Hi all! I am hoping that someone out there can help me. I have a 2002 Saturn SL2 that I purchased used in March of 2007. The first weekend that I had the car, I stopped at a gas station, and the car would not turn over when I got back in. All lights were on and the car was running fine. The car did exactly the same as it would if it were the gear was in drive and I had tried to start it. This was not the case but was my first thought. I waited a few minutes and tried again and it started. Since then, this has happened about 10 times. Everytime, the car would start in time, and still does. (knock on wood). Sometimes, it might take 30 minutes before it starts back up, sometimes 2 hours. As I said before, when it does this, it will not turn over at all. I have read posts and have seen info about troubleshooting but in alot of those instances, the car would at least turn over but wouldnt start. Mine dosent turn over until it is ready so I''m not sure how to test alot of these things. Where do I start? The check engine light is never on. Neither is the battery light. I''m thinking if battery or alternator, the dash light would be on. I would also think if it was the starter that the check engine light would be on....IM LOST!!!!!

 

ConnieMay ...


A defective starter motor will not trigger the check engine light. More likely, you have a defective cable running from the battery to the starter. Check the cable to make sure the connections are tight, and that the cable does not feel ''crunchy'' at the connection by the battery. Sometimes, battery acid will leak out and get under the insulation of the cable, and eat the wire up, causing a bad connection

 

Very common, the battery cables are loose.

If not have the POSITIVE battery cable checked for internal corrsion. If you find that, pull the battery and see if the battery box is crudded with dryed battery acid. If you see that a battery has leaked into the battery box the harness below the box may also be corroded.