2001 Saturn SL1 Starting problem

Tiny
DANAG1
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 SATURN SL1
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 77,000 MILES
I bought this car few days ago. Today, when my daughter came home from school and after few minutes she wanted to go some place, the car didn't want to start! No engine cranking, nothing (just lights, radio, fan, ) We let the car and after about 5 min of waiting, went back to the car to see if will start. It starts! Now, my question is: what can be wrong? What I should check or keep an eye on? I do not want to have her stuck someplace far from the house, not being able to start the car. No bad starter or battery. Thank you!
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 AT 2:52 PM

16 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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First of all thank u so much for ur donation.I would check And make sure ur battery cables are clean and tight. Why do u think ur battery or starter isn't the problem did u have the battery and starter tested?Even if the starter tests good it's pretty common for them when they go bad to not start when they go bad then cool down and start. Do u have a multimeter to do some testing?U will need to duplicate the no start condition and trace ur battery power to ur starter at that time. Let me know and I'll tell u what to do when it doesn't start.
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Monday, May 3rd, 2010 AT 3:36 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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http://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/416332_2001_sl1_starter_circuit_1.jpg


I posted a wire diagram of your starter circuit as you can see there is no starter relay on your car.If your still having problems with your car starting i would be more then happy to work thru it with you till we find the problem.So did you have your battery and starter tested is that why you said no starter or battery in your post let me know?
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 2:19 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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On the S model saturn depending on the year if they have a starter relay it's located under the dash on the driver side. What you are talking about on the S model saturn is the starter solenoid not the starter relay.I have never seen the solenoid available by itself iam not saying they don't sell them some where just saying I haven't seen one. If power was traced to the starter and it wasn't turning the starter on I would replace the whole starter even on my own car.A tow cost more then a whole starter even not worth taking the chance.
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 3:26 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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On the S model saturn depending on the year if they have a starter relay it's located under the dash on the driver side. What you are talking about on the S model saturn is the starter solenoid not the starter relay.I have never seen the solenoid available by itself iam not saying they don't sell them some where just saying I haven't seen one. If power was traced to the starter and it wasn't turning the starter on I would replace the whole starter even on my own car.A tow cost more then a whole starter even not worth taking the chance.[/Quote:7b19760696]

My saturn is 2001 SL 1, and I looked all over and didn't see any starter relay. Yesterday I was driving the car and stopped for few minutes in the town for some info. Back to the car, I try to start it and the car didn't want to start. I let the key on the igniton, turned to on position, and try to start with a wire from the starter to the positive of the battery. The car didn't start that way either, was the same like I was in the car and turn the key to start the car and nothing happen: no noise, no "click" just everything else working: radio, dash lights, etc. Turned the key to off position and try to see if I touch the positive of the battery with the wire, It will give me the noise like the car is ready to start? Nope, not a sign of starting, using that method either. I gave up trying to start with the wire, close the hood and. Decided to give one more try with the key. It worked, the car started like nothing happened.
So, those are the signs that I need to change the starter?
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 6:00 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Your car doesn't have a starter relay the other poster is talking about the starter solenoid on the starter itself. Which isn't a relay at all it's a solenoid. To find out if it's the starter for sure we need a test light or a multimeter and do a couple of test's when it doesn't start. It sounds like the starter but I don't want to say it is before we test a couple of things. So do you have a test light or multimeter?Let me know.
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 6:17 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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I think I have both of them. What do I need to do, so I can give the instructions to my husbad to do it ( he is with the work and I am with the writing :) )
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 6:30 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Ok when the car doesn't start get a test light ground the wire end of the test light to the battery negative cable. Now look down below your brake master cylinder you will see where your shifter cable for the transmission goes onto the transmission That's your selector switch that feed's power to your starter when your car is in park or neutral. There are two big purple wires coming off of it those are the wires you want to probe with them plugged in. While your holding the key in the start postion have him probe those two wire's one at a time they should both have power. If they both have power then your selector switch is good. Now you have to move down to the starter while it doesn't start you have to get to it from underneath the car. Same thing there while the car doesn't start ground the wire end of the test light and while your holding the key in the start postion have him test for power at the big post of the starter solenoid where the postive battery cable goes to and the little post where the purple wire goes to. If you have power to both of those posts and the starter isn't running then go by a starter. Let me know what you find.
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Friday, June 4th, 2010 AT 6:56 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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Ok, I will do what you said when the problem will appear. So far, since I posted the first time, it happened just once. No idea how much time I haver to wait for this thing to occur again.I hope not, but. Never know! Thanks!
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 AT 1:58 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
  • MEMBER
  • 91 POSTS
Well. Yesterday my car stopped starting again, and I guess this time it won't start at all. I managed to come home and when I tried starting it, it didn't start. I poured cold water over the area where the starter is but it didn't work. I have the wire connected to the starter and I tried, by touching the positive charge of the battery, to start the car. At first it didn't work, but sparks were visible when the wire touched the positive of the battery. I kept touching the positive of the battery with that wire and all of a sudden, the car starts. I have it up on the ramps ( to make it easy to work under the car), stopped the car and that was the last time when my car starts. I guess the next move is. Take off the starter and replace it. I really really hope this is the problem. I kept looking on the internet and I found out that so many people have the same problem that I have had with those SL 1 models. According to what I found, some of them changed the ignition, the battery, battery cable, starter, tranny switch.I kept looking in order to find out if they got the problem solved but so far no luck, no one posted if they solved the problem by changing one of the above. I am pretty upset because the car has low mileage and so far, is the newest one I have and it is the worst one.
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 AT 8:23 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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I don't know why you were looking all over the internet I gave you exact direction's on how to test if the starter was bad. Did you follow them?If you did you would know if the starter was bad for sure. Let me know before you go taking the starter out.
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 AT 9:10 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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No one was home to do those tests. I looked all over the interet to find out what kind the problems certain cars have. I did that for every car I had up to this point. In my opinion, is good to know what kind of problems people have had with cars. I found out someone changed the starter on this model at 55,000 miles and found that the starter on the car was a rebuild one, which could mean this model has a bad starter. More than likely I do not want to change starter every.20-30,000 miles. I have a "87 chevy caprice, with far far more mileage that this saturn have, and never change the starter. Anyway, if any work will be done today, I will be back with all the info.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 6:45 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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You can look and see what was done to other people's car's for a no start but it not's going to tell for sure it's what's wrong with your's. That's why I told you how to test it for sure to see if it really was the starter. It sounds like the starter since you were pouring water on it and then it would start.I have a 1999 SL2 and have over 200,000 mile's on it with the same starter it came with. If you do more short trips then the starter doesn't last as many mile's because the starter get's used more. If it is the starter make sure you get a good one the cheap one's don't last long I have seen them fail quick. Let me know what you find.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 2:08 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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I do know that what fix the same problem for other people, may not work on my case, but some ideas are always usefull.
Ok, here is the story. Today while I was gone, my husband took the starter out of the car. He changed the brushes ( he said the ones that the starter had weren't bad either) and the solenoid, and put it back on the car. Now the car starts and I hope will be no more problems. He really thinks the problem was the solenoid.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 2:33 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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He is probably right that it was the solenoid alot of time's when the starter's fail there is no click or any noise from the starter. The solenoid is what send's the gear out to the engine to turn it over if that were working then you would hear it clicking. When it come's out it also press's a button that send's power to the starter winding's. Glad to hear that you got your car starting again. If it does start doing what it was doing before keep test's I gave you handy and if it lead's to the starter again the best bet would be to replace the whole starter. Can you tell me where your husband got the brushes and the solenoid I would like to know in case I ever need any.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 3:18 PM
Tiny
DANAG1
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He got the brushes and the solenoid from a junk yard. I know, long ago, they use to sell those in the store, under the name of starter kit, but no idea if they are still doing that. And, for his curiosity, he opened the solenoid and said he saw some sort of burns inside. I went outside and start the car and I noticed starts quicker than before. Like I said, I hope won't do the same thing again. Of course I will keep the tests instructions. Thanks for the help and I will update with anything that will appear.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 6:49 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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I was hoping he got them new I haven't been able to find them in the store. Alright if anything else happens and you need my help let me know. Thanks for using 2carpros.
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 AT 8:05 PM

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