Getting a Saturn LS on Sunday!

[DoItAllDad74]

Ok, so Sunday I am going to pick up a 2001 LS. Not sure if it was a LS1 or LS2. A lady where I work is giving it to me. I was her fathers and he passed away a couple months ago. She said it hasn’t been started in 4 years and apparently it has less than 100,00 miles

I am going to change out the battery, oil change, fuel filter, spark plugs, and possibly drain the tank depending on how full it is. Check the brakes, all the fluids. Anything else I need to checkout

I plan on giving this car to my daughter for school. I am not familiar with these cars. Any know things I need to look out for or keep an eye on?

[lrbraner]

If is a V-6. Do the timing belt and pulleys ASAP.
if its a 4 cyl. Pull the valve cover and check the timing chain and tensioners.\
replace as needed.

[pierrot]

Originally Posted by DoItAllDad74

Ok, so Sunday I am going to pick up a 2001 LS. Not sure if it was a LS1 or LS2. A lady where I work is giving it to me. I was her fathers and he passed away a couple months ago. She said it hasn’t been started in 4 years and apparently it has less than 100,00 miles

I am going to change out the battery, oil change, fuel filter, spark plugs, and possibly drain the tank depending on how full it is. Check the brakes, all the fluids. Anything else I need to checkout

I plan on giving this car to my daughter for school. I am not familiar with these cars. Any know things I need to look out for or keep an eye on?

Perform a transmission drain. A common transmission drain requires 6.9 quarts to return it to a properly full level. As for me, I just pour in a full 7 quarts and don't worry about it. That tenth of a quart is only 3.2 ounces so I don't concern myself (and the transmission has held up well). The transmission has no dipstick. (The level is checked from below. Remove an 11mm hex head inspection plug and watch for fluid to drain from it or not. If it doesn't drain then add enough fluid until it does drain, then close it off by re-installing the inspection plug. Do this if all you need to do is check the fluid level.)

Suspension: look at the front sway bar links as they could easily be worn out. Similarly, look at the rear suspension control arms where they meet the trailing arm and are at the top and bottom of the knuckle behind the rear wheels. My factory original bushings there were badly worn out before 90K miles.

If the car hasn't be driven in four years that is not a good sign, especially if the engine oil was not changed immediately before the discontinued use of the the car. Four years is a long, long time for engine oil to sit in a crankcase doing nothing. My following statements will assume the engine oil had not be changed immediately prior the car's being taken out of service.

We change the engine oil far more often than transmission fluid because engine oil eventually makes contact with carbon, a by-product from the spark explosion in the upper cylinder of the block at the cylinder head. Within that carbon are other chemicals which can be very harsh to internal engine components if the oil is not changed regularly relative to its use or the lack of use. These other chemicals contaminating the engine oil can eventually degrade the oil so that its lubricating quality has been significantly degraded. Old oil left to sit in the crankcase can do damage to the main and rod bearings resulting in a major engine repair or replacement. I would highly urge you to do the following:

Drain the old engine oil out, change the oil filter, and refill it before running the engine for the first time. Run the engine for 10 to 15 minutes letting the engine get up to normal operating temperature - roughly, between the first and second hash marks past the full cold mark at the far left of the temperature gauge. Shut off the engine and then change the oil and filter again. Change the oil and filter again after five hundred to 1K miles. Drain and refill the oil, change the filter and that should adequately clean up whatever bad elements have lingered from the old oil. The idea here is to protect the expenditure for the "new-to-you" L-Series car so the service life of the engine will not have been needlessly compromised.

BTW, the "LS" model designation applies only to model year 2000 L-Series cars.

LS was the base model: 2.2L engine with no power windows, no power door locks, no power seats, AM/FM radio, and steel rims. In m.y. 2001 this model was renamed L100.

LS1: 2.2L engine with power windows, power door locks, optional power seats, optional alloy rims (otherwise they were steel), an AM/FM/CD player radio, and optional rear disc brakes. In m.y. 2001 this model was renamed the L200.

LS2: 3.0L V6 engine with power windows, power door locks, alloy rims, power seats, optional sun roof, optional rear disc brakes, additional lighting at each door, am/fm, CD, cassette player with an additional woofer speaker for added bass at the rear deck behind the left side rear passenger seat. In m.y. 2001 this model was known as the L300.

The V6 has good power and acceleration. It is, however, much more difficult to work on as a DIYer than the ECOTEC 4 cyl. engine.

[cavalier]

Best purchase, or buy you'll ever make in your life.

Enjoy your ride and take good care of it and it will take good care of you.

If you do, it should reach nearly 300,000 miles.

Just be sure to replace its timing chain, for it has oiler that doesn't work right, was recalled by GM, and has killed off many Saturn L-series prematurely by not receiving enough oil to keep it lubricated, snapping and destroying the engine while driving.

If that happens, you're SOL and will need a new ride.