Hello all, new here. 1998 Saturn SL. Yes, the super-basic, single-cam, power-nothing version of the little sedan. About 118,500 miles. Mostly trouble-free.


Was driving home from work today on the freeway. After about 10 miles (a third of the way home) the tach suddenly went to zero and then the engine died. I clutched and coasted a good ways to an off ramp and pulled over. Called a coworker who has a similar commute. He was well ahead of me already but turned around to save me from the walk.


While I waited for him, I left the hood up. The engine would crank but would not start. No trouble codes.


While I waited, I checked all of the fuses under the hood. They all looked good. I pressed the schrader valve on the fuel rail and fuel sprayed up high enough to wet the open hood. Plenty of fuel pressure.


I got back in and cranked it again. It sputtered but would not start.


Still waiting, I checked all of the fuses in the console. All fine.


More waiting and on the next attempt, I got a successful start. I shut it off and saved it for when my friend arrived.


When he got there, I started it and drove it less than a block to a house where we topped off the reserve coolant tank on the chance that it was an overheat.


Then a normal start and he followed me. We got about another six or seven miles and then the same thing. The tach dropped to zero for a moment and then back to normal. A few seconds later, the tach dropped to zero and the engine went with it. The check engine light came on but I didn't have time to get out the code reader.


We took his truck to an auto parts store and bought a tow rope. When we got back to the car, it started and I moved to a better location for the hookup. He towed me to a shop I know well. They won't screw me. They were closed when we got there.


What should I tell them in the morning? Seems like it must be something electronic that's getting too warm and dropping offline.


David

 

Sounds like it could be

1)Crank position sensor is going bad (bad CPS will inhibit spark)
2)EGR sticking (based on rpm behavior--if the rpms actually dropped when the tach went down to 0)


Codes are stored if SES light was on --post them and we'll help you out

 

I would takeone from #1 andskip #2 as I'm on a diet. LOL, it looks like a take-out menu to me! Seriously,even though the CPS is harder to accessits the cause of the engine dropping out.A simple test for it is whenthe enginedies again, preferablyat home, quickly remove the spark wires at the coils and crank the engine over to observe for sparking across the coil towers; no sparking is the indication of a faulty CPS even though the engine ran fine prior to dropping out. It just may spark again but how reliable is it when its already demostrated that the engine dies at random. This is one of the characteristic beginnings of a failing CPS. Its a relatively inexpensive part under $30 and located above and behind the starter, fastened with one bolt (10mm?).

 

First of all, I'm sorry for the double post. Won't do it again.


Okay, we'll start at the CPS. Interesting thing ... the CPS is not original. Bear that it is, I replaced it once before without cause on the guidance of a defective code reader. I hate that you can't see the darn thing from the top OR the bottom.


It was really weird the way the tach stopped. It was BLINK zero, BLINK normal. Very electric. No way the engine actually stopped and restarted that fast. Too much inertia. In fact, I would have thought the tach needle itself had more interia than that. So odd.


Thanks for the steer. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Don't forget to check the plugs if its time for replacement also.

 

Looks like the CPS did it. Code P0336.


When we removed the sensor, there was oil in the electrical connector end. We noticed four very small cracks in the plastic at the sensing end of the device. Oil must have wicked into the sensor and then crankcase pressure pushed it all the way through.


It drove fine all the way to work (better than before in fact). I'll keep a close eye on it for the next several commutes but after that we'll call it fixed.


David

 

Glad to hear CPS fixed it....I doubted the RPMs actually changed that fast -- that's why I qualified the EGR part with "if the rpms actually went to 0" -- which you confirmed they didn't)

 

Well it COULDN'T have because initially I still had the clutch engaged and I was still moving. The whole thing didn't make much sense to me.


My second guess would have been bad fuel but I made it home yesterday with narry a hiccup so it looks fixed.

 

Welcome...............double post or not.