1998 Saturn SL2 Themostat

Back in the day you had to flush it there was so much rust from corrosion from the cast iron etc lol.but on your car your car you will be fine with a drain and refill.

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Just to clarify, I want to replace the thermostat without having to go under the car and flush the system period! I want to replace it and that's it. I was referencing "back in the day" like I had just flushed the system and was able without draining the radiator again, able to replace the thermostat. Doing it that way, you'd lose a little fluid when taking the top radiator hose off. You could clean the housing, which was separate, seal with a gasket and done. I just paid $100 to have the system flushed. I don't have a lift. I'd have to lay under the car and drain the system. My Wife, Children and Grandchildren would be very upset if I left this world under a car. We knew someone who had jack stands give way and was found by his wife dead under a Bobcat. Let me know if this can be done in the way I explained. Thanks again!!!

You can do it that way you will loose a good amount of coolant and make a big mess.With the coolant splashing everywhere all over the air dam and splash shield.Make sure you put something down to catch the mess.

Thanks for the info. The car runs cool while moving. ONLY gets really hot @ idle or stuck in traffic. Boiled over a couple of weeks ago idling in a parking lot. Again, if you're maintaining about any speed at all, the temp gauge is between quarter and half way up. If on the highway, NEVER goes above quarter of the way up. Do you think it could be anything except a partially stuck thermostat? Thanks again!

I highly doubt the thermostat is bad causing the overheating issue when the thermostats go bad on those cars they run too cold.I have worked for saturn for 16yrs and have never seen a thermostat cause the engine to overheat.It sounds more like the radiator fan isnt working or turning on when it should.Does your ac work?If so turn it on does the radiator fan turn on and blow lots of air out of it?If so replace your coolant temp sensor and inspect the inside of the coolant temp sensor connector if the terminals are blue or green instead of silver then you will have to replace the connector as well.

Also if the thermostat isnt opening like it should it wont cool down while your moving because coolant wont be moving from the engine to the radiator and back to the engine.

Thanks for the info! AC works great when you're moving. At idle or stuck in traffic, the AC does not blow cold. Feels like just fan. The car will run hot to over heat if running at idle or stuck in traffic. I will check and make sure the fan comes on when turning the AC on. I first thought fan, since the car runs cool when moving. I figured no blocked. So replace coolant temp sensor and check the color of the wires. Is this an easy job?

I meant blockage. LOL!

Is it also called a coolant level sensor connector?

The coolant level sensor is in the coolant bottle the sensor is screwed into the head with a yellow and black wire going to it.Turn the ac on is the radiator fan on and blowing plenty of air out?

Replaced the sensor. No difference. Hard to see but I believe the radiator fan is not working! I checked the fuse, which appears to be fine. I've narrowed it down to the fan, power not getting to the fan, faulty ground or a relay switch. Is there anything else it could be?

Yes i did mention it sounds like the radiator fan inst working most likely its a bad fan motor thats the most common reason i have seen for them to be inop.Turn on the ac with the car idling when the ac clutch kicks in lightly tap on the radiator fan motor.Did the fan start spinning if so bad motor.If not with the ac on and the car idling your should have battery voltage across the two terminals to the radiator fan motor if so bad radiator fan motor.

Where is the radiator fan motor located? I checked fuse. Looks good! Do you think the relay could have gone bad? Is there anything else to check? Thanks!

I already told you exactly what to do and check and what mostly likely the cause is in my last post.the radiator fan motor is right in front of the radiator towards the exhaust manifold/engine.As far as the relay goes i have never seen one bad causing the fan to be inop not saying its not possible but highly unlikely in my many years of experience working for saturn.

Thanks for your help!

Your welcome keep me posted.

Replaced the radiator coolant fan motor. Turned the AC on and the fan came on immediately! Let run for almost half hour and the temp gauge stayed right @ quarter. Yea! It's fixed. Thanks for all your help!!!

Your welcome glad you the fan motor working i had to replace the one on my 1999 saturn sl2 when i bought the car.Iam probably due for one myself it was a long time ago i replaced mine.

Keep sharing your knowledge, especially for fellow Saturn owners! It amazes me how many I see on the road; mostly our Model. May have to lean on you again with our next problem. LOL! We bought our Saturn a year ago March. It had just under 89k miles. Silver, working A/C, key less entry, a stock cd player that sounds great after we replaced the speakers, and believe it our not, window cranks. Oh, leaky sunroof too. Sealed it. ONLY paid $2,500. Came with a 3 month/ 4k warranty that we didn't have to use. Besides the fan motor, the only thing we had to do was have an exhaust leak addressed for $80. Got REAL lucky! Thanks again!!!!!

Let me guess your exhaust leak was a leaking resonator pipe?They were really common for that i have replaced tons of them.As far as sharing my saturn knowledge iam moderator on here and have been on this site going on 6yrs.So i have been sharing my knowledge for a very long time plus worked for saturn over 16yrs and shared my knowledge there where i worked with everyone.If you ever want to get a hold of me on here start your question with this one is for saturntech9 and they will save the question for me to answer.

Yep. Resonator pipe. Will do!

OK. The car is now making a new noise. It seems to be coming from under the passenger side of the car. I believe it's part of the exhaust system. I don't believe it's the muffler. You had mentioned something called a resonator pipe. Back in January, the same part of the car had to be welled. Was loud, like the exhaust manifold gasket. This sounds more like something loose. Gets real loud then quite. Seems loudest at idle. The piping was checked by the inspector who failed it until the welding was completed, January. Have you had any experiences with something like this? Is this where the Resonator pipe is located? I don't see anything hanging down. Haven't crawled under the car yet to look. Thanks!

I will help you with this but need you to start a new question just say this one is for saturntech9. Its a new question with a new problem if i answer it on this question.It will be lost to anyone else searching for a similar issue for there car.We like to help as many people we can on this site . thanks in advanced for your understanding.