%26quot;I drive a 2000 Saturn SL2. I took it to get a routine oil change, tire rotation, etc. over a month ago. The guys told me that it was in severe condition and that there was coolant coming out the back of the motor and there was a severe leak in my radiator and that my car wouldn't last a month. They told me to get it to someone asap to get it looked at and fixed.
I took it to a shop over 2 weeks ago to have it check out. They ran a diagnostic and concluded that I needed a new water pump. After the guys at the other shop had pitched a fit about it being super severe...it was a water pump? I couldn't take my car back to get it done because I'm financially unstable at the moment, but am hoping to get it fixed soon...now just today, i was sitting at a red light in 80 degree weather [which isn't good on my car, i know], and my radio flipped off...then came back on, then i noticed my internal lights were dimming and flashing, then as soon as i started to accelerate, it wouldn't do it. then it did. it's a continuous on and off type scenario with this car. It overheats one minute, works the next. I assume the lights dimming and this and that happening is the battery?
Also, yesterday, my heater quit working...I had been blowing the heater on full blast with the weather being so gnarly and my car leaking coolant to try and keep it stable...because I was told to do this.
I swear I'm not ok with driving my car around and the more I drive it the worse it's getting. I can't keep doing this. What could be going on with my car? And how much would it cost?
Should I just junk it and buy a scooter?%26quot;
NOW there's more stuff going wrong with it. :// I haven't been able to take my car to get it fixed quite yet because I'm STILL working on this financially unstable thing I have going on, but I haven't been driving it at all. It's been parked since I posted the last questions over 2 weeks ago. I went outside just now to try and crank it and it turned over a bit, but eventually just quit altogether. I don't think it's my battery...but I'm not for sure.
The repairs are gonna cost a little over $300 for the water pump issue, but would THAT have anything to do with why my car isn't starting at all now? And about how much do garages charge for towing fees?My car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?starting you car will not be affected by a water pump, it sounds to me that you either have a dead battery or a bad alternator. Try to see if you can jump your car from someone else then take it to any local auto-parts store they will generally run a battery and alternator check for free. The battery is needed to crank the car, the alternator is basically like a small generator that recharges your battery as your car is running. If your alternator is bad your battery fails to get a charge and will die slowly over time hence the flickering lights and partial turning over of the motor. They aren't terribly expensive but it might be a couple hundred depending on the model. Hope this helps, best of luck to youMy car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?your battery is dead. When you cranked it this morning, there was a little juice left but by the sounds of it not enough to engage the starter. Try turning your lights on...or your radio. If there is no electrical power running through your car (with the engine turned off) then it's your battery. Get a boost from a neighbour, and go for a 20 minute drive. If you notice the lights dimming while you are driving...then you probably have a bad alternator.My car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?With all the lights flickering, you might have an electrical issue like a wire that is shorting out.
The diagnostics on that can be pretty quick, or it can take a long time, that is also likely why your batter is now dead.
Good luck.
(Scooter might not be a bad option)My car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?if you drive your car without a water pump you will burn up the whole engine your eletric system sounds like your engine got so hot it burned some of your wiring or wiring harnesses in your electrical systemMy car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?Your water pump has nothing to do with electrical problems.
1. Dead battery,
2. Shot alternator.
3. Electrical short.
etc.
Not getting enough coolant to your engine will cause it blow REAL quick.My car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?i would go with the above guy you have a dual fault do not use the car till you replace the water pump it could flip and do more damage like radiator core split, also as its a 2000 car i would replace the raditor as it,s furred upMy car won%26#039;t turn over or run. What%26#039;s going on?First off, replacing the water pump is going to do you no good at all. if coolant was coming out from the back of the engine, chances are you either had a torn or loose hose which was leaking the coolant. If they meant that coolant was leaking into the engine, then you have a faulty head gasket and this would most certainly make white smoke come out of your exhaust. The head gasket itself isn't expensive at all (about $30) but the labor that is required to replace it is a bit heavy. If it indeed was your head gasket, driving it around like that would most certainly cause lots of damage to the engine and eventually deadline it and the cost to bring it back up to driving conditions would be a very nice, shiny penny. I'd estimate easily about $300 on parts alone, labor being a totally different and higher charge because now you're talking about taking the engine completely out and rebuilding it.
As far as your radiator, if it's got a severe leak, more than likely you'll have to replace it because successfully patching up a radiator is very rare. a radiator would run you somewhere between $45-120, depending on where you go get it (discount auto parts store, big-name auto parts store, etc). The labor that goes into swapping out your radiator is minimal, but as usual shops will charge you a leg for almost any job.
Towing fees are rather high, unless you have roadside assistance on your cell phone plan, which covers $60 of the towing fee and you pay whatever is left on the charge. I've used this service quite a bit and find myself paying about $12 for a 15 mile tow.
As far as your lights and radio dimming out, more than likely you have a faulty alternator that's slowly giving out. Your alternator is what keeps your car running once it's started and also recharges your battery. If it's going bad, then you're running your car by using your battery alone and that'll drain the battery really fast. You can recharge your battery by taking it to an auto parts store. This is a free service and usually takes about 1-2hrs to complete. However, recharging your battery isn't going to do you much good if the alternator is going out. You can also have your alternator checked for free, but it has to be removed from your car. It can't be mounted onto the engine, since they hook it up to a computer inside the store to check it. A replacement alternator will run you about $120 and if your battery is no longer any good (the store will tell you if it's good or not upon completion of the recharge) you're looking at about $50-90 for a new one, depending on what quality you get.
In the end, unless your financial situation takes a big turn for the better or you have a friend that's skilled and proficient in mechanics and would take on this high-responsibility task, I'd suggest you look around for that scooter. What you spend on repairing your saturn you can easily invest in a scooter and know that it's gonna get you from point A to B with reliability in mind.
Good luck and i hope things turn out well for you.
