1994 Saturn SL2 Transmission/Cooling Problems

GROCCO_99

MEMBER
1994 SATURN SL2
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
180,000 MILES

My 94 SL2 has a couple problems that I know of. First of all, there is a leak that comes in on the passenger floor. Also, I can't keep coolant in it and most of the time the light is flashing. I thought this was the heater core but when someone else looked at it they said it was the radiator. The other problem is the transmission. It bangs when you put it in reverse which I have worked around by holding the brake the whole way in until I feel it shift. In addition to this, sometimes while driving the transmission will not shift. It doesn't stick in a specific place. Sometimes in first, sometimes in second or third. When this happens the "Service Engine" light comes on. To work around this I pull my car over and turn it off. After restarting it usually starts shifting. This leads me to belive that it is something electronic like a sensor or computer and not mechanical. Are these problems related? It seems to run better when I add coolant to keep it running but i'm not sure. Any answers or advice would be awesome! Thanks!

1 Reply

SATURNTECH9

MECHANIC
30,869 POSTS

Let's start with the inside of the car getting wet.If it's just water and not coolant then you have a clogged a/c drain.That is located on the fire wall about half way down towards the middle.You will see a little tube if you get a metal coat hanger you can bend it and use that to clear it.Now for your coolant leak look at the radiator where the upper radiator hose attaches below that on the tank where your transmission cooler goes in the tank crack's there.I also posted how to get get your code's from the computer see which one's you have and let me know what the number's are.