22nd May 2010, 09:54

I just bought my 2002 L300 from a private party, 160K miles, got a good deal on it, the body and interior were in perfect condition. They did disclose that the car would "every once in a while" die while driving, well being that my husband is a mechanic of 28 years I figured we could easily fix what has been causing the issue for the previous owners, (I sold my '95 VW with 230K that ran perfectly before I bought this car)

After hooking the computer to the car and getting many codes, we can still not figure out what is wrong with this car; it drives beautifully, but then all of a sudden you can feel it start to misfire, (on cyl. 1, 3 & 5 according to the computer) and the SES light comes on, sometimes there will be no warning, car will just stall out and the brake pedal becomes hard and I have to pull over. After a few attempts and some backfiring, the car will start back up. We have a friend that is telling us to change the ECM; the bad part of that is the ECM is expensive, and then it has to be taken to the dealer to be programmed.

Anyone else having problems with stalling out while driving with little to no warning?? Please let me know. OH BTW I only bought a Saturn because I had owned a '99 found out the private car dealer had sold me a flood victim car, traded for a 2000, drove til 2003, then traded for a 2003 L300. I had great luck before, but now I see I should have kept my VW.

talbritt@comcast.net

27th Jul 2010, 23:04

I have a 2001 Saturn L300 and it has intermittent shifting problems. After driving around town, it will suddenly shift hard into 2nd or 3rd gear, RPMs rev, and some service light comes on. We turn it off and my husband shakes out the MAF sensor, turn the car back on and it runs fine for a while. We took it to the dealer who said it was the PC solenoid but when we took it to AAMCO for a second opinion, they said they could tell that Saturn hadn't even checked inside the transmission because the "dirt" around the pan had not been disturbed. They said we had a P1811 error and a P0152 error and recommended a rebuilt tranny for $2300 but that would not fix the P0152 which was probably an O2 sensor. Does anyone think the MAF sensor would fix it?

Also, we had some electrical issues with our dash lights going out and the fuse blowing. After Saturn replaced the turn signal switch and charged us $300.00, they burned out within minutes of leaving the dealership. Turns out it was a chafed wire by the rear license plate and they charged $180.00 more to fix that. Because of the bad diagnosis of that problem, I am hesitant to believe them about the PCS. I also don't trust AAMCO because it seems they always recommend rebuilding transmissions. Any suggestions? Please!

29th Jul 2010, 16:21

Just an update - we had our trans flushed, new filter and fluid and added a new MAF sensor and air filter. It seemed good for about 10 miles, but then the trans started slipping - revving, but not shifting! This is new! It used to rev and hard shift. I don't know if the flush did it or something Aamco may have rigged, since they said they would see us again. Oh - and there were random parts just sitting in the engine compartment - we don't know if they're from Saturn or Aamco! We may have to break down and have the trans rebuilt. I will keep you posted. :-(

9th Aug 2010, 13:06

To the July 27,2010 comment.

My husband bought me a 2003 Saturn L300 in April. It only has 50,000 miles on it and has already done exactly what your experiences have been.

It is currently in the shop. Our mechanic says he believes it to be a combination of the Trans Control Module, speed sensor, and crank shaft. Maybe look into these possibilities and wish me luck! According to all the comments I've read, my nightmare has just begun!

Best Wishes.

29th Aug 2010, 14:46

Here is the bulletin.

Bulletin No.: 04-07-30-020.

Issue Date: April, 2004.

Subject:

Service Vehicle Soon lamp illuminated with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1811 "Maximum Adapt and Long Shifts".

(Inspect Transaxle and Replace Pressure Control Solenoid)

Models Affected:

2001-2004 Saturn L-Series.

Attention: Technician.

Condition:

Some customers may comment on the Service Vehicle Soon (Wrench) ;amp illuminated with DTC P1811 "Maximum Adapt and Long Shifts." Vehicle may also have full line pressure shifts when DTC P1811 is set.

Cause:

DTC P1811 may set if any adapt cell is at maximum and any shift time reaches 0.65 seconds for a total of two times during the same ignition cycle.

Correction:

Check the pressure control solenoid function with the line pressure test procedure in this bulletin. If the test fails, replace the pressure control solenoid.

6th Oct 2010, 21:29

WOW! I never would have guessed there could be so many problems with one car. I have an 01 L300 and I also have experienced many of the problems listed, but not till much later. (sitting on 140K)

The latest and greatest though are the continual issues I am having with my SES light. I have had two throttle body control units put in the car recently, neither of which was probably bad in the first place - $800 to find that out. Same problem occurs with the third unit. Also, speedometer quit working.

Tonight I was able to drive the car to Advance Autoparts and have the codes read - there were 35 of them. The guy at the store just laughed and said he was sorry. He erased the codes and the car started doing showing the TBC issues, shuddering and running badly. Turned the car off and on several times, and it started and ran just OK all the way home. A miracle happened though the speedometer started working again. Got home and the car died in the driveway. Started it back, and miraculously the SES light did not light up. The car is still running rough though.

I am going to have the ECM rebuilt or buy a re-manufactured one, and see if that fixes the issues. I am beginning to believe there is a short in the wiring that is causing the majority of the problems. Thanks to all those who posted on this site, but I would like to see more on the success stories of how these things get fixed.

I do have one cheap fix to offer - the water/antifreeze issue on the passenger floor. I put a bottle of stop leak in my car and it took care of any leak issues I was having. I haven't checked lately, but it has been good for at least 6 months now.