Category: Cars
Fastback conversion parts
Well, I went and got the parts today. Had to go to Bolton, Ontario to pick them up. Everything looks great, with exception to the glass quarter panels. They are cracked and look quite rough. I might be putting GT turbo scoops on there to…
Fiero notchback to fastback conversion?
I have been thinking about doing this conversion for over 5 years now. I have a 1986 Fiero SE notchback. I like the notchbacks, don’t get me wrong. But the fastbacks look more like a Ferrari in my opinion. More sporty. I think it would…
The tale of two Saturns
With two of them now, it is great. I buy the same parts for both when I do maintenance on them. Parts are cheap, insurance is cheap, maintenance is cheap, …more importantly gas is cheap. They both get 43+ MPG on the highway, and we’re…
Saturn intake manifold gasket replacement
The SL1 was having problems with low idle, so I did the test of spraying carb cleaner near the intake manifold gasket in order to see if there was a leak. If there is a leak, the carb cleaner will be sucked into the intake…
Another brake job for the books – Saturn SW front brakes
Our wagon has been making some squealing noises from the brakes – especially when you apply them. It sounded like it was coming from the back. So, I changed the rear drums and shoes a couple of weeks ago, only to find out that the…
Bought another 1999 Saturn
Well, after a lot of hard thinking, we traded the HHR in so we would have less monthly payments per month – mostly due to the fact that we are taking on larger mortgage payments. So I traded the HHR in and bought a 1999…
Upgrading the HHR steering wheel – the radio control modification
My model of HHR, the LS model, did not have the option of buttons on the steering wheel for radio control. By buttons, I mean the volume + previous/next controls. My HHR does have the upgraded sound system that the LT model has, but since…
Gas mileage, and trying to improve it
With this post, I’d like to open up a new category – Environment. For the past year, I’ve been trying to get the best gas mileage possible – that was one of the reasons I got rid of the 2003 Impala, and got the 2007…
Life with the Chevrolet HHR after 6 months
So far, I love this vehicle. I was going to sell it because we got the new house – and I wanted to lower monthly bills. But I’ve decided to keep it. We’ll roll with one older car (Saturn) and one newer car (HHR) –…
Fixing the common Saturn S-Series reverse slam
We were experiencing a slight reverse slam in our 1999 SW1. A reverse slam is the “clunk” of changing the gears in an automatic transmission from reverse to any other gear. In Saturn S-Series cars, this is a common problem – usually the culprit of…
Service Engine Soon – Saturn SW1 follow up
With a full week of day-to-day driving behind the EGR fix, …no Service Engine Soon light has come back on :) I will continue to monitor it, but it looks like I’ve postponed the $200 cost of a new EGR valve. If it needs cleaning…
Service Engine Soon – Saturn SW1 EGR valve
Today I took off the EGR, and found that it had a lot of carbon build-up on the pintle. The pintle was having problems operating – a.k.a. obstruction from going up and down due to the carbon build-up. So I cleaned it up with carb…
Saturn SW1 service engine soon light
The SES light came on. The OBD-II code that is being thrown is P1404 – which deals with the EGR valve being left in a closed position. Which means I might have to pull the EGR and clean it out with carb cleaner – there…
Saturn SW1 comes home
Came back at 7pm tonight. Runs terrific on the highway. Has a lot of options – power windows, power mirrors, keyless, A/C, power hatch release, etc. etc. Very pleased with it :)
1999 Saturn SW1
We found one in terrific condition with 149,000kms, and got a great price on it from a dealership in Scarborough. This is the best time (now until Christmas) because everyone is getting ready to buy gifts, and not looking to buy autos. So things are…
