Car stalls while idling once it's warm, help!

[joshjames023]

Ok I got the new radiator, but on the old one the lower transmission line is really rusted and the top one is in pretty bad shape too, can't get either of them to budge and I nearly destroyed the top one trying to turn it. Can I just pop the upper and lower hoses at the tranny end and remove them still attached to the radiator, then just buy new ones? I found these on the forums: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0

Then I could just throw those on with the new radiator and refill the trans fluid? They need replaced anyway...just wondering before I pop them out if that's all there is to it, a little pinch clip at the tranny side to remove that entire hose. Any other things to account for? I'd change the fluid while I'm at it, but it's still red and doesn't smell burnt so for now it'd be great just to have my car in one (working) piece.

[joshjames023]

Link still doesn't work, but that site sells both the upper and lower trans cooler lines...

[madpogue]

Your predicament is not uncommon, and replacing the lines is not an uncommon way out of it. You _might_ also find that you have better position on the lines once you get the rad, with lines, out of the car, but that's just a "last chance" effort. As for the tranny fluid, don't go by the color, odor, taste, viscosity, aphrodisiac quality, how well it goes on a stack of pancakes or any such thing. The only reliable metric for the tranny fluid is the odometer and your records/memory. If you can't say for certain that it's been replaced in the last 30,000 miles, as specified in the owner's manual, do it (and the filter, of course) NOW. If that's the case, the radiator situation is a golden (or perhaps slightly pinkish-red) opportunity.

[joshjames023]

Alright I honestly don't know the last time it was done as I've only had the car for the last 6000 miles, but I can tell you my uncle didn't do anything productive to the car. So I will definitely be changing the fluid and filter while I've got the car apart. I've also determined the www.getsaturnparts.com site is garbage. My car has been up on ramps in my uncle's shop and I'm borrowing my dad's car to get me through until my parts arrive. Ordered Tuesday night, trans oil cooler lines were/are still in stock, now Friday night and still have yet to ship. Got charged $29 at time of the order and as of today the charge has been retracted by them for some unknown reason and my order still says "processing". Seems like a shady site to deal with...or maybe just a bad one. Sent a message to customer service asking what is going on, but not really expecting a timely or helpful reply at this point.

[madpogue]

Getsaturnparts is the online parts sales dept. of a Saturn dealership. IIRC, it's Saturn of Glen Burnie (IL). They're probably selling down / drying up their parts supply with the sunset of the brand, and perhaps the cooling lines are sold out and no longer available.

[joshjames023]

They finally shipped the part, I think it took 4 business days and they never responded, but it's ok. Since then I've put my new radiator in and the car is back together and running great. But last night I had one "hiccup" again with my rpm's like the car used to have. It's been driving fine for weeks, but the difference is that I've been listening to the radio and not my ipod. I have 2 ten inch subs and amp (only 150 watts or less) connected directly to the battery. I swear that when I pulled up to the stoplight it happened at (i had the bass really punching) that my instrument panel lights went dimmer each time the bass hit. Is it possible that the subs are pulling too much power off my battery and causing the car's rpm's to dip? The battery is an interstate, at least 2 years old, probably more. It didn't used to act like this before when I had just put them in, but I haven't had a problem with the car not starting because of the battery. Could it just be degraded enough that it can't handle the load at this point at idle? I've also noticed that by messing with my window controls I can make my rpm's wiggle at idle. The fuel pump replacement has fixed the car's bad starting, but I think my subs may be the cause of stalling.

[fdryer]

The dimming lights, whether from the amps or window controls are draining the battery and the alternator has a difficult time supplying all these needs. If the alternator is original it may be worn out or the amps are too much for this car's electrical system capacity. It would be easy to monitor the electrics by using a voltmeter to monitor while driving.

A better test would be to start from the ground up; a thorough battery test, battery cables checked for any corrosion - visible or hidden, the belt tensioner if its lost its "springiness" and unable to keep the serp belt tight to allow the accessories to turn including the alternator, and finally the alternator tested for output. You can check the belt tensioner and battery cables but the battery and alternator should be tested by any good auto store. When you're trying to blow the windows out with a large amp and notice the lights dancing to the bass, you're already draining/taxing the electrical system and the question is whether the electrical system is fine and being taxed by your amp or the electrics need checking and replacing of worn out components.

[MghtySaturn]

I am having the same issue with my 1999 Saturn SL1. The car will start fine and idle ok. Once the car gets up to normal operating temperature it stalls. Then will not restart for at least 20 minutes. I have a new egr, catalytic converter, clean throttle body, and new fuel filter/fuel pressure regulator. I do not know what to inspect next. Any hope would be greatly appreciated.

[cgg17]

Originally Posted by MghtySaturn

I am having the same issue with my 1999 Saturn SL1. The car will start fine and idle ok. Once the car gets up to normal operating temperature it stalls. Then will not restart for at least 20 minutes. I have a new egr, catalytic converter, clean throttle body, and new fuel filter/fuel pressure regulator. I do not know what to inspect next. Any hope would be greatly appreciated.

I suggest starting a new thread, as this is 8 years old.

[joshjames023]

I've not had my Saturn in years, but I can say the issues I had with stalling were remedied by replacing the crankshaft position sensor. My car often threw "camshaft" position sensor warnings, but ultimately the crankshaft position sensor replacement stopped my stalling. It's hard to get to, but my dad and I were able to replace it using ramps, $15 for the sensor, and taking about 15 minutes.

As cgg suggested, a new thread is probably a good idea, but I wanted to share my solution. Apologies for not returning to the thread back then. This forum saved me quite a few times with that '97 SL2.