Saturn Will Not Accelerate

Question:
I have a 2000 Saturn SL2. It has 171xxx miles on it has been running well. But all of a sudden the other day it would not accelerate past 15mph. The service engine light has been on but when we bought the car the previous owner said she had everything checked they just didn't reset the dash lights for the oil and SES light. But it has been consistently on.

Answer:
The service engine soon light being on would have nothing to do with the oil change life not being reset. With this light on, there is a problem in the engine / emissions system. With it being on for so long, the problem may have grown to the condition you are having now. An engine light may have been caused by a misfire condition. If left un repaired, it may have caused damage to the catalytic converter.

This would explain the lack of power when accelerating. This is one possibility. You need to have the computer scanned for codes. Many of the large national parts store chains will do this for free. The code in the computer will give an indication as to what system is having a problem. Then the problem can be properly diagnosed.

Question::br> I bought a 1997 Saturn SL2 from the auction (my mistake). My car was acting weird first it would start up then i would drive it somewhere go in and come out try to start it nothing just a click.

So i thought it was the battery or the starter so i replaced the starter and the first time i fired it up i think i heard a spark somewhere but the car started then i smelled gas smell coming from the engine somewhere now it wont even make a clicking noise but the dashboard lights stay on when i turn the key to the "ON" position what could this be?

Answer:
You probably blew a fuse or burned up a fusible link somewhere down near the starter. The gas smell is probably just from trying to start it too much and it got flooded and you're smelling the gas that is pooling up inside the intake. Make sure the battery has a full charge, or getting it tested would be even better to see if has enough amps to crank the engine. If you have burnt up wiring, you could have also killed the new starter too.

You can check the starter operation by jumping the solenoid terminal and the bigger power terminal together and see if it cranks. The key would need to be on to do this. The dash lights will normally be 'on' when you have the key in the 'on' position.