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Engine & cooling

1995 Saturn SW Engine problems

Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 1995 Saturn SW's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 22% of all its complaints, most recently on December 21, 2011. They describe 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Complaints
8
Recalls
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
1
Deaths
0

Engine complaints

Engine & coolingDriver assistance

Sohc lk0/l24 (from http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/saturn_i4_engine#sohc_lk0.2Fl24) the sohc (lk0/l24) cylinder head had 8 valves and was made of lost foam cast aluminum. The camshaft was located in the center of the cylinder head and driven by a chain off the front crankshaft sprocket. Motion from the camshaft was transmitted to the eight valves by the hydraulic lifters and rocker arms. The lk0 engine first used tbi (throttle body injection) for fuel delivery and was rated at 85 hp (63 kw) and 110 ftlbf (149...

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nm) of torque from 1991 to 1994. The l24 engine received mpfi (multi-port fuel injection) in 1995 which increased power output to 100 hp (75 kw) and 114 ftlbf (155 nm). This engine was used from 1995 to 2002. The sohc engine was available on the base model s-series vehicles (sc1, sl, sl1, sw, sw1) 1992 through 1998 l24 cylinder heads developed issues with cracks developing in the fifth camshaft journal, located closest to #4 cylinder. The hairline crack would develop between the oil feed port of that journal and the coolant passages in the cylinder head. Symptoms would range from overheating to low coolant, however, most cars affected by this issue exhibited oil migration into the cooling system. The resulting mixture of the two fluids would result in a thick brown "milkshake"-like mixture, visible in the coolant overflow tank. Saturn released unadvertised policy which would cover this issue, extending the warranty on the cylinder head to 6 years or 100,000 miles (160k km). Repair required the replacement of the cylinder head. And flushing of the coolant system. Badly affected cars would see coolant in the oil, as well as oil in the coolant, and would require the replacement of the complete engine assembly. Until the cylinder head casting was redesigned ... *Tr

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Unknown or other · Electronic stability control (ESC)NHTSA 10440907
BrakesEngine & coolingTransmission & drivetrainSeats & seat beltsCrash1 injury

I bought a 1995 saturn from precision tune auto. The car was supposed to be cleaned, and wiring fixed. No mention of seat problem. Though there has been some failure with top part of seat, to fall back for some reason. Front seat. Trouble with car. Bad gas mileage, engine sounds like valve trouble, no power on hill, gear shift sticks, clunk in reverse intermittently, bleeding brake line, back brakes. Cvc clicking, and so on. Hit on aug. 22, 2006. Not sure if this caused all the above. *Nm

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulic · Engine and engine cooling · Power train · SeatsNHTSA 10179143
Engine & cooling

OIL CONSUMPTION, CAUSED A BLOWN ENGINE. *AK

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10028429
Engine & cooling

This vehicle uses an excessive amount of oil. I must add at least one quart every 200-300 miles.*Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 765633
Engine & cooling

Fan did not work, causing engine to overheat and expand. Yd

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 785726
Engine & cooling

Consumer feels manufacturers decision not to issue recall on possible cylinder head cracks irresponsible. Nlm

Filed Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 546266
Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

Was driving a noise was heard coming from the engine. Took to dealer & engine oil had leaked out. The oil light had malfunctioned on panel. The engine had to be rebuilt. Piston rod rings/ cylinder/crankshaft & bearings need replacing also. The axle seal was replaced five times. Transmission leaks oil on the housing area & it was cracked. *Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Power train · Unknown or otherNHTSA 838863
Engine & cooling

A cracked engine gasket has allowed oil to contaminate the coolant compartment. This has resulted in a thick mixture of oil and coolant.

Filed Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 780762

Saturn SW engine complaints by year

SW engine problems, every year

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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