93 Saturn SL2 Vibrates sputters

[KerryParent]

Hello there,
OK, I'll attempt to explain my cars problem without sounding ridiculous.
Last night upon starting, I noticed that my car was vibrating and louder than usual. I went around and listened to the muffler? (the thing poking out from under the backside of the car). It was loud, not smooth sounding like normal.
When given gas, it seems that it sort of hesitates first. When I hit the street (yes, I continued on like nothing was wrong), I noticed the vibrating getting worse and much louder. It didn't have a problem gaining speed, but seemed to be "trying" so hard. Does this sound like anything to anyone? LOL
Sorry, I'm a lady and don't have an experienced man around the house that can help me. Someone, anyone!! Thank you.

[Tacuvito]

Well, hope this helps in some way. First, put an injector cleaner in the gas tank, fill up the tank and see what happens. if it does not get better proceed to next step.

Second, check your sparkplug wires. Sometimes these come loose and can cause your car to run rough and loss of power at accelerating. The best way is to unplug the wire from the spark plug and plug it back (make sure the wire snaps back into place when putting the wire on the plug.) make sure you do one sparkplug at a time to avoid confusion. Also unplug and plug the end of the wire that is connected to the ignition coil.

If this does not help please let us know and I will suggest another step to take.

[KerryParent]

Hi again,
Thank you so much for the reply.
I tried the 2 suggestions....in the order suggested. I called a friend to be sure I was at the proper location for spark plugs. I removed them then stuck them back in....started the car. Same problem. Vibration and like a sputtering sound coming out of the muffler. Then I added the fuel injection cleaner (I also went to the gas station and filled the tank before adding it)
Unfortunately I still have the same problem.
I so appreciate all of the help!
Any other suggestions before I take it to a mechanic tomorrow?
While driving it to the gas station today, I noticed that it seems to be slow switching gears. Could it be a transmission problem? Holy smokes, I hope not..sounds expensive.
Anything else?
Thank you so much

[sickcallawayc12]

Sounds like an exhaust problem, could very well be the muffler or possibly a bad cat too.

[KerryParent]

Thanks for responding....IF it's what you've suggested it might be...is this something that's expensive to repair...any idea on price range?

[Tacuvito]

About the muffler; turn on the car, put it in neutral and do a quick rev of the engine (step on the gas quickly and release). Does does it take longer to bring your tach needle(the one left of your speedometer) back to 900-1000 rpms then before? If the needle takes a while to get back down to normal rpms(like 3 seconds) then it might be a problem with your muffler, Catalytic Converter, or Header pipe. If this is the case, Here is a price list from Autozone for these parts. I don't know how much it will be for service.

Muffler $38.99 to $63.99

Catalytic converter $125.99


Exhaust pipe (front) $172.99
(rear) $80.99
Also you might need seals and gaskets but you get an idea.

PS. Remember, you don't need to buy all these parts, just the one that is causing the problems. Good luck. Please report back with progress.

[sickcallawayc12]

In a lot of cases exhaust work is on the cheap side. I've never had to replace my cat, i've seen that some units can be pretty pricey, but replacing my whole system except cat including muffler cost around 200 bucks. My muffler cost 50 (wasn't close to stock) and bigger piping with oem design plus labor rounded out the rest.

[KerryParent]

Again big thanks to the response.
I just went outside and tried the engine revving. There doesn't seem to be any change (nothing out of the ordinary), although I noticed that my car probably always idles too high. The needle is between 1 and 2 while idling. (it goes from 1-9, then a little writing that says something like X1000). I was so excited to see such an easy test that simply involved me revving the engine! I wish it had taken longer to come back down..I'd sleep easier tonight for sure.
Wheres a big mechanically inclined man when I need one?!
So, I miss work tomorrow (and pay) AND have to pay for repairs, OY, whats a gal to do? LOL
Thank you so much.

[KerryParent]

Hello again,
Just thought I'd post what my cars problem was.....spark plugs and wires have been replaced. Car runs fine (so I hear, haven't picked it up from the mechanic yet). Total cost, $189.00.
I don't know any better, but that seems like a lot! Maybe, maybe not?
Thanks to all who have helped. I'll be back I'm sure .
Ciao

[yaz4real]

Pricey: $189.00 for wires and 4 plugs installed... yes

Parts... Plugs ..NGKs $2.00 each.. $8

Wires... $30.00

Labor $150... yikes...

Hope there was other work done.. I don't think there is 20 minutes in real labor doing a wire and plug change because its all in the open.

[Tacuvito]

oh man that is a lot of money! Too bad you didn't replace your spark plugs and wires sooner...... This means you have some other problems your way that could be easy to prevent if you perform a maintanance job on your car. More than likely you haven't change the Oxigen Sensor and this can cause your car to act weird if it goes bad. Replace your Gas Filter, although you might need to take it somewhere to have it done cus' it involves getting under the car and knowing how to purge the gas line. Also, don't forget to change your air filter and replace your PCV valve. Usually when you take your car for an oil change the techs never replaced the PCV valve and if it fails, it also causes your car to act strange. All this could help you extend the life of your vehicle, save you from worry of it reliability and make you feel a sense of empowerment to know that you can take care some some mechanical stuff.