My 98 Saturn has started vibrating really bad.

Tiny
ANONYMOUS
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 SATURN SC2
  • 190,000 MILES
My 98 Saturn has started vibrating really bad and when I push on the brake it really shakes the car and idles down to where it almost stalls out. If I keep my foot on the brake and use my other foot to push on the gas a little it stops vibrating. I took it to Autozone and it showed a misfire on Cylinder 3 as well as the code: P1641 (which we have no idea what that means). Also, certain times when I'm driving it, along the dash it sounds like water/fluid running. Bought spark plugs but was wondering if this will be an easy fix or is this going to cost us a lot to fix?
Thursday, November 15th, 2012 AT 11:24 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
At idle is there a constant missfire?Also when stepping on the brake does the steering wheel shake?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, November 16th, 2012 AT 6:45 AM
Tiny
KELLYOSHEA
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Not sure how to tell if it's a constant missfire. I changed all the spark plugs and it ran good for about 1 mile then it started to misfire and feel as though it was about to stall (it never did). When I parked it, I put my foot on the brake and put it in reverse and just sat there without moving, the whole car really shook and it sounded as though there was knocking sound in the back end. When I put the car in drive and sat still, it shook and idled at 1rpm with a lot of vibration. When I placed it in park it reved to 2 rpms and then came down to 1. I did recheck the spark plugs and they looked good.

When I researched the code online (P1641) the probable cause was "Open or Short circuit condition" and "Check for failed sensor".
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, November 17th, 2012 AT 4:41 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
A failed sensor for a code P1641 is a quad fault which could be a bad dash etc. Would have nothing to do with it missing lets fixing the missing first do you have a nice blue spark to every spark plug when its acting up?Also what kind of spark plugs did you put in the car?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012 AT 1:39 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Engine Stall While Driving Content

Is it Safe to Drive Check Engine Light?
VIDEO
Is it Safe to Drive Check Engine Light?
Instructional repair video
Engine Stalls While Driving
GUIDE
Engine Stalls While Driving
An engine that stalls while driving and then starts back up again, either immediately or after a short time is different from an engine that just wont start or if the...
VIEW MORE