lose of power 0n my 93 sl2

[ronrugh]

my 93 sl2 has lost power and is running hot. would a fuel filter do this or im think cat convert or egr valve

[denisond3]

Dont discount that you may have two problems, not both with the same cause.

A clogged fuel filter would likely result in misfiring - mostly when you wanted to accelerate. If the power loss is a smooth and constant one, its not a fuel filter. Also, if the car runs at all, it wouldnt be overheating due to a fuel filter problem.

A loss of power due to a bad cat. converter is a possibility. The converter has a matrix in it, of an array of fine ceramic tubes, all lined up for easy flow. If the converter gets overheated, or smacked, or just old enough, it can crack. Part of the array of tubes can get turned sideways, thus blocking exhaust gases blowing through it. I dont know of any way to check this out though, other than a new cat. conv.
By the way, the guts of the cat. converters are coated with platinum and one or two other rare earth elements (like rhodium) that are seriously expensive. Even though there is very little of them in a cat. conv. its the reason that cat. conv.'s are worth enough money to recyclers, that they get stolen from cars, mostly the ones like SUV's having good ground clearance.

There can be a lot of reasons for a car running hot.
Does the car have enough coolant in it? It should be easily visible in the overflow tank on the passenger side of the engine compartment, once you remove the lid. Dont check this if the engine is still hot though.
I have seen one run hot where the a.c. condenser (in front of the radiator) was almost plugged up with road dirt, dead insects, and dried road salt. Eventually a radiator will lose its effectiveness, though with Saturns its more likely the radiator will spring a leak first. The usual place for a leak is from a crack in the upper part of the plastic end tank on the driver's side. Its hard to see, unless you remove the air filter housing. The fluid will pee out when in use, and not leak much at all when shut off - because its almost at the top of the 'end tank'. This would only be a factor if the car is using a little bit of coolant each week, or even each day.
I suppose it could be a bad thermostat, and although Saturn "S" series thermostats seem fairly reliable, anything can eventually fail.

You car has an Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor, screwed into the engine head, on the side closes to the driver. Its got a connector on it with two wires. They have a reputation for going bad, especially the original ones. But usually this makes for hard starting, not running hot. There is another sensor that looks the same, but is only to work the temp gauge on the dashboard. If that sensor goes bad, it might make the gauge read too high, even though the motor isnt -really- overheating.
Also, is your radiator fan working? It should come on anytime the a.c. system is on, or when the needle on the gauge gets past about 2/3rds of the way across the dial. You can check this out by letting the warm engine idle, with the hood open, and see if the fan comes on when its hot enough. If the fan motor has gone bad, the car would overheat in traffic, but would run at normal temperatures on open roads. The fan motors cost about $40, and in a hot climate, putting in a new one would be good insurance. The entire radiator fan shroud assembly has to be removed from the car in order to replace the motor, and its a little bit tricky to get the assembly out of the car - because the a.c. compressor sort of gets in the way.

If your car has over 120,000 miles on it, the EGR valve may well be sticking. I dont think of that as being a cause for overheating though. At least not a major cause.

[danielsatur]

1) Take your car to a local muffler shop, todo a back pressure test on your catalytic converter. ASAP, you dont want to run her hot!

[samprix]

Remove the Oxygen sensor and drive the car with the sensor removed. If your power returns, then the exhaust system is clogged. As others have posted the contents of the cat convertor are the culprit. But keep in mind that pieces of the mesh inside the convertor could break up and travel through the exhaust system and get caught somewhere down stream thus causing the back-up. Mine got clogged at the 90 degree bend near the rear axle.