A friend has recommended I get a junkyard engine, and just replace the entire engine. Any thoughts on that plan?
Tam,
I work for the postal service and my chaser car is a 98 Saturn SL2 (I do all the maintenance work on it) which should have the same engine as yours. When you pop the hood, is the first thing you see a large black cam cover that says “TWIN CAM 16 VALVE” or something similar? It is EXTREMELY COMMON for these to warp since they are made out of a composite plastic material. In fact, several people have to replace them and end up installing the aluminum cam covers off the older Saturn cars which are pretty much 100% direct bolt on and do not leak.
Here’s what you can do. Pop your hood and in the middle of the cam cover (commonly referred to as the spark plug valley) you will see your four spark plug wires going down underneath the cover. Gently twist and pull up on each plug wire (do not tug on the actual “wire” but the larger rubber part) and inspect what comes out. Is the spark plug wire covered in oil? Can you see oil down in the hole where the spark plug resides? If so, then you have a warped cam cover. The oil will slowly seep into the combustion chamber and you’ll just burn it through.
The cam cover gasket set should come with the perimeter gasket and four circular seals (for each spark plug hole). No amount of new gaskets will resolve this issue, you will need to get a new cover. This is definitely not something you’d have to scrap the car for.
As far as the coolant issue, my chaser car slowly loses coolant as well. I have to add maybe a quart or so of coolant every few months to keep the “low coolant” light from coming on. I never investigated it to see what was going on but I suspect a lower intake gasket or something.
Look at Mechanix files on this URL for a recommended mechanic.
I remember the time my DIL’s car would not turn over with the starter. A mechanic said it needed a used motor. I told my son about mechanics files here. He took it to a recommended mechanic who found: a frozen a/c compressor. They cut the belt and drove the car several more years.
TSM … you know that Rabbit I talk about? I proposed to my ex I take the Rabbit, and she take the Corolla. She refused. Why? B/c I was the one who proposed it. So she took the Rabbit, and I took the Corolla. The Rabbit immediately popped a head gasket! … lol … so you may be right, there IS justice in the universe … 
I’m pretty sure the… valve cover, or cam cover, or whatever it is that covers the top of the engine, is something I replaced a year or 2 ago.
To the extent it matters in the grand scheme of things, I’m pretty positive she’s an SC2. The engine cover thingumy says something about “twin cam”, at least…
Before you jump to fixing this issue how is the rest of vehicle?
Get a 2nd opinion I concur.
Naming vehicles adds an emotional component to an inanimate object that will never love you back. It adds emotion to a decision that should be pure logic.
Don’t repair and don’t drive through unsavory parts of town. Keep a cell hone handy and money in the account to cover a tow fee to the nearest junk yard. Keep fluids up and check frequently. Keep the cheapest quantities of replacement fluids on hand. Then…Drive it till it dies. Learn to “like” mass transit till you can find an old Corolla.
@dagosa Years ago Popular Mechanics had and article on “Nursing an Oldie”. It basically said the same thing; don’t do any expensive repairs, keep an eyes of the fluids, drive moderately and don’t take any long trips. Be prepared to “drive it off the cliff” when it dies.
Many years ago a friend of my wife took a cross country trip in her Sunbeam Alpine sports car. She returned through Canada and in Northern Ontario it gave up the ghost. Although it had not reached the end of the road, getting it fixed properly 1500 miles form the nearest dealer, plus the additional hotel and travel costs made her sell it to a local mechanic who could take his time getting it in running order. She took the Greyhound bus home and bought something more reliable an “repairable”.
OK, you have the twin cam engine so it has different issues than my SL1 had. Head gasket issues are NOT common on this engine. Like any engine that is made from aluminum, it can blow a head gasket if severely overheated, but it is not a common problem on this engine.
I would suggest that you try this forum, the people here are very good with Saturn’s, lots of experience.
http://www.saturnforum.com/forum/saturn-s-series-sedan-27/
You never mentioned the mileage on this vehicle. or I missed it. The coolant leak could be the self bleeding host that runs behind the engine or the water pump. When mine started loosing a little coolant, I found the leak (water pump) by placing paper towels in various locations around the engine.
Exactly how many miles do you go before you need to add oil?
BTW, this three door coupe is sought after by active handicapped people. The can open both doors, move into the drivers seat and put their wheel chair in the back seat easier than other types of cars.
I can’t recall the exact mileage, but I think it’s in the 150000 range. And at this point I need to add oil about every time I get gas, so every 300-350 miles.
Mechanically, I think everything else is OK. A few minor nuisance interior issues (like the door lock that was slightly broken by a thief, and the peeling window tint), but I think the other bits that make the car go work just fine.
Quoting @Mustangman
“Try one of the big used car superstores like AutoNation or Carmax.”That’s especially good advice if you’d like to pay at least 1/4 over NADA retail for a car. Good selection, good car finding service, but very high prices. Perhaps it’s not true everywhere, but it sure is here.