Questions and Answers
A Trip To Saturn
Q. Vince, My daughter's car, a 1994 Saturn SL2, 1.9 DOHC engine has a transmission problem.
Seems that on the open highway (an interstate) when attempting to pass (60mph+) or just cruising transmission downshifts, engine revs high, and my daughter must slow down (foot off gas) and let transmission downshift back to the higher gears.
The condition is sporadic. I've looked on the web and there are several other people who have this problem. NOTE below
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(Name withheld) (current repost from Deja.com. saturn newsgroup)
dxxxxxn@xxxxx.comMy wife owns a 1995 Saturn SC Coupe, A/C, automatic, with 70,000 miles on it. It has turned into a mechanically unreliable lemon.
1. Transmission. The transmission rear seal went out at 45,000 miles The transmission automatically downshifts into 1st gear when you try to accelerate quickly (car is traveling at slow speeds, i.e. below 40 mph), say to get around some one on a four lane street. You then must pull off the road and stop, shift into Park then back down into Drive to continue. This is a safety gig. Dealer could not fix it. I have had the transmission overhauled. Sometimes the transmission does not shift out of first until you get the RPMs up to the red line.
2. Engine Temperature gage. The temp gage reads very hot - boiling over, however, there is no steam or other indication of the engine truly being hot. When this happens, the A/C compressor is automatically shut down.
I will never touch a Saturn again and I advise all who talk about buying one of the problems we have experienced.
------------------------When My daughter takes the car to Saturn, explains the condition, the mechanic test drives, usually there's not downshifting, and the car is return o.k.
Are there any test I can perform to zero in the condition? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
TomA. Anytime I see a problem like this I check the TSB's to see if there is anything in them applicable to a specific problem. In this case there were so many I don't even know where to start. There was one in particular that caught my eye and I think it's the most relevant to your problem.
I quote from bulletin #93-T-22A dated March 1994:
MODELS AFFECTED:
1993 and 1994 Saturn Sedans, Coupes and Wagons equipped with MP6 or MP7 automatic transaxles.CONDITION:
Some automatic transaxles may have harsh and/or erratic shifts, no gear or gear stuck on, and the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) (SERVICE ENGINE SOON telltale lamp) may come on, and multiple diagnostic trouble codes (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 75, and 78) may be stored in the PCM/TC.CAUSE:
Some automatic transaxles may have been manufactured with iron sediment that migrates to the control valve body assembly causing transaxle control actuator valves to seize and or the valves in the control valve assembly to stick or be sluggish to move.GM recommends everything from flushing the transmission to transmission replacement to correct this problem. There is really nothing you can do to test for this condition. I would take it back to Saturn and have them perform the checks on it to determine if this indeed the problem with it. If you have to, get the GM District Representative involved. He will get things going to your satisfaction.
Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
