Car Help (Sorry - Not MC Related)

[DMPLATT]

Sorry for posting this here. Need a quick response and wasn't sure where else to post it.

My Wife's Boss is stuck with her Saturn. It's at the dealer and they quoted here $1,200 for a "Body Sensor" . They said it's not getting fuel. I guess this sensor can trip a Fuel shutoff?

She's a teacher and money is tight.

I've heard of an emergency fuel cutoff. But not of this.

it's a 2000 Saturn SL1.

Any help would be mucho apprecitated.

[rustybronco]

I work at a ford dealer and i've never heard of a body sensor? (doesn't mean there is nott) are you sure of the translation? call another saturn dealer and see what they think!
call the service advisor @ the dealer the car is at and have them explain it to your satisfaction, if there telling you the truth it should make sense not all tech's are the same there are some guessers out there....

[DMPLATT]

lol.

Ok, I called another Saturn Dealer and the 2 guys in the parts never heard of it.

Sounds fishy.

So, I called my wife back and asked for more details.

Apparently the car was just dead. They also quoted her $400 for a battery and a Battery Harness? 8O
She said that they Jumped it and it would then crank, but not start.
The Saturn place I talked to, I over heard the guy in the background say: "hell, it could be anything, it could even be the battery".
Could a weak battery hurt a sensor or could it just have shut down somehting?

Thanks

[rustybronco]

Give me a little history of what happened to the car....

[DMPLATT]

Give me a little history of what happened to the car....

The lady just said that it was completely dead. Would do anything. She said that the shop Jumped it and got it to crank, but wouldn't start.

Afraid that's all I know at this point.

Thanks for the Help.

[DMPLATT]

I just talked to the lady and here's the scoop.

Husband left the lights on at work, went out at lunch and it was dead. He and his dad messed with it last night trying to jump it and it would crank, but not start. They towed it to Pep Boy's and they said it was probably a Fuel Shutoff sensor that tripped. They couldn't help.
So, the towed it to the Dealer and they quoted the Battery and Harness and said the Body Sensor was $800 itself.
She said the dealer or Pep BOy's told them that it's a fuel shutoff that prohibits cars from being jumped and stolen. I've not hear of this one before.

Sounds like something just needs re-set?

[rustybronco]

Gut feeling... jumped car blew a fuse...
sounds like saturn dealer is guessing (sometimes you may have to) BUT
me thinks i'd be taking it somewhere else with the back ground talk @ dealer.

Ford fuel pumps when you first turn the key on you can hear the pump run for 1-2 seconds . Try that...

Check the owner manual for the fuel pump cut off switch location.

[rustybronco]

Also if they jumped it wrong... o-boy a can 'o worms, lets hope not.

[Hoomgar]

On my Chevy Dave the fuel cut-off (yes the device they describe has been around on most cars for a long time) simply needed reset. It cuts power to the fuel pump. On my car it was done by pulling the relay in front of the firewall under the hood. They could be anywhere on various cars but that is where mine was. The process was to make sure the battery had juice (because that resets the computer if not) and then pull the relay with the key off and I had to short two of the contacts in the socket with a wire. My mechanic walked me through it. This resets it. Then you plug the relay back in and start the car. The car will also need to go through several runs cycles before it will run right again. It could stall at stops and stuff for a while until the compuer recalibrates itself.

Bottom line, you need someone who knows what the heck they are doing. Apparently the dealship mechs don't. I can hook you up with my mechanic if it comes to that. he knows his shlt. Let me know buddy.

Hope that helps.

[AOD]

Have them get a new charged battery from Pepboys and put it in the car and do as someone suggested above, key on and listen for the fuel pump. If you can't hear it, you could always try to find the fuel pressure gauge fitting on the rail, remove the cap, and push the valve open and watch gas shoot out if it's building pressure.

First things first though, check that fuse box!

[AOD]

PS: They also need to report that Saturn dealer to corporate, or report the service manager to the GM, but he may be crooked too.

[spots25]

find yourself a Saturn forum, and try asking there.

I know on newer cars there is a "body control module" which is a computer that operates and checks all kinds of stuff, and a bad jump may have fried that computer, that would be expensive.

[DMPLATT]

Thanks for all the help guys. Great answers.

I told her that she was getting screwed and I would help any way I can. She said they were going to talk about it tonight and decide what to do. I kept repeating that they were getting it. So I hope she listens.

Thanks again. If they want my help, then I'll be back. I can pretty much trace fuses and fuel pressures. The battery is simple. I crack up that the dealer wants $400 for a battery and battery Harness. What's that, 2 cables for $15.00. 8O

If it gets into sensors and computer issues, I don't have the means.

Hoomie, If it comes to that I may seek your mechanic's assistance. I knew how to reset the older fuel shutoffs, but not the modern ones.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Here's an auto repair forum

http://www.batauto.com/cgi-bin/Forum/db_TalkToMeV2.cgi?forum_name=domestics

[LW_Icarus]

thats a shady/incompetent dealer, get that car out of there, if you were here I can recommend 10 good local shops of various flavors, but I dunno where you are at who to see.

Ill bet its a >500 dollar fix. maybe a >50 dollar fix. need to get a real tech on it. sounds like a fuse, probably a big one. I could rewire the fuel pump cicuit to work like a regular GM much cheaper than a "body sensor" that I imagine doesn't exist. probably a shock sensor liket the ford has, and its likely fine.

lotsa dishonest garages/dealerships out there, lotsa honest ones too. its hard to tell em apart until ya get the bill