Questions and Answers

Saturn SL1 Is Overheating Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla, Our Saturn is overheating even though the coolant is all the way up to the cold mark in the coolant reservoir tank. All the hoses are in acceptable shape and no coolant is leaking from the engine. A friend told us that it might be that the air conditioning compressor is faulty and adding undue stress to the engine.

I thought it was most likely the thermostat is stuck. What is your opinion? We had driven the Saturn for the better part of the summer prior to the overheating.

• 1996 Saturn SL1
• 1.9 liter SOHC
• Automatic transmission
• 94,000 miles

David
Las Vegas, Nevada

A. My "Rule of Thumb" for overheating is to replace the thermostat first. It's the cheapest part to get. Second is to make sure the electric cooling fan is working properly.