Engine quit, Car has 3/4's fuel, guage reads.

Tiny
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  • 2001 SATURN L200
  • 123,000 MILES
Engine quit, Car has 3/4's fuel, guage reads empty. Can't hear pump, fuse checks okay. I jacked up car to look for wireing harnass, no joy.
Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 6:01 PM

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Tiny
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If you have 3/4 of a tank of gas but it suddenly reads empty and wont start sounds like a bad body control module really common on that car.I have replaced tons of those body control modules on the 2000-2004 L model saturns. You can check the fuses but I doubt you will find anything there. The first thing I would do is use a scan tool that can read the body control module on that car if you cant talk to it most likely its a bad body control module.I have replaced so many of those body control modules on those cars I have one bad one to fit each of the L models for 2000-2004 for testers.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 6:16 PM
Tiny
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Thanks. Never heard of a body control module. And who decided that we need one, cars are too complicated these days. I don't have a scanner. Any other way to check it? Where is this module, and what does it look like? If it is an expensive item?
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 6:40 PM
Tiny
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RSVP?
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 7:27 PM
Tiny
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Still waiting for your reply.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 7:59 PM
Tiny
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The way it was explained to me by a few car engineers I have met is the consumer drives all the new car gadget hype. Every year the consumer buying cars or cell phones etc are looking for new features etc. Also the government has a impact on that also so the engineers scramble to put something out. Unfortunately if isnt proven which a lot of it isnt then the consumer is left with repairs cost etc. Heres a great example in 1997 gm started leasing the gm ev1 in california and airzona. Saturn was told to lease service and market the car.I went to factory gm ev1 training its a gm impact that was un, veiled in the early 1990's at the auto show.I met all the engineers that designed the car at the training for car. We would leave class each day and go back to our hotel room and replace a good 15 pages in the service manual. The fit and finsh was terrible they even made seal update kits so the door seals would and fit better. They constantly broke down average repair bill was 800-1200 which was under warranty gm lost a lot of money on that one. The government pushed that one because like 1 or 2 percent of there fleet has to be zero emissions. Talking with the engineers that made the car they said they had 6 months to turn a prototype car into a production car. It had 27 batteries seven computers and over 500 trouble codes. Something would fail and set 50 trouble codes in 3 or more computers. It was hit and. Miss fixing them because there wasnt any proven repairs and failures. Your body control module controls the shifter interlock keyless entry door locks anti theft fuel gauge temp gauge just to name a few. Its mounted to the top of the glove box cant miss it. Do you have a pick a part by you?Also a new one is in the mid 200's if you buy it online and it has to be programed at a gm dealer for mileage options etc.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:18 PM
Tiny
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We are on the internet this is instant message where iam waiting for your message to reply. We are people who volunteer our time to help people like you in our spare time. So you may get a reply right away or it may take a while depending on how busy iam doing something else.I know your car is not running and that you want it running as soon as possible I get that. Also your talking to the right person iam a factory trained saturn tech.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:24 PM
Tiny
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Thank you for the insight. Leave it to the buying public, and the government to foul things up. Sounds like the Space Shuttle in the early days when Rockwell ran the show. I'm from the days of points/plugs/and condensers. I remember my neighbor setting the points on his old Pontiac with a match book, nothing complicated about that.

Yes, there is a U-pull it near by where I can look for a body control module. Again, fuel gauge pegged at empty, and no sound from the fuel pump when the key is turned on, not even when the starter is engaged. Hope another BCM fixes the problem.

Best regards,
gr
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:36 PM
Tiny
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One other question, can I use a junk yard BCM from another year Saturn or must it be a 2001? And will it have to be programed by a dealer?
Thanks again,
gr
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:41 PM
Tiny
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Heres where the hard part comes in you will need to find a 2001 4cyl engine L model saturn there year and engine specific on those.I would only use a used one for testing only they store the mileage in so what ever milegae is on the donor car will read on your car from it. Plus to start the car the pass lock will have to be relearned. But if the gauges etc work you will know the body control module is bad. Also I had a 1969 caddy loved that car hated the points installed a petronix electronic ignition conversion with a high output coil what a diference in idling starting running. With 10.5:1 compression doesnt run so well on points.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:48 PM
Tiny
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I posted the pass lock relearn procedure for you so you can start the car to drive it to get a new one installed and program. Also a used bcm can set off the abs air bag light etc.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 8:59 PM
Tiny
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Thank you again. I will look for the same year and engine configuration in the junk yard tomorrow. Then, if I understand you correctly, I will have to use the relearn procedure to be able to start the car. Is this a one shot deal, or must I use it every time the car is started? Is the junk yard unit only for testing and must it be replaced with a new unit? If the only down side is an incorrect odometer reading I can live with that. I don't care about the mileage reading, and I don't think the state will either since the car is over ten years old.

These new(er) cars certainly are techie, and require a whole different set of skills to figure out. That's the downside for me, but on the other hand they go a lot longer between tune-ups and the engines last a lot longer. Cars used to end up in the junk yard before reaching one hundred thousand miles, today I'm driving a 1996 Silverado with 260,000 and all indications are that it will go a lot farther. Only failures have been a intake manifold gasket, water pump, alternator, and upper ball joints. Everything else was on the truck the day it left the factory. (Other than normal wear items like brakes and tires)

Best regards,
gr
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 9:40 PM
Tiny
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No once you learn the pass lock your good to go you may have to have the used bcm programed if you have lights come on etc. The mileage change is federal not state so best to tell dmv about it. Also I know I cant find many L model cars in my pick a part so you may have to find one on ebay. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 10:00 PM
Tiny
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Will do, and thank you very much. You da man!
All best,
gr
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 10:28 PM
Tiny
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Your welcome thats what were here for please keep me posted with how you make out.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 AT 10:41 PM
Tiny
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Hi Saturntec9,
Just installed a junk yard bcm, same year same engine. Fuel guage still reads empty. Turned ket to run position, then a fast hit on the start position. Security light flashing for quite a while, then steady until off at about tem minutes. Doing the second cycle now, two minutes into it and the security light is flashing.

Not sure if the fuel guage was supposed to be working as soon as the new bcm was installed. If so the ecm is not my problem, because I still do not have a reading on the fuel guage. Is that correct?
Gr
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Thursday, November 8th, 2012 AT 8:02 PM
Tiny
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Lets finsh off the pass lock learn and see if it starts up the gas gauge should be working now but the real wild card is how good the tester bcm is?All my tester bcms are labeled what they were doing when I replaced them. You said the gas gauge stopped working when you had 3/4 of a tank of gas and there was a no start.I have tons of bcms do that when the bcms failed. Thats why I have the testers to check if the bcms are bad before putting a new one in. ALso thats why I suggested scanning the bcm for codes etc a lot of times when they fail the scan tool cant talk them ethier and that is a another indication of a bad bcm then I would put a tester bcm in and see if the scan tool could talk to that one. In your case we have to just improvise the best we can. So was the security light on when you had the other bcm in?Have you checked any fuses yet?Like I suggested you could do in a earlier post?Can you hear the fuel pump kick on when you turn the key to the run position for a few seconds?
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Thursday, November 8th, 2012 AT 8:21 PM
Tiny
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Alright, I went through the pass lock sequence three times, then tried to start the car, no joy. The guage still reads empty, I did not hear anything from the fuel pump. I really don't remember if the security light was on with the old bcm, but I don't think it was.
I checked fuses and relays yesterday. One question, while doing the sequence, where the directions say to "Wait ten minutes" is the key supposed to remain in the on position? I figured that it did, otherwise you wouldn't know when the security light went out.

I did notice that after completing the third cycle, when I turned the key on, the security light did not come on until I engaged the starter.

Maybe I should try the sequence again?
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Thursday, November 8th, 2012 AT 8:38 PM
Tiny
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Lets do this while cranking the engine see if you have power to both sides of the fuel pump fuse?
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Thursday, November 8th, 2012 AT 9:26 PM
Tiny
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Okay, checked for power at fuse with key off, got 12v on right side of fuse socket. Cranking with meter across fuse socket, nothing.
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Thursday, November 8th, 2012 AT 9:54 PM
Tiny
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I guess I'll perform the relearn procedure another time, see what happens.
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Friday, November 9th, 2012 AT 12:34 AM

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