2002 Saturn SL2

Do u have any codes?also when the car stalls and won't start is it flooding?next time it stalls try holding ur gas pedal to the floor while trying to start it see if that helps.when it doesn't we need to see if were loosing fuel spark etc.let me know u find.

thanx for the response. The car never turns off by it self. I turn it off and it starts right back up every time,However when iget going its like it loses power and it wont go untill i pull over and turn it off.It goes into gear easy,it will let me get all the way to 5th gear sometimes.But the problem is getting worse,the check engine light has been coming on for awhile now.I replaced the throttle positioning sensor and the egr valve and the water pump on it, There are some codes that came up at auto zone are po404 egr, p1404 manufacturer control, and the auxiliary emission control is what came up on there handheld computer tester. I do not understand what the problem is, but i just wish that I can find a cheap mechanic to come look at my car for me.

U should go have the cat tested for excessive back pressure some exhuast shops do this for free it sounds u could have a plugged cat.let me know what u find.

well i went and got a feul filter and put it in and drove the car for about 15 min.The check engine lght went out,and the car didnt stall. i went around my neighborhood and got it into all 5 gears up to 50 miles an hour. Next im going to take it to the shop like u recomended.Thanks

I cant get it to go 2 miles away from my house. It is doing the same thing and the problem is that i cant get it to a shop, unless i get it towed. I talked to someone who works on cars and they said that it could be a sensor that has gone bad.Is there anyway to clean the cat/converter?Can i unplug the 02 sensorand drive it?

Hey u said before u had a couple of egr codes and some emission code I remember on those on the stick shifts they would blow the 10 amp emission fuse check that fuse to see if it's blown it's in the underhood fuse box.as far the cat being plugged u really can't just unclog it.unplugging the o2 sensor won't help u ethier.u can try changing the coolant temp if u want there under 20 just make sure u get a brass tipped one.the plastic tipped temp sensors crack.the sensor is right below the upper radiator screwed into the head it has two wires going to it a yellow one and a black one.just make sure the engine is cold and u will lose some coolant.another thing u can try to see if u have a plugged exhaust is to drop the down pipe off the exhaust manifold u would take off the three nuts off the manifold and the two bolts that hold the pipe up and let the pipe drop down away from the manifold then start the car and go drive it and see if it runs better.it will be very loud but I have down it tons of times to check for plugged exhaust just don't go for a long way just long enough to see how it runs.u might want to try the temp sensor first that's the best advice I can tell u right now.let me know what happens.

well I took it to a shop and had a new catalytic converter put on he said there was 2 but i only had 1 installed.and it is doing the same thing but now its is worse it is thumping under the back of the car and it is running really bad. There was no codes coming up and the the mechanic put it on a mechine and he said it could be the fuel pump. are there any sensors that could be making it act like this? I also have a 93 s-10 pickup it is hesitating while i am driving. Do you have any recomendations?

So I take it u didn't have the back pressure tested on the exhaust to see if there was two much pressure like I said before u replaced the cat?the front cat that's on the manifold could be plugged they come apart and clog up the down pipe u can pull the down pipe down and check that it's pretty easy to see when that happens.u could also check ur fuel pressure u should have like 40-50 psi to run good.u can check the coolant temp sensor like I told u before that controls the fuel going in ur engine based on the temp of ur engine when they go bad it cause ur engine to run bad or not at all there under 20.that noise u hear under the back if ur car where is it comming from?ur exhaust fuel tank?let me know what u find.

where is the coolant temp sensor located?The noise that i heard was coming from the back somewhere. So you are saying that there is another cat right under the manifold? I should be able to take that new cat off its only bolted on. Thank for all the help so far:)

The coolant temp sensor is screwed into the head right below where the upper hose goes onto the head.to remove the wire u just squeese the connector.also inspect the connector if it's corroded it has to be cleaned or replaced.if u replace th connector make sure u get a brassed tipped one the plastic ones crack.also make sure th engine is cold when u remove it u will loose coolant.u have a stick so u probably have a ore cat in the manifold look at ur manifold if u have one it will be a square casing below where all the exhaust runners come out.it's a pretty good size if u have one see if it came apart and is clogging something up.it will be a honey comb looking thing in there.do u still have the engine light on if u do then what codes are u getting?

Thank you for all your help.I will be putting the coolant temp sensor in on friday,as for the check engine light, it is off it has not been coming on I had it tested on saturday and no codes the only code that has come up recently is p1404 dont know what that could be because the man at autozone said i would have to take it to the saturn dealer something about manufactorer .What is a manifold absoulte pressure sensor for? The thing under the manifold is round does that matter?It look like it could be the 2nd catit is about 3 to 4 inches long.

The map sensor is what tells the computer how much load is on the engine by how much vaccuum it reads and turns it into a voltage reading so it decide transmission shifting fuel delivery etc.sounds like u found the pre cat just drop that down pipe and see if there is a honey comb in there.also make sure the coolant temp sensor connector isn't corroded.let me know what u find.

I got the new coolant temp sensor in and it is doing the same thing.I also took the manifold loose and it didnt appear to be cloged.Would the pcv valve cause this? I took it out the motor and it looked like it was burnt.It will go for about 25 mins now then it starts again,the car dont stall out it just wont let me go,I turn it off and go again for couple of feet,then start all over. I drove it to the auto store and the was no codes coming up again, but the check engine light has not come on in a while. Would it help to take the battery terminals off?

[quote:17f7206f25="naustrous"]I got the new coolant temp sensor in and it is doing the same thing.I also took the manifold loose and it didnt appear to be cloged.Would the pcv valve cause this? I took it out the motor and it looked like it was burnt.It will go for about 25 mins now then it starts again,the car dont stall out it just wont let me go,I turn it off and go again for couple of feet,then start all over. I drove it to the auto store and the was no codes coming up again, but the check engine light has not come on in a while. Would it help to take the battery terminals off?[/quote:17f7206f25]
sounds like were getting some where i have seen pcvs do some strange things did u change it?are u running it without the pcv?when u dropped the down pipe was there a honey comb up in the manifold?have u ever had the fuel pressure tested while u were having the problem with the car going?i just had a 98 sl2 have a bad fuel pump similar problem fuel pressure would drop when warm.i dont think taking the battery cables off would help.has the back pressure ever been tested when ur car has had its running problems?let me know.