blown 95 SL1 motor

I've got a 95 SL1 that I just blew the motor in. Not sure exactly what went, but it's knocking loud as hell and has lost power. I do know that there was oil loss so all kinds of things could have gone wrong inside it. Either way the motor is coming out. Can anyone give me some advice as to what I should do for an engine? More power is definitly a must! Would an SL2 motor be a good idea? Anything that I can bolt a turbo to? My experience with Saturns is pretty much nil so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Breley
:banghead:

well you could upgrade to the LLO the dohc motor. this would consist of the harness/pcm and all the attachments that go with it. since you had the sohc tbi, you need the harness. also it would be best to get the trans that goes with dohc (mp3 as for a manual trans or mp7 auto). the pcm must be matching to the trans for no ses light.

it seems like a tall task but isnt all too bad. really you could unhook the harness from the pcm, undo a few things from the top, unbolt rack, strut mount, and a few other things, and drop the craddle out with trans,engine, and harness all together.

this might help a bit.........http://www.plastikracing.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=86


replacing almost anyting on the saturn is easy. its a fairly simple car to work on. hell last time i did the clutch it took me, about 3 1/2 hours maybe a little less. my first time took a while, but once you do it once it can go alot quicker the next times.

Thanks for the info. I'm really u ndecided what to do and just want to ge tmy car back on the road. I've found a 92 SC2 that is in need of a clutch and may be a good parts car. I've not seen it yet though. Would I be able to swap that motor and trans into my 95 SL1? I was also hoping that the 92 SC2 rear discs would fit my 95 SL1. Or am I just wasting my time with the SC2?
Thanks agian.

Breley

well if you really want to take the task of swapping everything out, it will work. i dont exactly like the 91-92 motors, but if you not modding it then they are fine. the thing is, 91-92 had different mounts, so i think the craddle has to be swapped. im not 100% sure on whats needed. i would say, go check out the sc2 and then go from there. its so much more simple to do the clutch then swapping everything else out. i can probably make a how to on replacing the clutch, ive made one for pulling the trans which either way you might want to because of the differential! stupid thing has a hollow pin in it so thats why the blow out.

now about the rear disc, yes they will work. but once again go over the car and find if its pretty good and just use it.

Thanks again saturnspeed 12, as it turns ot the SC2 (still haven't seen it) is actually a 94. Am I any better off with that? The thing is it's killing me having my Saturn sitting in the garage. I want the thing back on the road! Here's what my train of thought has been...I figured if I have to replace the motor I might as well get as much bang out of it as I can. I'm great with a wrench, I just don't know the ins and outs of a saturn (always been in the japaneese market). My only other option, shy of dropping $1300.00 for a motor from the wreckers is to rebuild the motor I've got. I'm so freakin confused on this one. Can you point me to what you think would be the best solution? Thanks again, I'll stop my whinning now.

Breley

best bang for buck, is to completely dump that tbi sohc. you will LOVE having the dohc. more power and gas mileage will probably be better. now since its a 94 sc2, then the motor will swap. still might be easier to just swap craddles since it will be best to keep the trans from the sc2, and you need that wiring harness and pcm. saturns are fairly simple to work with. hell i can replace a clutch in one in about 3 hours. i pulled the trans out of mine in about a total of 4 hours while taking pictures and notes so i could make a guide to pulling the trans. but once again, if the sc2 seems all good, then might just want to drive it and maybe think about turning that sl1 into a dohc.

my trans pull guide could maybe help you out a little when dealing with the swap, because there might be a few things you might not notice.

Thanks again Ian, you've been a huge help for me with this. I'm finally going to check out the SC2 on Saturday (it's a couple of hours drive from where I live. Thats why the delay). I plan on perfoming a compression test on it. Is there anything else you may recomend that I look for before I buy it? Thanks again.
Steve

well since your checking the compression, check out the plugs. check the oil dipstick to see what the oil looks like. check the coolant to see if it looks like oil is in it. with the dohcs, its harder to check for anything other then plugs and oil and the exterior condition. dohcs dont typically have problems other then the rings, like all, and thats basically it. otherwise you have to tear into it and see if it looks like its been abused (dark colored all over means oil wasnt changed regularly) rod bearings, main bearings, pistons, valves.

id say youre fine unless someone has really abused it. if compression seems low, put some oil onto the piston and see what it reads.

Hey Ian, well I checked out the SC2, It looked pretty good so I'm picking it up next weekend. I'm going to swap the engine and trans out of it into my SL1. Any info you may have that could help me along the way would be greatly appreciated. I'd definitly like to check out that trans pull guide that you've made.

Steve

ok i do have to say, i have no idea why i kept thinking tbi was up to 95 models. just a little blockage going there. so your going to buy the car and swap the motors/trans out right? if so, the easiest thing to do would most likely be, drop the entire craddle and leave the engine/trans mounted to the craddle. you can also bring it down with the harness connected for the most part. if you can get it out from under the car that way, it would be good. that way you would just have to remove the things that are attached to the body, trans dog bone, top anchor mount, wiring harness, strut mount bolts, etc and i think you could leave the tires on and be able to drop it all out.

if you know your way around an engine, then you will be able to easily find what needs to be removed and what needs to be done to remove it.

http://durtygirlracing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=82

theres the guide to ONLY pulling the trans itself. there are a few things you might like to note if you go at dropping the craddle, like the plastic rivet that holds the brake line on the back side of the craddle and the steering rack. it might be useful, who knows.