Hello,
My car doesn't start on the first turn of the key. On the second turn it starts. There is occasionally light colored smoke coming from the exhaust.
On a cold start, I turned the key to the power position for 3 seconds -- I did this a couple times -- and then turn the car over, and it starts.
I think this may be a fuel pressure regulator problem, but I can't find the regulator on this year and model. Normally I would think it would be adjacent to the fuel rail for the injectors, but I've not been successful in spotting it. I don't have a fuel pressure tester, so I don't know for sure if this is the issue, so I would so appreciate any guidance you can offer.
Also - the car has 120,000 miles on it and these Saturns are notorious for burning oil. I'm contemplating a regimen of Valvoline Restore and Protect to clean out the cylinders and decrease oil consumption. I don't think additives like Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Treatment are the answer because the timing chain is regulated by oil pressure and requires easy flow through small openings as I understand it. And I don't want to increase the oil pressure at all.
Overall, the car runs well, so I don't want to get into a can of worms by fussing with parts unnecessarily. Thanks for your time and expertise... looking forward to your thoughts!
Chris
My car doesn't start on the first turn of the key. On the second turn it starts. There is occasionally light colored smoke coming from the exhaust.
On a cold start, I turned the key to the power position for 3 seconds -- I did this a couple times -- and then turn the car over, and it starts.
I think this may be a fuel pressure regulator problem, but I can't find the regulator on this year and model. Normally I would think it would be adjacent to the fuel rail for the injectors, but I've not been successful in spotting it. I don't have a fuel pressure tester, so I don't know for sure if this is the issue, so I would so appreciate any guidance you can offer.
Also - the car has 120,000 miles on it and these Saturns are notorious for burning oil. I'm contemplating a regimen of Valvoline Restore and Protect to clean out the cylinders and decrease oil consumption. I don't think additives like Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Treatment are the answer because the timing chain is regulated by oil pressure and requires easy flow through small openings as I understand it. And I don't want to increase the oil pressure at all.
Overall, the car runs well, so I don't want to get into a can of worms by fussing with parts unnecessarily. Thanks for your time and expertise... looking forward to your thoughts!
Chris
Jul 10, 2026 at 5:26 AM
