coolant leak on sl2 2001

[pistolpete76]

hey guys, our sl2 has a damn coolant leak, and i am kind of new to new school cars so forgive me but i do believe i finally located the leak to be coming from the...i am sure its called the intake manifold? basically the black plastic manifold that has the fuel injectors and air cleaner pipe attached too, but anyway i have seen it slowely creap out of the bottom of it so my question is has anybody fixed this type of problem themselves? I dont have a manual for this car and dont want one because we aint keeping the damn thing, but i would like to fix this so i dont have to mop up coolant everyday. Is it just a gasket i need to replace and most of all, can i remvoe the manifold without interupting all the fuel injection or does that need to come off first? Any help big or small will be greatly appreciated

[goldenrod]

it is just a gasket away from being fixed but you will have to unplug some wiring and some hoses. When u take off the manifold the fuel rail can come with it.

[pistolpete76]

it sure looks like a lot of work going by the manual all the way down to tilting the engine forward to get the manifold off. The freakin dealership want at least $350 and a random mechanic said somewhere around $600. it pissed me off because i know what it is and how to do it but it is a time consuming job and id hate to screw something up. I guess id be more determinded to do it if i know i can leave the fuel rail etc on the manifold but then theres draining the radiator, removing the power steering pump and i cant even get the gasket from a parts store it has to be from Saturn, here in portland anyway, it sucks because i dont like the car and this is GM's fault yet they havent recalled it, i know many of you have the same problem i wish we could get together and fight them on this pain in the ass problem by the way does anyone know if the gasket does cost approx $150 from Saturn?

[beach bum]

Hey man we have a 2001 sl2 with the same problem, although I can't actually see the source of the leak. It is leaking somewhere on the passenger side but I can't tell exactly where. And it doesn't leak every day. Today I ran it hard with the reservoir full and pulled it in a garage with a clean dry floor; jacked it up and crawled underneath and the sob didn't spill a single drop. On other occassions I've just driven to work and gone inside only to look out a little while later to see a nice puddle under the engine on the passenger side. I called the dealer and they can only suggest a pressure test to determine the leak source, about $22. If it's the gasket it will be between $350 and $400, most of which they say is labor. Have you had any luck with yours?

[pistolpete76]

what we ended up doing was trading in the damn car for an 04 pt cruiser,lol, but i bet your boots that it is the intake manifold gasket, ours was the passenger side, if you jack the car up, take a flashlight and shine it up to the base of the black plastic manifold you sill see where it has been slowely seeping out, GM made a bad gasket and it didnt take long for it to wear out, they have since redesigned it as a new two piece deal, it is not a recal which pissed me off so they make you pay for it, thats why we got rid of it, but you can do it yourself here is an awsome post to help you out
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...anifold+gasket

[beach bum]

Well I took the car to a local garage for a pressure test and they confirmed the leak just where you said. I called saturn, the manufacturer, to complain and they politely told me first they only trust a saturn dealer's service dept. and want it tested there. They did assign a case number to my problem but said only the svc. mgr. at the saturn dealer could cut me any slack. The svc. mgr. could only say he hadn't seen too many leaks and would not recommend anything. And he didn't feel that saturn changing the gasket design was any admission to fault and therefore didn't see any need for a recall.
Unfortunately it was cheaper to get it fixed at the dealer so we did, $380 total out the door. I still plan on complaining to saturn but they've got my money now so it probably won't do any good. But it has taught us a valuable lesson. Saturn is no different from any other company. The saturn family bull**** they preach is just that. When the deal is done and after the warranty expires they no longer remember who you are. I believe changing the gasket design is an admission to fault and should have generated a recall. But saturn doesn't feel that way. So we'll keep the car until we can break even on a trade in and then it's somebody else's problem. I can guarantee you we'll never own another saturn.
By the way does Portland still have the Rose Festival each year? I was in the Navy back in the 70's and our ship cruised up the Columbia River, I believe that's the name, a few weeks after the initial eruption of Mt. St Helens through all the crap in the river. We did make it and had a hell of a time there, one of the best ports we ever visited.

[pistolpete76]

i feel your pain man believe me, even though we ended up getting rid of the car threw disgust, all my calling around and time under that car had me so mad at the whole deal. What I will tell you though, is that an auto parts guy told me when i explained to him the situation is that keep your receipt!! he said that if enough people have this problem fixed or complain about it, even if it's a couple of years down the track, they may end up recalling it ( like they bloody well should do right now ) and then you give them the receipt and they will have to give you your money back. It sucks i know but this seems to be the only way. If you want to take action I will be happy to give my two cents worth as im sure many others will too. And yes we sure do still have the rose festival here, im an aussie, but have been here for 3 years and they have had it each year, take care now