Emergency Backup Saturn - '02 SC2(K) Challenge Car

In reply to maschinenbau :

My Saturn racer buddy says baffled pan plus windage tray plus crank scraper. He ran the E36 M3 out of the first-Gen SC2 in showroom stock and IT, as well as chump.

Run snythetic and overfill by 1 qt and it should be fine.

The 3rd gen motor (99.5-02) has a 1 pc main bearing brace/windage tray built in.

Pan baffles:

Final phase of spare parts acquisition is complete. This includes a new-in-box fresh never-installed reman automatic trans. Even the shipping box is Saturn branded! Pretty cool. Too bad mine's manual. Also included is a spare manual trans, which is actually the original for my SC2. It has some kind of shaft seal leak, which is why it got swapped out.

I replaced the hood with the spare one. It's a little shinier now. I also swapped out the spoiler, which has less hail damage and better clearcoat.

Every car I currently own in one shot...including the classified top-secret project under the tarp. Hint: like my Saturn, its body is also nonmetallic.

I'm going set a few engine parts and sensors aside, and try to sell the entire parts lot. This are simply too many parts for a casual Saturn fan like me to hoard. There are some real Saturn die-hards that would appreciate this junk more than me. The body kit has already generated serious interest in the weirdo Saturn collector community. Yes, they exist, and they all know each other. The amount they're willing to pay for the body kit while simultaneously cleaning out my storage may exceed the value of potential $2000 Challenge concours points. I know that's not what you want to hear. But I can buy a lot of nitrous for what these parts may go for.

Parts lot sold! $400 back in the budget. A Saturn enthusiast from Missouri planned his family's vacation around picking up the body kit, along with everything else I made him haul away. I set aside a few drivability/emissions items for myself like IAC, TPS, EGR sensors, and some spares like radiator, AC compressor, alternator, etc. Otherwise I am cleaned out of Saturn parts! Total Challenge budget: $1500 even.

Also, just completed 1000 miles of daily-driving this car. The intermittent high-idle issue came back one day last week. It's a bit annoying to row gears in stop-and-go traffic with the engine idling at 3500 RPM. If it keeps happening I'll try cleaning the TB/IACV again. Maybe throw some of my spare parts at it. Honestly the whole intake manifold could use a de-sludging, including EGR passages, but I don't feel like going that deep yet. Might free up some HP though.

The high-idle issue came back very hard yesterday, cranking up Atlanta rush hour traffic difficulty from its normal "hard" to "expert" setting. By the time I made it home, the CEL had finally tripped so I snagged the code. P0113 Intake Air Temp Circuit High Input. Huh, not what I expected. I thought it would be the IACV or something like that, jammed up with EGR sludge again. Some forum searching led to similar drivability experiences from others with this code, which usually triggers after you notice the issues. From what I've gathered, the IAT wiring is very fragile, and if it shorts/opens it could trick the ECU into thinking IAT is at some insane value, and adjusts idle in reaction. This makes sense to me, because the issue very binary and random, like most electrical faults. When cruising on the highway you can feel the IACV randomly letting more air through, like a drunk cruise control system.

I noticed my IAT wiring has already been repaired, probably because of the aftermarket intake straining the harness. I did notice some cracking in the wire insulation, and overall in rough fragile shape. I cleaned everything off with electrical cleaner and buttoned it back up. It runs fine now, but I'll keep an eye on it. I also went ahead and ordered a new IAT sensor w/ pigtail harness as a permanent fix.

I also experimented with unplugging the IACV while the engine was running, in case I get this issue on the road again. It seems you have to wait for the IACV to idle back down to normal, then unplug it, because it's an electromechanical piston thingy and it gets stuck wherever you decide to de-power it. So if you are idling at 3500, you unplug the IACV and it's stuck there. But if you unplug it at normal idle, it should theoretically drive fine, potentially better without the IACV-induced rev hang. Idk, kind of a fun eveninig experimenting with my beater Saturn. Fun fact: the IAT and coolant sensor (the dreaded Saturn "ECTS") are the exact same part. 

While I was in there, I checked the TB for gunk. Still pretty gunk-less, so I'm optimistic about the IAT being the culprit. It's possible that when I "fixed" it last time, all the jiggling of the intake and wiring could have jostled the IAT wiring into a good position, for a while. 

A $15 Bluetooth OBD reader is really handy on these cars for tracking down goofy failing sensors & wiring.

ProDarwin said:

A $15 Bluetooth OBD reader is really handy on these cars for tracking down goofy failing sensors & wiring.

I have been very happy with the Panlong brand version reviewed here.  Apply the discount code and it is just $10.39 before tax.

I can confirm the Saturn WILL run, drive, and idle with the IACV unplugged. It's a quick fix for the surging idle issue, which I believe is triggered by the faulty IAT circuit. This would be a good way to autocross or drag race because it completely eliminates the programmed rev-hang between shifts. The IAT seems to have some effect on the A/C logic though, kicking the compressor on/off in weird ways which is affecting drivability. No matter, I received the new IAT sensor and plug with pigtail harness. Looks like my IAT harness has a history of being repaired. I cut out both previous repairs and soldered in the new plug and pigtail. The issue hasn't repeated since, but it's only been a few days. First purchase for this car: $28 bucks. All is well with the commuter.

IAT fix seemed to do the trick. No more rev surging. I also changed the oil, since it came with a new filter and several gallons of oil. Got to finally experience that awful filter location on the S-series engine, right above the CV axle. Messy!

Now that I have a suitable replacement for the Fiata, I'm not sure what to do with this car. I downgraded its insurance and parked it since I bought the Miata. Obviously it's a good $2000 Challenge candidate. It has way more lateral grip than any Saturn should. I have high confidence it would make it there and back 700 miles. The pandemic forecast does not bode well right now the Challenge, and there is no better time than now to sell a used car. Also those Advanti Storms w/ Rivals would fit my new Miata and keep it in CS autocross class...

But also... it's kinda nice having an Emergency Backup Saturn around. In these crazy times, you just never know.

Officially registered for the $2000 Challenge

In reply to maschinenbau :

Looking forward to seeing it!

this is refreshing to see. i have this saturn screwdriver i got from a dealer and was just thinking about these cars. they are little sleepers imo. i look forward to seeing this bad larry.

In reply to surfshibby07 :

Sleeper might be generous lol. This may be the slowest car I've ever owned (out of 10+) in the forward direction. It can corner pretty hard though. I'm looking forward to the ease and convenience of simply driving a car to the Challenge and not having to deal with temperamental budget racecar issues.

Team Stampie now being rebranded as Zebra Butt Racing officially challenges the Saturn to a drag run. 

Agreed.  I'm predicting a 16.0 at best in the 1/4, assuming it is unchanged from its current state.

I'm tempted to install my nitrous kit, but I don't want to be the guy that sprays his way into the high 15's.

Stampie - what are we racing for?

Eternal glory? Spraying our way into the 15s is not beneath us.

maschinenbau said:

I'm tempted to install my nitrous kit, but I don't want to be the guy that sprays his way into the high 15's.

Stampie - what are we racing for?

IIRC Different Racing sprayed their way into the low 13s on a stock motor for quite a long time.

So, nitrous is looking easier than I thought, since my fuel rail has a test port that happens to match 4AN hose on the kit I already have. Hmm. Obviously it would help the drags, but I'd also like to try it during autocross. Tom made it pretty clear during last year's town hall meeting that it is NOT against the rules to spray during autocross...someone needs to take advantage of this ruling.

maschinenbau said:

So, nitrous is looking easier than I thought, since my fuel rail has a test port that happens to match 4AN hose on the kit I already have. Hmm. Obviously it would help the drags, but I'd also like to try it during autocross. Tom made it pretty clear during last year's town hall meeting that it is NOT against the rules to spray during autocross...someone needs to take advantage of this ruling.

Having never used NOS, will this be tied to a button on the steering wheel so you get a push to pass like feature?

In reply to maschinenbau :

Yeah... our insurance company heard that town hall meeting, apparently, since the rules have said this for a while now:

Nitrous use is not allowed during the autocross. Nitrous bottles are not allowed in cars during the autocross.

Should have taken the opportunity while it was open!

Last weekend a friend and I co-drove the Saturn at an autocross as a shakedown for the $2000 Challenge and road trip. Due to the weather, turnout was low, so we got 5 runs each. And being a two-driver car meant all 10 runs were back-to-back with barely enough time to swap numbers and seats. The coolant temp tried to climb past its normal position, but never overheated. 

It did great! We were within 1-2 seconds of the fast CS ND Miatas and DS BRZ's (mid-pack for those classes) on a 45 second course. So about as fast as I can drive my ND on stock (not 200tw) tires. The Rivals still have some life left, but they will need replacing after the Challenge. My co-driver DD's and autocrosses a C5 vette, but he had "tons of a different kind of fun" wheeling around this lightweight FWD coupe. We were not kind or gentle to this car and it endured like a champ. Looking forward to the Challenge!

Not to disrespect the Saturn, but...  #73 AMC Hornet in the background, interesting?  

Them's some wide tires on that back.  This leads me to believe this Hornet does not have the standard 6 cyl.  

In reply to John Welsh :

Yeah it was LS swapped. Not very well sorted for autocross, but it was cool to see!