[jcp123]

Originally Posted by ninetynineSC2

Not sure you're even mildly interested in this but...

I can hazard a guess as to what was causing those surprisingly common issues. Stalling, hesitation, starting problem (Honestly had this issue) = a $10 sensor. Yup a freaking $10 sensor. What happened was GM cheaped and out wouldn't allow engineers to use quality parts (surprise surprise ) and used a plastic tipped sensor to measure coolant temperature, plastic tip + hot coolant = a bad time. They changed that sensor to a brass tip in 2000. The plastic tip would crack and make the computer think the car was running very, very cool so the computer would try to compensate by dumping more fuel through the injectors while everything else was expecting the lesser, warm engine amount. Basically would the car would act pretty much like one with a flooded/poorly tuned carburetor.

Electrical gremlins = Most likely he was using the cigarette lighter to charge something. While most cars you can get away with this, Saturn designed the lighter as just that. A lighter, nothing more nothing less. The continued load from charging a device would eventually burn out the lighter wiring ,among others, at the fusebox which would mess with the fuel pump connection at the box as well, meaning both electrical AND running problems. Can't say I've had this issue as I don't have anything that would need charged in the car.

Interesting...I can believe the sensor bit. Don't think he had anything to charge, (pre-cell phone days, mostly) but I don't know for sure. Either way, it left such a bad taste in my mouth that Saturns have always been up on my list of cars banned from consideration. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but 15 years of thinking shall be hard to reverse