 (-0.242) Noticable improvement. |
| Wash & Wax. | Routine Maintenance. | Used that new turlewax ice stuff for 2nd coat, works very well. Sprayer bottle has very good control. It's very shiny now! |
| Notes: | ||
| Took car to Midas for a brake/AC inspection. They installed one new wheel cylinder. I ordered two rotors and a set of pads from ebay vendor macautopartsdiscounts. My AC compressor is broken (leaks). Midas wants $1044 for new compressor, expansion valve, and receiver dryer. Looking around ebay for working used compressors and hoping I can install a new/used one myself eventually. I need to find out which model/years are interchangable. Going to wait and see how bad the heat gets this summer. | ||
5/27/06, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Replaced brake pads and rotors | Routine Maintenance. | The rotors I got from macautopartsdiscounts were great, but the pads didn't fit. Got some Bendix semi-metallics from Advance Auto. |
| Installed CP Intake. | Intake Upgrade. | Changes I've noticed: Sound of course, it sounds great. No change in intake air temp (very odd, maybe I need a new IAT). Engine temps 5 to 10 degrees lower. When accelerating the engine revs much faster, before the intake I had to really push it to get it past 4500, now it shoots past 5000 no problem. Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4 |
| Removed stock intake, net weight reduction of 5 lbs. | Weight Reduction. | P/W improved to: 18.960 (-0.040) Not much, but keeps the ratio accurate. (And it bumps me into the 18's.) |
| Notes: | ||
| Got my proscan code reader in, it turns out the SES was for the front O2 sensor. I still need a good way to measure engine performance. I probably picked up a few hp with the new intake. | ||
6/02/06, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Rebuilt dogbone mounts with poly-pro inserts. | Handeling Upgrade. | Shifting is much smoother now, but there is increased vibration at idle. |
| New AC Comp. | AC Repair. | Need to get the system flushed and buy equipment for recharging. |
| Notes: | ||
6/12/06, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Replaced TAM with unit from Street Design Auto. | Handeling Upgrade. | Shifting is much smoother now, but there is increased vibration at idle. |
| New O2 Sensor | Routine Maintenance. | Found someone on ebay who was cleaning out his garage and got a great deal. No more SES light! |
| Notes: | ||
7/1/06, 116k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Replaced Fuel Filter. | Routine Maintenance. | Needed to be done eventually. |
| Oil Change | Routine Maintenance. | Wanted to get the MMO out, engine is running great. |
| Notes: | ||
10/15/06, 117k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Installed Miata Rims 11.5lbs each! | Weight Reduction. | Lost at least 5lbs per wheel, probaly more, P/W improved to: 18.799 (-0.161) Having less rotating mass and %7 undergear from 14" rims is very nice. |
| Removed AC compressor | Weight Reduction. | Lost at least 20 lbs P/W improved to: 18.637 (-0.162) I've decided just to scrap the a/c, I'll just roll the windows down. |
| Oil Change | Routine Maintenance. | Used M1 Extended Pref. will chage again in 4 months. |
| New Wipers | Routine Maintenance. | Teflons from Advance Auto. |
| Replaced ATF | Semi-Routine Maintenance. | Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF |
| Notes: | ||
2/10/07, 118k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Installed new exhaust. | Ehxaust Upgrade. | Replaced entire exhuast with brand new aftermarket parts. OBX header, magnaflow highflow universal cat, 42" cherrybomb glasspack (as a resonator), and a magnaflow super turbo exhaust. Had a local shop weld a system together with 2.25" tubing. The new system sounds very nice, and the car feels moderatly more powerful. |
| Oil Change | Routine Maintenance. | Mobil 1 5w30 & PureONE filter. Good for another 4 months. |
| Notes: | ||
6/03/07, 118k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Oil Change | Routine Maintenance. | Mobil 1 5w30 & PureONE filter. Good for another 4 months. |
| Notes: | ||
10/17/07, 120k miles
| Work done | Type of work | Effect |
| Oil Change | Routine Maintenance. | Mobil 1 5w30 & PureONE filter. Good for another 4 months. |
| Notes: | ||
Future Work:
As soon as possible:
Thinking About:
Try to get the dyno feature in Proscan working right.
Bypass oil filter
Wide-band O2 & Tuning Equipment
Shocks and Springs
Try to get the dyno feature in Proscan working right.
Bypass oil filter
Wide-band O2 & Tuning Equipment
Shocks and Springs
Good things to buy for your S:
Books:
Hayne's Automotive Repair Manual: Saturn S
Haynes manuals are good for beginers, they cover the most important aspects and have large pictures.
Haynes manuals are good for beginers, they cover the most important aspects and have large pictures.
Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual: Saturn S
The Chilton's guide is very in depth, it's the next best thing to a factory service manual.
The Chilton's guide is very in depth, it's the next best thing to a factory service manual.
Popular Mechanics Complete Car Care Manual
A book on general auto care, if you're new to auto repair this book can help you make sense of the instructions in the Haynes and Chilton's books. Those two books will often say things like "Step 3: Remove the brake wingnut flange." and not tell you what this thing is, where it is, or what it looks like. The Popular Mechanics book will fill that information in.
A book on general auto care, if you're new to auto repair this book can help you make sense of the instructions in the Haynes and Chilton's books. Those two books will often say things like "Step 3: Remove the brake wingnut flange." and not tell you what this thing is, where it is, or what it looks like. The Popular Mechanics book will fill that information in.
Maintenance Items:
Purolator PL25230 PureONE Oil Filter
The oil fliters I use on my Saturns. The PureONE filters provide excellent filtration, which is important for S cars. This filter is larger than the stock one and will require you to add an extra half quart of oil if you use it.
The oil fliters I use on my Saturns. The PureONE filters provide excellent filtration, which is important for S cars. This filter is larger than the stock one and will require you to add an extra half quart of oil if you use it.
Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic Motor Oil with SuperSyn Formula (Qt.) - 5W-30
Hands down the best oil you can use. Cheap insurence against engine breakdowns.
Hands down the best oil you can use. Cheap insurence against engine breakdowns.
Mobil 1 Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid
Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is race-proven, fully synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) that outperforms all conventional multipurpose ATFs. It provides an outstanding low-temperature fluidity and keeps the transmission clean. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF also provides excellent gear shifting and protection under severe driving conditions. Useable in both automatic and manual S series transmissions.
Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is race-proven, fully synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) that outperforms all conventional multipurpose ATFs. It provides an outstanding low-temperature fluidity and keeps the transmission clean. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF also provides excellent gear shifting and protection under severe driving conditions. Useable in both automatic and manual S series transmissions.
Wix 57101 Automatic Transmission Filter Kit
Many people swear by the factory auto transmission filter, but I've been using this on on my SL1 for over a year now and it's worked well.
Many people swear by the factory auto transmission filter, but I've been using this on on my SL1 for over a year now and it's worked well.
AC-Delco Air Filter A1272C
AC-Delco makes very good intake air filters. Be sure to check compatibility chart before ordering.
AC-Delco makes very good intake air filters. Be sure to check compatibility chart before ordering.
K&N 33-2055 Replacement Air Filter
If washable & reuseable filters are your thing this will replace your stock paper air filter with a high quality oiled-cotton one. Once again, be sure to check compatibility chart before ordering.
If washable & reuseable filters are your thing this will replace your stock paper air filter with a high quality oiled-cotton one. Once again, be sure to check compatibility chart before ordering.
NGK Spark Plugs NGK-6953
These spark plugs are known to work well with the DOHC engines in the SL2 and SC2.
These spark plugs are known to work well with the DOHC engines in the SL2 and SC2.
Tools:
Actron 9125 PocketScan Automotive Code Reader
A cheap little unit you can use to figure out why your SES light is coming on, 96 and newer cars only.
A cheap little unit you can use to figure out why your SES light is coming on, 96 and newer cars only.
Performance Parts:
KYB 234055 Gr2 Gas Strut (front strut)
KYB 234056 Gr2 Gas Strut (rear strut)
Performance struts to improve handling. On my to-buy list.
KYB 234056 Gr2 Gas Strut (rear strut)
Performance struts to improve handling. On my to-buy list.
Glossary:
Forced Induction
In most cars the engine passively sucks in the air it needs to burn the fuel. In forced induction you have a device installed (turbocharger or supercharger) that forces large amounts of air into the engine so you can burn more fuel and get more power.
In most cars the engine passively sucks in the air it needs to burn the fuel. In forced induction you have a device installed (turbocharger or supercharger) that forces large amounts of air into the engine so you can burn more fuel and get more power.
FWD
Front Wheel Drive. Refers to a car where the engine is mounted ahead of the front axle and turns the front wheels. Most cars in America are FWD. FWD cars have most of their weight toward the front, which can cause understeer. Rear wheel drive (RWD) autos don�t have this problem but are unpopular because most Americans believe they are unsafe. RWD cars have to be driven differently that FWDs because they tend to oversteer instead of understeer.
Front Wheel Drive. Refers to a car where the engine is mounted ahead of the front axle and turns the front wheels. Most cars in America are FWD. FWD cars have most of their weight toward the front, which can cause understeer. Rear wheel drive (RWD) autos don�t have this problem but are unpopular because most Americans believe they are unsafe. RWD cars have to be driven differently that FWDs because they tend to oversteer instead of understeer.
Oversteer
In simple terms this is when the car doesn�t turn enough to get around a corner due to skidding and you crash into the outside of the curve. The front wheels lose traction and the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when the skidding began. FWD cars tend to do this.
In simple terms this is when the car doesn�t turn enough to get around a corner due to skidding and you crash into the outside of the curve. The front wheels lose traction and the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when the skidding began. FWD cars tend to do this.
P/W Ratio:
A measurement of how powerful a car is. It�s the number of pounds each one hp has to move. Lower numbers are better.
A measurement of how powerful a car is. It�s the number of pounds each one hp has to move. Lower numbers are better.
SL2
Model code for the Saturn S series sports sedan. Model codes are broken into two parts. The first part is the body type and the second part is the engine type.
SL is for sedans, SC is for coupes, and SW is for wagons.
There are three possible engine type codes. No code is for cars with 100hp single cam engines and no power options, 1 is for cars with the 100hp engine and options like A/C and power steering, and 2 is for cars with the 124 hp dual cam engines (and they usually have the power options too). (Some early model SC�s had the 124 hp engine even though they didn�t have a 2 in their model code.)
Model code for the Saturn S series sports sedan. Model codes are broken into two parts. The first part is the body type and the second part is the engine type.
SL is for sedans, SC is for coupes, and SW is for wagons.
There are three possible engine type codes. No code is for cars with 100hp single cam engines and no power options, 1 is for cars with the 100hp engine and options like A/C and power steering, and 2 is for cars with the 124 hp dual cam engines (and they usually have the power options too). (Some early model SC�s had the 124 hp engine even though they didn�t have a 2 in their model code.)
Supercharger
A forced induction system that is powered directly by the engine. They are not highly efficient (80% at best), but do work well at low RPM ranges.
A forced induction system that is powered directly by the engine. They are not highly efficient (80% at best), but do work well at low RPM ranges.
Turbocharger
A forced induction system that uses wasted engine energy. They are highly efficient, but don�t work well at low RPM ranges (where the engine doesn't waste much energy).
A forced induction system that uses wasted engine energy. They are highly efficient, but don�t work well at low RPM ranges (where the engine doesn't waste much energy).
Understeer
In simple terms this is when the car turns too much to get around a corner due to skidding and you crash into the inside of the curve or spin out of control. The rear wheels lose traction and the back end car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when the skidding began, this causes the front end of the car to point to the inside of the turn. Rear wheel drive cars tend to do this.
In simple terms this is when the car turns too much to get around a corner due to skidding and you crash into the inside of the curve or spin out of control. The rear wheels lose traction and the back end car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when the skidding began, this causes the front end of the car to point to the inside of the turn. Rear wheel drive cars tend to do this.
