What would cause a 2000 Saturn SL1 to keep dying?

Asked by SCOOBY Jan 31, 2021 at 10:34 PM about the 2000 Saturn S-Series 4 Dr SL1 Sedan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I just bought a 00 Saturn sl1 and was told it dies
sometimes and may need a crankshaft sensor so I
changed it. Today a 1hr drive took me 5hrs to get to a part
store. So no codes came up on the diagnostic machine
but they checked the battery and alternator and said the
battery was bad so I buy a new battery and it dies almost a
mile down the road. So when the car dies I unhook the
battery and sit 20 minutes then hook the cable back up
and I start the car drive for a minute or 2 then dies again.
So it the part store says the alternator is ok what else
could it be? Coil,fuse/relay, wire, Any ideas? TYVM

157,615

James answered 3 years ago

An intermittent problem is usually electrical. When it's dead see if it will run a few seconds if you spray starting fluid down the throttle body. If it will you have a fuel problem. My first suspect in that case would be a dying fuel pump or a bad fuel pump relay. Again, when it's dead, try hitting the bottom center of the gas tank with a hammer. If that gets you going it's a bad fuel pump. If it will not run on the starting fluid when it's dead you have an ignition problem, no spark. Coil packs, ignition control module, etc. become suspect and the wiring going to them. Hope that helps! Jim

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