Hi all, let me start off by saying thanks for your time and insight. Ok, I've read on some similar problem threads and have got some ideas.

I have a 96 SL2 with 122,000 miles on it. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the engine temp starting to rise and not falling at all. I noticed the cooling fan wasn't coming on at all. So I found out the AC would turn it on. And that was my only was of cooling the engine. I had my bro look at it, and he checked the the CF relay with a Multimeter, and it was high i Guess, so he took the one out of the fog lamp position and replaced the CF with it.

Here's the problem, I thought he fixed my problem. But now the car only turns over and over, unless I kill the accelerator to get it started. And if it does start the temp needle jumprs from cold to medium back and forth and my rpms go from 1000 to 2 to 3000 violently and when the rpms fall back down the car will stall sometimes. If I try to drive, it's almost impossible to keep it from stalling in first gear.

I took it to Autozone yesterday and they hooked the reader up to it. And they got that cam positioning sensor code. So he told me to take it to a dealer. I checked all the fuses, and just changed the spark plugs. I know my bro switchin the relay fuses around couldn't do this, but it didn't start until after he did that. It gives me the vibe of a fuel pump issue. But hell I dunno. Please Help!!!

with all the gauges jumping like you said, it seems to be an electrical issue, the temp gauge never realy should jump back and forth, the S-series is known for bad temp sensors, but even with a bad temp sensor the reading changes smoothly. a bad crankshaft position sensor can cause the gauge to jump, act eradic, and cause a stall, but that doesn't explain the temp gauge, it could explain the cam sensor code. if the connection to the temp sensor was intermiddent, i can see that causing a hard start and a surging idle, but 3K is pushing it. almost anything can cause a cam sensor code in a saturn. so i feel the cam code is more likely a result of your problem, not the cause. if your brother has some free time to play with it, you may want to give him this link - http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43380 otherwise, i would take it to a dealer.

Hey Sierra, thanks for the prompt response. Ok here's the update.....Right before the problem started, I had changed my plugs. I had to wiggle and jerk the socket wrench out to get it loose of the plugs and this made them loose. MY stepbro discovered this the other day. So he tightened them and now the car starts and idles normal. The idle is perfect. The only problems now are, the car has a weak start like the battery is almost dead, and the temp gauge is always at halfway no matter what. Even if I put the the key only in the accessory position, the gauge goes to halfway and never moves. Pretty odd huh? That doesn't bother me though, cause the cooling fan is always running now thank god for that. The only thing I'm stressing is this weak start I'm getting every time I turn the car on. Thanks again for your insight :)

the weak start and temp gauge MAY be related, if the PCM sees the engine temp is cold it will add more fuel to help it start, if it see the engine is warm, it assume starting will be easiey(which typically with a warm engine it will be) so it uses less fuel for start up. disconnect the ECT and see what happens, with any luck the gauge should drop and starting will be easier. the ECT is a two wire sensor in the cylinder head between the upper radiator hose and the EGR.

it you find the ECT is bad (and i'm betting dollars to dimes it is) here is the R&R how-to: http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24003

Awesome, your a an Angel Sierra. So I think that once I change this stupid ECT sensor the car will be good to go. One last problem, and I know I could get it off the net easy, but I don't wanna wait for it to ship. I live in Lima, OH. And there isn't a Saturn dealer for like 45 miles. Will any GM dealer have the sensor? Or does like Autozone or someone have it???

Thanks Sierra your great!!

only saturn dealerships have the proper part, autopart stores do sell the part however commonly you will get a verson of the older design that is more likey to crack and fail. i have yet to hear of a new design brass ECT failing. in the event you can't make it to a saturn dealership, there are some saturn dealerships that sell parts online, namely www.AWgolden.com and www.saturnparts.net. they should mail you the correct part.

Hey again, I went to the Saturn Dealer and got the sensor. I installed it and to no avail the temp needle is still sticking at halfway between Hot and cold. And sometimes when I come to a stoplight or stopsign basically a stop....like right before I'm completely stopped I get a somewhat violent vibration from front half of the car. It was doing this from the beginning, stopped for awhile and then started again today. So, it really doesn't seem like changing the sensor has improved anything. After the research so far, I figured that had to be the root of the problem/s. Guess not though, If you have any other ideas so don't cost much Sierra, Much Obliged.

it may also be the wiring to the sensor, check the connectior for damage and/or gunk build-up, nots not uncommon for a bad sensor to also leak coolant into the connectior.

what did the gauge read when you tryed leaving it dissconnected? also a SES light should have come on during the first or second drive cycle with it disconnected

reseting the PCM by pulling the PCM B fuse for ten seconds may or may not also help

Once again thanks alot, I'll try these things and see what happens. Then I'll get back to ya and let ya know if any progress was made. Thanks Sierra,BWJ

HEy again, sorry So long since I posted. Well I did what you said. I cleaned off the connector and sensor with electrical cleaner. I turned the car on with the sensor disconnected. And it still was jumping around. I also took the PCM fuse out like u said. And that made a change but not really for the better. The temp gauge was staying at halfway all the time, which wasn't too bad cause atleast the fan was always staying on. But after doing that, the temp is now jumping back and forth from one quarter to halfway. And when it jumps to 1 quarter it turns the fan off. And I think this is what causes the vibration when I come to a stop. Because when the temp was staying at halfway, and the fan was staying on I wasn't getting these vibrations.

Uhhhh, this car has me baffled, never seen inconsistency in a car like this in my life. Any other ideas?? Thanks Sierra.

manual fan switch-http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23668

sorry that happened. hummmm let me think....

coolant level full?(air in system giving sensor bad reading?)
intermiddent wiring? wiggle wiring/connector
also reseting the PCM sometimes take a few drive cycles to fully relearn itself, but normally it rarely last more then 5-10 miles.
front air dam in place/not hanging?(poor airflow causeing vehicle to quickly overheat and cycle fan)
shift into neutral and see if vibration remains.

any luck with the hard starting?

its cases like this that really depress me, trying to figure out did i cause the new problem? was the timing of the new problem just random enought to look like the old problem? was the new problem already there and the old problem was just masking it?

Yea, Don't sweat it, your advice did not cause any problems that had already surfaced. We just kinda toggled in between problems while trying things is all.

I'm probably just gonna have to take it to the Dealer and see what they say. Will they charge me to check it and find the problem?? thanks Sierra.

most shops have a basic diagnostic fee of 0.5 hours($40-45) or 1.0 hours($85-95). rates vairy by area.

Yea, Don't sweat it, your advice did not cause any problems that had already surfaced. We just kinda toggled in between problems while trying things is all.

I'm probably just gonna have to take it to the Dealer and see what they say. Will they charge me to check it and find the problem?? thanks Sierra.

My car did the same thing after a service guy replaced the CTS which by the way was the wrong one. I didn't have a saturn dealer close and they wanted $18 for one so I opted for the CTS from Napa auto parts.
Worked perfectly immediately after installation.