Nah. I dont do planes anymore after my last trip to Chicago. To many stupid rules

 

Over 12,000 miles since I started this thread and this car is still going.
I had Breakdown by Relient K playing as I was coming up to a stop light today and the car did it's slow thump, thump idle and stalled.
Too funny!
Just did like always, threw it in neutral and started it right back up and took off (light turned green while I was starting it).
I think I need to clean the throttle body. It's been idling slower over time to the point it idles at about 5 or 600 rpm in gear.
That's of course when it's not "idling" at 2 or 3,000 rpm.
But that slow idle is resulting in a stall more frequently now. Kind of annoying.
I really need to find time to take care of this car before it gives up on me.
Especially since I still can't stop driving it like I stole it.

 

So I guess after more than 3 years and 32,000 miles of running on 3 cylinders the ECM just gives up and accepts this as the way things are.
The check engine light hardly ever comes on anymore.
I know it's not burned out because it will come on sometimes but most of the time it just stays out.
So that's it, if I ignore it long enough it'll go away. Right?
Does that count as a fix?

 

It's crying out for antidepressants.

Or enough gunk has solidified on the burnt exhaust valve to seal the cylinder and is actually firing on all four.

But most likely it's the antidepressant thing.

 

So today I'm on vacation from work so of course I'm working on cars and yard.
I finally got around to replacing the front brake calipers.
I also found my missing code reader - it was wedged behind the back seat, cracked the display.
So with the SES not staying on anymore I thought it would be great to see if there's any codes stored.
Here's what I found:
OBDII Codes
P0731
P0732
P0733
P0734
P0302
P0404 or maybe P0409 (display on code reader cracked).
So how's the SES light not staying on? It does work, I see it when I start the car.

I also found where I hid my new compression tester.
When I pulled the plugs I had my first clue.
(plugs in order from #1 to #4 - left to right)


Cylinder #2 is definitely suspect.

On to the compression test.
All tests with engine cold - 80 deg F ambient

Dry
Cyl #1: 150psi
Cyl #2: 5psi
Cyl #3: 60psi
Cyl #4: 132psi

With Oil
Cyl #1: 165psi
Cyl #2: 5psi
Cyl #3: 70psi
Cyl #4: 148psi

This is my daily driver! No wonder it sounds like a Harley at idle!
Clearly #2 is dead, both exhaust valves must be cracked and burned out.
#3 only looks a little better. Still getting a little power out of this one.
#1 and #4 are the ones moving this car down the road and they don't look so great either.
Perhaps if the engine was warmed up (I was getting too hot to try that today) the numbers would be better but I'm sure it would not have been by that much.
Even if I replace the head those numbers still indicate a worn out engine.

Did I mention this is my daily driver? In fact it's the only car we have on the road at the moment.
When I eventually get around to it I suppose I'll just replace the whole engine.
Meanwhile I'll keep driving it like I stole it.

 

Yep, sounds like it's definitely time for another engine. That was is on it's last cylinders!

 

So it would seem that depending on the weight of the internals, this particular 4 cylinder engine seems to run on two cylinders that fire at the same time. With maybe a hint of another cylinder.

And so you have the Harley loping idle.
You should be proud my man.
Many have spent thousands in search of a unique yet classy exhaust node for their Sattys.

But none of them have achieved, quite naturally or unnaturally depending on how you view it, your end result.

Put a Harley sticker on the inside of one of the passenger windows. Great way to make new friends at traffic lights.

And the s e s light probably has a broken filament that keeps touching and not touching to complete the circuit. It of course got that way from the massive unending rolling earthquake that is your Saturn.

If you're going to drive it, tighten up your crank bolt because it's vibrating loose. Ask me how I know.
And unplug the fuel injector harness to the dead cylinder or you are just diluting your oil with gas and that's generally not recommended.

 

And with the trans issues already firmly in place, save the $700 for a new engine and start a new with another vehicle.

 

With the current ridiculously high used car prices these days (at least in my area) I would have to spend at least $2500 to get something that doesn't have some major mechanical issue.
Even at $1500 just about everything I see is in the exact same condition as my Saturn if not worse.
This being the case is why I'm willing to spend as much as I do to keep these cars going.
One other thing I've learned over the years and 40+ cars is that sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

 

Look what I finally got my hands on!


When I did the compression check I saw the plugs were looking worn so I finally bought the correct plugs for this thing.
They weren't expensive, it was just a matter of not being rushed and thinking to get the right thing first.
Car runs just a little bit better.