I recently purchased a 98 SC2 for my daughter to use in work and for transportation to and from college. The car has 59K miles on it. In the past three or four weeks, it has begun to not start from the starter. The starter turns the engine over, but there is no spark from the plugs. The problem is somewhat intermittent, but EVERY time that it won’t start while the starter turns the engine over it WILL start with a push (it’s a manual transmission). We’ve had a non-Saturn mechanic look at it and find no codes that indicate a problem. The local Saturn dealer has had the car for a couple of days and, of course, it won’t act up.
The problem seems to occur when the car has been at rest for a prolonged period of a couple of hours or more. The underlying cause here is no spark. I say that because plenty of folks have stated that the fuel pump could be bad, or the fuel filter clogged, or a bad battery. The engine cranks over just fine. And, as I stated before, the car only need be pushed ever so slightly and it starts right up. The Saturn tech has indicated that it may be a crankshaft position sensor. I think that it is required to be properly functioning for the car to run at all, right? Could it be a PCM issue? Also, I’ve read a few things about the ignition switch barrel causing similar problems in the past.
I’m curious if anyone knows what is in the start circuit during engine cranking that isn’t in the run circuit when the car is just running? I’m convinced that once I determine what is the difference, I can better find the problem and fix this.
Thanks for your help folks.
- honestbroker

Honestbroker,

My 1990 Geo Prizm has an exactly similar problem! I have been racking my brains trying to see what is different when the car is running as opposed to when it is starting. When the starter doesn't get the car going, I have always been able to push start the car (down an incline). Have you solved your problem?

Could it be that one of the sensors to the ECM (PCM in a Saturn) is only intermittently working?

It turned out to be the Crankshaft Position Sensor. I had sent the car to the local Saturn dealer and they couldn't figure out the problem. Not their fault, except I asked them if they had checked it out and they said yes. I finally made a stab in the dark and bought a new sensor ($20) from Pep Boys and installed it myself. It was quite easy. Just for grins I measured the resistance of the new sensor and it was about 780 ohms (within specs). When I measured the old one once I got it out it measured almost 800K ohms. The car has worked like a champ so far.
What threw me off was that the car ran so well once started, but apparently there is something that lets it work even though degraded... once started. Well, that's about it. Good luck.

another thing that you might want to be on the lookout for regarding not starting . . . the 97 & 98 coupes are notorious for having fuel pump problems, this will also cause the car not to start though it will run fine after it is started.

sdb

Thanks, I'll put that info in the files. I wasn't aware that there were fuel pump problems with these cars. I had checked fuel flow/pressure though and it seemed fine. It's something I'll be sure to check if anything like this pops up again.

the fuel pump thing is just on the two years, you might check with your Saturn retailer, cause ive heard of alot of people getting these things fixed for free cause Saturn is aware of the problem. . . . and you know that Saturn is a different kind of car company, a different kind of car.

but all and all . .. these are the best cars on the planet, i can promise you that. . ive seen several pushing 300K and more than one at 400K


sdb

Thanks again. More info for the Saturn file. Nice car.

Hello I have been experiencing problems with my 94 Saturn SC1 Cp...Whenever i try starting it, it wants to click over but it doesnt. Sometimes it starts and bogs out and dies. then it takes a minute before i can get it to start again. I have changed my spark plugs and wires...i have a new fuel filter at home im gettin ready to put on ..could that be the problem ? Another thing is after i put my new spark plugs and wires on i put in grade 94 gasoline and it hadnt done it for like awhile until i went back to 87...do you think maybe its because of the grade of gas or the change in gas? Im prolly gonna start using 94 all the time...any comments or suggestions? Thank you!
Jessica

I'm happy to offer my advice, but I'm not a mechanic by trade. Let's take this a step at a time:
1. Are you sure you have adequate spark? This can be checked by pulling one of the spark plugs and grounding the threads to a metallic part of the engine. Do not hold it!!! Then, WITH HANDS CLEAR, crank the engine and look for a spark in the gap at the base of the plug. If you have spark, read steps 2 - 5. If not, check the Crankcase Position Sensor. They do go out and are relatively inexpensive to replace.
2. From your first symptom, I'd get the battery and charging system checked.
3. The fuel filter might be part of the problem except you state that the car runs on a better grade of fuel. It all goes through the same filter.
4. The fuel grade shouldn't make that sort of difference. You might hear "knocking" with a lower grade, but it shouldn't prevent the car from running.
5. Back to the first symptom, if the battery checks out (a shop or technician checks it out) and the charging system checks out, you might want to see if you have adequate fuel pressure. I'm not sure how the motor is set up on a 94 SC1, but there may be a valve on the fuel manifold that looks remarkably like a valve stem on a tire. WITH THE ENGINE COLD, depress the needle in the middle while cranking the motor. If you get a spray of gas, the fuel pressure is probably Ok. You should have a rag nearby to minimize spray dispersal.
It wouldn't be all that surprising for a fuel pump to go out. Stuff happens. I'd start with the battery and charging system first, it's the cheapest and makes the most sense to me based on your described symptoms. After that fuel delivery is the next likely suspect.
Good luck. -Mike