Questions and Answers

Saturn Quad Driver Codes Q. I've got a 1992 Saturn SLS, 4 cylinder, with ABS, about 103,000 miles, manual transmission, fuel injected, P/S, A/C, and cruise control. Like most Saturns, it burns a little oil. It also has some strange quirks. The one that I'm most interested in is the following.

When the car is running like it's supposed to there's no problem except the SES light will come on if I sit and idle for too long. After I'm under way it'll go back off. Then, for no apparent reason, whether I'm still driving or just ran into a store for something, the car will start running bad. It'll sound like it's running only on three cylinders. There's an obvious loss of power, I cant't get into fifth gear unless i'm going over 45 mph, otherwise it'll start jerking, it's louder and sounds more like a go-cart.

You would think the SES light would come on but it doesn't. It might run like this for a couple of days, a week, a mile, or what ever, but out of the blue just like it did when it started running bad, it mysteriously starts running good again. I've been told it could be anything from my fuel injectors to something electrical to my exhaust system.

I've checked the plugs and it's running on all four cylinders. It just sounds like it's only running on three. I've checked the codes using the self diagnostic test and came up with four. Code 32: EGR System error. Code 45: Rich exhaust indicator. Code 12: No RPM reference pulse. Code 26: Quad Drive error. I hope this information can help you to help me because the car at this time is running like crap and has been for the last few days.

Thanks,
Mike

P.S. I've put fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank and it cleared up in just a few miles but then after a couple of hundred miles later it starts running bad again. So I put more fuel injector cleaner in it and it didn't start running good again for a day or so. It start running bad again a few days ago so again I put more cleaner in it and it hasn't done a thing. So my thinking is that it's not the injectors. What do you think?

A. The Quad Driver error code can be serious. Could be an ECM going bad or a intermittent short on a circuit that is on this Quad Driver. The Quad Driver is like a circuit breaker inside the ECM. They usually have FOUR (Quad) outputs on a driver. The EGR, TCC, A/C, and purge valve solenoid can be on one driver. If one of these has a problem, it could throw this code.

I would look into the Quad Driver code first although the EGR code could be a problem that is causing the Quad Driver code. Does this make any sense to you?

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