My stupid car just died (need to vent)

[BillyRay]

I had to get towed yesterday: the car overheated and the overflow was a bit ballooned and spitting out engine coolant on the floor and into the bonnet of the car. No biggy, blown radiator. Happens. The gauge didn't even get anywhere near the red zone before I suspected something was amiss and stopped. I had been in heavy traffic for 30 minutes in hot weather so the radiator was the likely culprit.

No dice. The reason it overheated is, you guessed it, engine oil into the coolant system. I had suspected it the minute I saw it spewing brown liquid in the parking lot, but remembered that my fluid was orange and that it probably was just thick because it was boiling and there was rust in it due to the radiator dying. This means the f'cking motor, whom I babied like all get up, checked the oil + coolant every single day, only bought premium lubricant for, had regular oil changes, cracked on me with 104k KM on it. Not miles, kilometers. Insane. It just went to running amazing to blowing without any warning signs.

This car is haunted. I bought it, it passed inspection and the whole front end of the car gave in after 3 months. Then it was at the mechanic regularly for every little problem known to man. I had just finished paying for it (last week) and now I'm stuck with a hunk of crap full of shiny new pieces for wich I'll get 400 if I play my cards right. So don't buy a Saturn unless you buy it new (the piece of crap was a SL1 '97).

And I don't care if your old beat up Saturn saved puppies from a fire while getting ungodly mpg. These cars suck and I don't really want to hear it right now

PS: I did not under any circumstance put oil into the overflow. I would be so glad if I did that right now that I would get it tatooed on my forehead. I would probably also go on national television to announce it and proclim my idiocy. Shame is not the problem here, crappy domestic car is.

[Thor]

Sounds like a blown head gasket to me.

[Dr Stankface]

Sounds like a typical Saturn to me.

[BillyRay]

Head gasket is the likely culprit, but that will be hella costly to repare and I'm fed up with putting band aids on that thing. I should've just sold it to the junkyard when it id its best folding chair impression 3 months after I had gotten it.

[Jsegbers]

Originally Posted by BillyRay

Head gasket is the likely culprit, but that will be hella costly to repare and I'm fed up with putting band aids on that thing. I should've just sold it to the junkyard when it id its best folding chair impression 3 months after I had gotten it.

Plastic does not go for a whole lot at the scrapyard brother





Get a jeep, 4.0L engine.... learn to replace the rear main seal and youll never have a problem with it

It now takes me under 2 hours to pull the tranny back and replace that seal and the seal is under 20 bucks for me.

[Mike N]

SL1? Chances are better that the head is cracked, not the head gasket being bad. The heads on those cracked in the cam journals, allowing oil to enter the cooling system.

[Mutant Corn]

^ agreed

[oldrocker]

What's a bonnet

[Mike N]

Originally Posted by oldrocker

What's a bonnet

The hood.

[Trevor.A]

I would guess it got waaay hotter than you think, it takes a lot to blow the radiator cap and spew water everywhere. Oil in the coolant system wouldn't cause it to overheat either, at that point the engine's already gone. Cracked head from overheating is really common.
All IME, or at least in the little I have.

[iamlowsound]

I have seen Saturns with 300,000 km on them before, several of them.

lowsound

[Unrepresented]

Among the things I don't miss are my girlfriend's old SC2.

Good luck with your next car.

[Jiggybass]

Originally Posted by BillyRay

And I don't care if your old beat up Saturn saved puppies from a fire while getting ungodly mpg. These cars suck and I don't really want to hear it right now

My old beat up Jetta once saved puppies from a fire while getting somewhat ungodly mpg...does that count?

Although, that really sucks about your car man, I'd be friggen pissed if that happened to me.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by Dr Stankface

Sounds like a typical Saturn to me.

The engine in my Saturn disintegrated with fewer than 70k miles. What I have learned is that you either get one that is really great, or one that is really lousy. Like Detroit cars from the early 80's.

[nickn]

Booo, Saturn! I drive a 2003 Saturn Vue. Last night and today I started to hear a weird growling/vibrating sound whenever I accelerated quickly. After school today I got home and popped the hood, and.........................

...the hood prop had worked itself loose out of the little plastic retainer and it was flopping around in the engine bay.

Saturns suck.

[peaveyuser]

they are ugly as sin, the old ones at least, but i always thought they were reliable.


Seriously, who designed those cars?

[BillyRay]

The cap on the overflow did not blow. The liquid just boiled out of the sides of the cover. It was cool to touch after 30 minutes so it did not get that hot. Mechanic got back to me and the head is cracked. Now I'm debating on wether or not I just put a new motor in this failtastic thing (1500$) and hope I can tough it out two more years or bite the bullet and buy a crappy Aveo that will do the same act in 6 years once the warranty will have expired. No way I'm buying used again: I bought that pile of manure from a respected dealer and the car's history had been heavily documented dating back to 1997. There was no way to get a more credibly backed car and look what happened.

Also, people, I said that this was my private vent thread. I saw good Saturn stories in the replies... I've seen Pintos and Ladas with 200k on them. With my own eyes. Doesn't mean they aren't terrible hunks of crap. And one of my friend used to drive a Previa with 490,000km on it (same motor, btw). He finally had a minor accident and the thing wasn't worth repairing. Beat that crappy Saturn !

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by BillyRay

I had to get towed yesterday: the car overheated and the overflow was a bit ballooned and spitting out engine coolant on the floor and into the bonnet of the car. No biggy, blown radiator. Happens. The gauge didn't even get anywhere near the red zone before I suspected something was amiss and stopped. I had been in heavy traffic for 30 minutes in hot weather so the radiator was the likely culprit.

No dice. The reason it overheated is, you guessed it, engine oil into the coolant system. I had suspected it the minute I saw it spewing brown liquid in the parking lot, but remembered that my fluid was orange and that it probably was just thick because it was boiling and there was rust in it due to the radiator dying. This means the f'cking motor, whom I babied like all get up, checked the oil + coolant every single day, only bought premium lubricant for, had regular oil changes, cracked on me with 104k KM on it. Not miles, kilometers. Insane. It just went to running amazing to blowing without any warning signs.

This car is haunted. I bought it, it passed inspection and the whole front end of the car gave in after 3 months. Then it was at the mechanic regularly for every little problem known to man. I had just finished paying for it (last week) and now I'm stuck with a hunk of crap full of shiny new pieces for wich I'll get 400 if I play my cards right. So don't buy a Saturn unless you buy it new (the piece of crap was a SL1 '97).

And I don't care if your old beat up Saturn saved puppies from a fire while getting ungodly mpg. These cars suck and I don't really want to hear it right now

PS: I did not under any circumstance put oil into the overflow. I would be so glad if I did that right now that I would get it tatooed on my forehead. I would probably also go on national television to announce it and proclim my idiocy. Shame is not the problem here, crappy domestic car is.

The lead guitarist in my old country western band was a mechanic for Saturn. Last time I talked to him he had a new job. He said he had to quit Saturn because he got tired of lying.

[BillyRay]

The lead guitarist in my old country western band was a mechanic for Saturn. Last time I talked to him he had a new job. He said he had to quit Saturn because he got tired of lying.

I might have to paint this on the car if I get it repaired. My mechanic does not work for Saturn btw.

[WarofAges]

try having to explain a dent in the power steering column, a garbabe can lid melted to the bottom of the car and blood(deer) allover the front to my mom and explaining why yiou were running from the cops in the first place

man, being 16 was fun