"ryan42" > wrote in message
...
> Oppie wrote:
>> "ryan42" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Oppie wrote:
>>>> Looks like it's not bye bye for Saturn but just for the LW300.
>>>> We spent the day looking all over the county and were willing to settle
>>>> for several ones we saw from all different manufacturers. At the end of
>>>> the day, we went to GM and wound up driving a very nice 2009 Saturn
>>>> Vue, 2.4L. A little under powered but fits our needs nicely. Averaged
>>>> 25
>>>> mpg on our test drive, has a roof rack and a decent amount of space.
>>>> First question I asked was to make sure it didn't have the CVT.
>>>
>>> Sorry to hear about your LW300. :-(
>>>
>>> Congratulations on your new Vue though. I have a 2004 with the 2.2L
>>> and its been great to me. I'm not sure if the 2.4L LE5 is that close
>>> to the 2.2L L61, but on the L61 the oil filter is a cartridge element
>>> near the top of the front of the block, making oil changes a breeze!
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Ryan
>>>
>>
>> Thanks for the condolences on the LW. It's still running but I want to
>> take it out of service before it self-immolates on a deserted stretch
>> of road. I'll look what it takes to rebuild the engine and if it's too
>> far gone, will sell it for parts. Body and frame are in great shape.
>>
>> The Vue is an XE model. I saw so many different cars that it's a blur. I
>> believe that this had the oil filter mounted vertically. I believe that
>> it has the base model auto transmission. Would have liked the up-level
>> one but such as it is.
>>
>> Already dropped a hint that for Father's day, the family can chip in for
>> the factory service manual. Then again, I just checked HELMinc.com for
>> the service manual and it is not listed. They only have listings for the
>> '09 owner's manual. Helm is where I got the service manual for the
>> LW300. It was $140 then.
>> Saw the shop manual for the 2008 listed ($200) but not for the 2009.
>> Will have to check at GM parts department on Monday.
>>
>> Looked up the manual with google and found the saturn website is back
>> again and the owner's manual is on it. There are a few sites that will
>> sell a service manual for under $30 and will look into it. I did a LOT
>> of work over the years with the LW and expect to be able to do likewise
>> on the Vue.
>>
>> Oppie
>
> Hopefully the LW can live again with a rebuild or salvage motor! Did yours
> have the 2.2L L61 I4 or the 3.0L L81 V6? I can't imagine either of those
> would be a difficult or expensive salvage yard find.
>
> For what its worth, I have AllData (AllDataDIY.com) on my cars. Its mildly
> annoying that you pay yearly for the information but I've found the
> quality of the information (on my Vue) quite good. I used AllData
> step-by-step to drop the subframe and remove the transmission from my 2004
> Vue when I changed the clutch. The AllData also provides access to the
> TSBs which can come in handy.
>
> I have both the Factory Service Manual and AllData for a different vehicle
> (my 1990 Ford Escort) and I've found that, at least for that car, there
> are some things that the FSM covers in more detail. For instance, the FSM
> in the Oil Pan Installation procedure notes there are four points on the
> bottom of the block that should be dabbed with RTV while the rest of the
> gasket remains dry. AllData goes into good detail about the replacement,
> including the things you have to remove in order to remove/install the
> pan, but does not include the rather important bit about RTV, nor does it
> include the bolt tightening order.
>
> There's a set of 2008 FSMs for the 2008 Vue on eBay right now. Paste
> 350623731555 into the search field. It's $280 + shipping for four volumes
> of service manual. Looks like its nearly a foot high.
>
> That brings me back around to one other thing: why I have AllData on the
> Ford when I already have the FSM. I needed some information about the
> emissions system on the car, and found that that isn't in any of the two
> books (main service manual and electrical/vacuum diagrams) I already had.
> It was, rather, available as a separate publication. Pretty
> frustrating....
>
> So if you're going to lay out the cash for the factory books, make sure
> you get your hands on all four volumes. You never know which you might
> need.
>
> Regards,
> Ryan

The 300 in the LW300 was for the 3.0 Liter V6 DOHC, 24 valve engine. A REAL
piece of work and a virtual rocketship to drive! Only a few times I had the
nerve to leave it floored and get up to 110mph. Alas, it's been such a
battle to get the thing past inspection for emission/MIL reasons I just have
to let it go.

I'm still checking on the availability of the 09 Vue factory manuals.
AllData is an option though I'd rather have the manuals in hand. I have a
buddy with a repair shop that can get me TSBs and the like as needed.

I was a bit disappointed in the L series FSM in that it was difficult to
find anything. One of the benefits of having an electronic/online version
that is searchable. The other thing was that the engine manual did NOT have
a really good overview of the entire engine. I remember with past cars (Ford
and Chrysler) that the FSM had a REALLY good cut-away diagram of the motor
in such detail that it was almost possible to do r&r just from that picture.
The saturn manual had close-ups of most of the components but left it to you
to figure out where they were buried in that maze. I never did figure out
how the crankcase ventillation worked.