Hi,

My 1998 Saturn SL2 DOHC has ran great for the last 2 years. Suddenly I have had some problems. It started 3 weeks ago when I drove about 15 miles way and went into the store. I came outside and my car wouldn't start. It would start cranking but wouldn't turn over. I got a ride back the next day and it started up fairly easy. I got a 1-year old battery from my workplace to replace the old one.

The car has worked perfect until today. I drove to work no problems at all. I came out after my shift to head home and it wouldn't start. No lights, no dash illumination, absolutely dead. Keep in mind it is about 10 degrees in Wisconsin. I had to get a jump. It took about 4 minutes to jump and it worked fine and I got home. I tried starting it at home right after turning it off and it worked.

I am worried I will be stranded far from home. Do you think this could have been completely, absolutely drained from the cold or would you suspect another problem?

THANKS

I own a saturn, and my step father works for saturn, best in the business when it comes to cars. I have pretty good knowledge about these cars.
There is a few things you should check, either your transmission, starter cyllinoid, battery cables, spark plugs as well. Check the more known parts on the car. That any consumer would know off the top of their head. Don't waste your money at car places until you have a pretty geat idea on what it is. Because they can tell you one thing and would be wrong. I'm working on a classic and it has the same problem, I replaced the trans and it made the problem less frequent but still does it so it may not even be that, check the starter cylinoid or even the spark plugs if you haven't.

. Remove and fully charge the battery. Even new batteries should be charged, prior to installation. Most auto parts stores will do this for free. It's not advised to jump start modern-cars, because a voltage spike can easily damage the ECU, alternator, and/or sensors. It has been a disaster for a number of members at AMHP.

. Clean the battery terminals and cable connections. Afterwards, apply dielectric grease.

. Use full-synthetic 5W-30 engine oil. It's easier on your battery and starter motor, among other things, in cold weather. Change synthetic oil and filter every 6,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.

. Install new spark plugs (ACDelco only), if they have not been replaced in the last three years.

Thanks for the replies. The next morning it started up perfect and is now working fine again. WEIRD. I will have to replace the spark plugs... they haven't been replaced in the 2.5-3 years I have owned the vehicle.

Hopefully, the new spark plugs will solve the problem permanently.