My car has trouble starting

Start by checking the fuel pressure with a fuel pressure gauge if its within specs-

What if you hold your gas pedal all the way to the floor will it start then?Also does it let out a black cloud of smoke when it does start up?Sound's like you could have a bad coolant temp sensor.

So your temp gauge is reading cold all the time?If so you need to look at your coolant temp sensor and connector if the connector is corroded you will have to replace it. Let me know.

It's screwed into the head right below where the upper radiator hose goes on. It has a yellow wire and a black wire going to it.

If it's a plastic tipped sensor it could be cracked but they don't always crack when they go bad. There only 10 the sensor so not a big gamble. Also inspect the connector if it's corroded you will have to replace that too. It's most likely you have a bad coolant temp sensor and possibly the connector too. Also be warned you will loose coolant if you have a new sensor you can swap them out before you loose a lot of coolant. Let me know what you find.

If you want to replace the sensor yourself there 10 and it's most likely the sensor. The connector is pretty easy if it's blue or green color on the inside where it plug's onto the sensor then it's bad. But if you don't have someone that can do it the labor for the sensor is 1.1 hour's time's shop labor rate 80-100 per hour. The connector should be about 25 plus to install it a half hour time's shop labor rate. So much cheaper to replace the connector yourself it just screw's into the head. But if you don't anyone that can do it then you will just have to pay to get it done. Plus at least a half hour labor for diagnoses. To diagnose it or see if the sensor is reading the correct temp you would need a scan tool that can read live engine data. It's really common for those sensor's to go bad and especailly since you said it read's cold all the time and your starting problem's.

Just so you can let him know the coolant temp on the scan tool should read within 10 degree's of actual engine coolant temp so hopefully he has a temp gun or thermometer to check what the engine temp is.

When the sensor goes bad it read's colder then actual temp some time's a lot colder I have seen them when they go bad read over 40 degree's colder then actual temp sometimes. Since that sensor operates your temp gauge and tells the computer what temp your coolant is then is sound's just like that sensor is bad. The guy that cleaned that valve didn't take in consideration that your temp gauge isn't working correctly and a sticking valve isn't going to cause the starting problem's and the temp gauge to not work correctly. So change that coolant temp sensor and make sure the connector going to it isn't corroded and let me know how everything work's.

AS far as the connector goes if there corroded they turn blue or green where the connector meet's the sensor if it wasn't discolored then it's fine. Now what you need to do is if the a/c work's turn it on did the radiator cooling fan come on?If so shut the car off then start the car back up let it run watch the temp gauge when it reaches a little past the half way point you should hear the radiator fan come on. Only try that if the radiator fan comes on with the a/c. Let me know what you find.

If it only get's between the 1/4 and half way mark then I would check your thermostat it is probably stuck open.

All the saturn S model car's I have had that will only go up to the mark between the 1/4 and half way mark have been bad thermostat's and when I have removed them I never visually was ever able to see a problem with them. So I just replaced them the only way to check to see if it was opening too soon would be to put the thermostat in a pot of boiling water and measure with a thermometer when it open's up.