2007 Saturn Ion - Check Engine & Coolant Lights on & A/T shifting very hard

Tiny
KGREEN518
  • MEMBER
  • 2007 SATURN ION
  • 27,000 MILES
My husband replaced #10 fuse on engine compartment fuse box and this solves the problem temporarily but after driving the car about 10 miles the fuse blows again which sets on the Coolant and Check Engine lights and transmission shifting very hard.

Hooked computer up to the car to find what codes come up:

P0030 – H02S – Heater Control Circuit - Bank 1 Sensor 1
P0036 – H02S - Heater Control Circuit - Bank 1 Sensor 2
P0053 – H02S - Heater Resistance Bank 1 Sensor 1
P0054 – H02S – Heater Resistance Bank 1 Sensor 2
P0102 - Mass/Volume Air Flow Circuit – Low input

Took car to mechanic who replaced 2 oxygen sensors and 1 heater solenoid, mechanic said the lights went off and on test drive car was no longer shifting hard.
We drove car home and drove about 30 miles total before all problems came back.
Mechanic said he checked as much electrical wiring as possible and saw no problems. Paid $200 for above work.

My husband keeps replacing the fuse and he knows something keeps causing it to blow. He thinks some wire somewhere is not grounded causing fuse to blow but that is not what the codes say.

Here are suggested possible solutions from mechanic on line: Possible Causes
The following are malfunctions that could cause a rich condition.
• Fuel pressure too high. Perform pressure leak test
• Leaking fuel injector(s). – Perform pressure leak down test
• Vacuum leak around the MAP sensor grommet.
• Oxygen sensor contamination
• Restricted exhaust or air intake
• Fuel Vapor Canister saturated with fuel

IMPORTANT: If the front oxygen reading voltage is above 600mV and the rear H02S is above 600 mV all the tie, the 02 sensors are probably not at fault.
What do you think? How can I find a mechnic that specializes in this kind of problem?
Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 AT 7:28 AM

4 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,874 POSTS
Forget about the fault codes for now. They are likely the result of the fuse problem, not a bunch of individual problems.

A simple trick to finding a short is to replace the blown fuse with a pair of spade terminals, then use small jumper wires to connect them to a 12 volt light bulb. A brake light bulb works well. When the circuit is live and the short is present, the bulb will be full brightness and hot so be sure it's not laying on the carpet or against a plastic door panel. Now you can unplug electrical connectors and move things around to see what makes the short go away. When it does, the bulb will get dim or go out.
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Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 AT 1:43 PM
Tiny
KGREEN518
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you so much for your suggestion. I will see if my husband can handle that; I am sure he will try. He has been out of work for over 3 years and is now forcibly retired. He was an IT guy but with outdated experience and his company merged with another company and laid off 300 people - only 6 people from the original company remained. Tom has become much more domestic and trys to fix things around the house and with the cars when he can figure it out.

Thank you again your advice is greatly appreciated.
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Friday, May 3rd, 2013 AT 7:20 AM
Tiny
GROTEONE
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I have the exact same problem with a Saturn Ion 2004. Did you ever resolve the issue with your Saturn?
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Saturday, January 21st, 2017 AT 12:12 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
If you please start your own question I can help you out with your question. Makes it difficult with more then one question per post for everyone involved. Experts users searching for answers etc
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Sunday, January 22nd, 2017 AT 3:00 PM

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