95 SL2 Leaking Oil

[kc-griz]

My 95 SL2 with 118k miles is leaking oil... surprise... I have to top it off with over a quart of oil every 1k miles to keep up. Looks like most of it is coming from around the oil pan gasket area but lately, the top of the valve cover is covered in oil residue along with oil running down the sides of the block from the gasket area not to mention oil usage is up.

I bought the car 10k miles and 6 months ago and have had no issues other than the oil leaks and wet carpets which I've fixed. I'm planning on replacing the gaskets soon. The valve cover gasket seems to be RTV silicone instead of gasket material so I suspect it was done recently.

My question is, I found a gasket set for the valve cover for $32 and an RTV "gasket" kit for $14... What's the recommended fix? Since the existing RTV seal is leaking, I'm not inclined to go that route again. An opinons or recommendations?? Also, what spark plugs run best in the SL2?

[Cat Fuzz]

RTV is actually best and how it came from the factory. If you do it right, it will work fine.

[saturnspeed_12]

ok, the gasket is what is used. make sure it comes with the plug well seals too. i also add rtv to my gasket to seal better. if its a composite cover, then it can warp and leak (thats why i add rtv to mine). mine is a little warped and leaking slightly on the back side. if its aluminum, then it wont. i think a 95 year car can come with either.

now of course your probably burning some oil due to poor piston/ring set up. doing a piston soak helps.

spark plugs, i recommend ac delco rapidfire. best plugs ive tested. ive ran ngk v-power which did ok, but nothing compared to the rapidfires. im currently testing denso u-groove.

also, the rapidfires are platinum and work perfectly fine in a saturn. as others have also gone that route. if anyone says platinums wont work because of a wasted spark system, then its full of crap because most all cars now use a wasted spark iginition and run platinums. its all in the choice of the plug.

[kc-griz]

Thanks for the replies... I've read somewhere about the piston soak process. Can I get a recap?

[kc-griz]

Ok... did a search this is what I've found,

what you can do is a piston soak with marvel mystery oil or gm tec or even seafoam. i prefer one of the first 2. all you do is pour it into the cylinder, most do it while engine is still warm not hot, put the spark plug back in and let it set for at least 12 hours. now all you really need to do is pour enough in so it can completely cover the piston. you can add more if you dont want to keep checking to make sure its full, but then you will need to crank it with the fuel pump disabled and ignition module disconnected(below coils) and spark plugs out to pump left over fluid out. its best to do this near an oil change

I'm due for an oil change next week so I'll pick up some Marvel Mystery Oil and do the soak this weekend. Hopefully the oil won't drain past the pistons so I have to do the fuel pump disable/ignition module disonnect process. Otherwise, I take it that you normally start it up and let it smoke until the Mystery Oil is burnt up?

[saturnspeed_12]

if the mmo leaks past the rings, that fine. if it stays in the cylinder, then you will have to crank the excess out unless its not much at all.

[kc-griz]

Picked up a valve cover gasket this weekend and just finished replacing the RTV mess the last guy made for me. Took alot of time to clean the channels out thoroughly before installing the new gasket. The new set was a rubber seal so I used a small bead of RTV to hold it in place while putting the cover back on.

Question: What is the recommended torque for the valve cover torx head bolts? I torqued them to 25 ft/lbs. Hope that's enough and not too much. Seemed right.

I picked up a set of plugs to install as well and topped the cylinder heads with MMO for their soak. I could see carbon build up on top of the pistons and the plugs were fouled a bit but not too bad. The plug body looked burnt on a couple of them and there was carbon build up on them all so I'm sure they were due.

I picked up the parts at a loca Car Quest and they charged me $30 for a thermostat! I about choked. I asked if it was made of gold or something. The guy shrugged and had no real comment to add, just asked if I wanted it or not. I took it but haven't installed it yet. I've found a Stant 195 deg stat for $15 elswhere and a Prestone one for $13 so I think Car Quest will be getting their prima-donna stat back for their stock.

I'm due for an oil change this coming week so the MMO cylinder soak treatment is timed right.

[hughw]

I would like to have your fix for the wet carpet if it is ralated to fresh water leak from outside..I have a 97 sc2 with wet carpet problem.. Thanks

[kc-griz]

I would like to have your fix for the wet carpet if it is ralated to fresh water leak from outside..I have a 97 sc2 with wet carpet problem.. Thanks

I did two things: First, I tweaked the tops of the window frames inward a bit to fit tighter to the door. Roll the window down first. Open the door then brace your leg against the bottom and inside of the door and pry inward a bit at the top of the window frame. It doesn't take much. Then I ran a bead RTV black silicone along the black gutter line between the roof and trim and worked in in with my finger to smooth it out and force it in. Between the two remedies, my carpets are no longer wet even in the heaviest of rains.

[saturnspeed_12]

25 ft/lbs on a valve cover is way godly past what is needed! at the absolute most i would say 5 ft/lbs, which is normally high still. quite a few valve covers only require 89 in/lbs which i believe is the torque spec.

now about the rain soaked interior. there are a few causes.

1: sunroof leak due to drain lines clogged. used compressed air and blow the lines out.

2: passenger side door frame is slightly bent out on some models. recommended procedure for fix, is to either go to dealer or put a 2x4 at the bottom of the door and close against it. now push in on the window frame, but dont be very hard. i have also added extra foam insulation in back of the rubber insulation so it sealed better.

3: sunroof leaks around glass seal. most likely due to heat, and hard to find replacement seal so have to buy new glass which can be expensive new. this is can also be a reason for the drains backing up.

4: on sc models, the trunk weatherstripping can be an issue. i cant remember the procedure to fix though.

NOW THIS ISNT FOR ALL YEARS!!!!!