Those 10 min jobs that...

[The Critic]

Was set out to replace the ECTS on my Saturn at the advice of the SaturnFans forum. Bought a new genuine Saturn (genuine GM on pkg) part w/updated brass connector for $10.

Followed the instructions: swung air snorkel out of the way, stuck my 3/8" ratchet in there with my 13mm deep socket.

No go.

Without an extension, the ratchet was right in-line with the EGR valve. So, I grabbed 6" extension. Then the battery was in the way.

It's beyond me how those guys on SaturnFans were able to do it in 10 min.

For me, out came the battery and the intake tube. Put the new sensor in (old looked fine BTW, so much for hysteria)...found looks of corrosion on battery tray (along with a few puddles of ATF). Figured that while I had the battery out, I may as well service it and top off the cells.

End rant...10 min job turned into a near 1 hr job...plus the 30+ min needed to warm the car up afterwards to verify cooling system fan functionality.

 

[HTSS_TR]

10 min Saturn time = 1 hour Earth time

 

[The Critic]

Cooling system problems on that car drive me nuts.

Put in the new sensor and gauge is still a hair about 1/4 mark, but wolfman tells me its supposed to be that way.

 

[q2bruiser]

Quote:

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10 min Saturn time = 1 hour Earth time

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That cracked me up ...

 

[Drew99GT]

Maybe the thermostat is stuck open. If you idle it on a warm day in stop and go traffic after it's been running a while (enough to make the fans turn on), does the temp get up to at least the half way mark on the gauge?

 

[The Critic]

If I idle it on a warm day in SF stop-n-go traffic, it'll go to about 2/3 before the fan kicks on, which will then bring it back down, to right below the 1/2 mark.

After being warmed up, in city driving, the gauge will read past 1/4 but less than 3/8.

According to the resident expert on SaturnFans, he said if the gauge reads over 1/4 after being warmed up, and the ECTS is good, plus fuel economy is within EPA estimates, all is well.

But I'm tempted to go replace the t-stat anyway for fun, but it's not high on the priority list at the moment.

 

[spartus]

Find someone with a HANDHELD and get some REAL readings of what the PCM is seeing. The gages on the dash are just for reference, and that's it... They are not accurate enough for actual temp readings.

On my Duramax the dash gage tells me 220 when the PCM tells me 190.. That's a 30 degree difference. I chalk that up as the gage being for reference only.

 

[Quickbeam]

^^What he said. Shotgunning parts is never a wise method of troubleshooting.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

My MPG went up when I replaced the t-stat in my Saturn. It would read around 3/8 temp most of the time. I replaced it. Since then, it reads just below 1/2 without the A/C on.

 

[The Critic]

Quote:

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My MPG went up when I replaced the t-stat in my Saturn. It would read around 3/8 temp most of the time. I replaced it. Since then, it reads just below 1/2 without the A/C on.

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I'm tempted to go replace it...but then I'll have to convice dad why the ECTS didn't fix it, and somehow prove that it's bad.

Perhaps I'll just tell him that its a good idea to replace the hoses after 11 years, and it only makes sense to do the T-Stat at the same time, while the coolant is drained.

Last tank was 22.7.

Lots of idling though (2+ hrs), 1-3 mi trips, < 50F temps, and E10 fuel.

 

[OriginHacker21]

I noticed a similarity in my car that your car has: the temp guage reads 190F for normal operating temperature. If I get into traffic - it will go to 220F before the fan turns on. If I have the AC on while in traffic - the temperature never goes higher than 195F. I have ScanGuage and the temp guage corresponds to scangauge within 5F.

Wonder if we have the same thermostat? (04 Sunfire).

 

[Drew99GT]

That is quite normal GM operating temp behavior; low speed fan setting turns on at about 215, high speed turns on at 230. When the A/C is on and you are stopped or going slow enough, the low speed fans will stay on all the time and if A/C system pressure goes high enough, the high speed fans turn on.

It's not the thermostat, it's the PCM settings for the fans OriginHacker21.