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