[andrewrock]

Hello everyone,

I have a 2007 Saturn Sky with 127k miles on it, manual transmission. A couple days ago, I had the car stall out at a light from not engaging the clutch in first gear. So, it stalled and I quickly restarted it in a matter of seconds. Since then, I started noticing that when turning the key it would hesitate a little longer/weaker to start and turnover. I did not need to repeatedly turn the key at all. It was just that I would have to hold it longer and further than usual. Otherwise it was driving and acting normally once started. Either way, earlier today, I had a gut feeling that the car was going to ultimately die on me. Went home from work and it barely turned over, and then happened again. Spoke with my friend who used to be a mechanic and he recommended starting with changing the battery to see if it was that. Went ahead and changed the battery and all charge was good. Had it up on ramps and had the car turn over once in a very similar fashion where it barely turned over and ultimately did. Then, tried to replicate it on video for him and that time the car did not turn over at all. I held the ignition longer and then there was humming and ultimately electrical smoke from the engine compartment to the left of the engine. Obviously, did not reattempt since then.

Is it safe to assume its a blown starter? And in the process of cranking it longer and having whatever it was smoke, did I damage something more beyond that?

My plan is to get it towed to a shop to diagnose at least the problem and potentially fix it. But, at 127k miles, this car has become more of an inconvenience over the past 2 years more than anything else (window regulator, BCM corrosion, car door handle, convertible cable breaking, front bumper damage, bent rims, and leaking valve cover gasket). My concern though is that used/new car market still remains extremely high and I would hate to go from $0 per month to some $300-400 per month for years just to get a decent used car if that.

Also, I was able to find a 2006 Solstice with 50k miles near me for $11,100. It's still way higher than when I bought my Sky years ago with 65k miles, but I am wondering if it would be a good option given I am so familar with the Sky and potential problems.

Any insight and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[andrewrock]

Reading up on this....other causes could have been originally a bad crank/ignition relay? Which is why it stalled randomyl out of nowhere the other day?

 

[JohnWR]

Reading up on this....other causes could have been originally a bad crank/ignition relay? Which is why it stalled randomyl out of nowhere the other day?

You said that it stalled while starting out, so that is not exactly "out of nowhere". Has it stalled any other time?

A bad crank or ignition relay is not going to cause it to turn over slowly, so your most likely problem - based on your description - is a bad starter.

 

[andrewrock]

It just stalled that one time recently. Reading up on it tonight I’d think it has to be the starter or the starter solenoid. Going to get it towed tomorrow and we will see. Think it’s time to finally say goodbye to the Sky though.

 

[rjgramps]

But, at 127k miles, this car has become more of an inconvenience over the past 2 years more than anything else (window regulator, BCM corrosion, car door handle, convertible cable breaking, front bumper damage, bent rims, and leaking valve cover gasket). My concern though is that used/new car market still remains extremely high and I would hate to go from $0 per month to some $300-400 per month for years just to get a decent used car if that.

Also, I was able to find a 2006 Solstice with 50k miles near me for $11,100. It's still way higher than when I bought my Sky years ago with 65k miles, but I am wondering if it would be a good option given I am so familar with the Sky and potential problems.

Any insight and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

Andrew,

My opinion on fixing versus selling. Fix what you have if you can tackle a lot of it yourself. The issues you have yet to address is not enough to consider replacing the car. 127,000 miles on a Sky is nowhere near end of life.

I bought my Sky with 118,000 miles with a lot more issues than you had and remaining. After I went through the car, it's been great. I have one outstanding issue with the door speakers not working, something I need to investigate.

 

[andrewrock]

Thanks. Yeah. Ideally, I would like to keep the car running. Issue is I really cant afford to be down a car and I do not have an additional car for situations like this. So, will likely find something else entirely or pick up something else cheap to have in case the Sky goes down again.

As for the issue, ended up being the Starter as expected. Additionally, the valve cover gasket was leaking oil as expected. So, they quoted it for $1020 for both. I'm just going with it, but seems pricey for what it is. Usually starter is only $250 and the valve gasket about $50. So, they are charging like $600-700 for the labor. Regardless, hopefully, it will be up and running once complete with more peace of mind over the entire situation.

Next steps, are deciding whether I want to invest more into the car to replace the BCM and upgrade/renew the suspension with FE3 Stabilizer Bars and BC coilovers. Beyond that, all the other major issues I can do on my own like the passenger door handle, convertible top cable, and replacing the rims due to wear and tear.

 

[rjgramps]

There is a lot of labor involved to replace the starter because the intake manifold has to come off. But the valve cover gasket is very easy to replace.

 

[andrewrock]

Yeah. I was planning on doing the valve cover myself but thought why not get it done while they are in there anyways. The starter is a pain and I would never try to do that myself. I’ll cross my fingers and hope this is all I need for a while.

 

[sniickers]

You can replace the starter easily from below without removing the intake. It's all about extensions and wobble attachments.