Oil issues

This is exactly what you suggesting is band-aiding the engine and is
foolish way to pinch money. Buy a two quarts of oil containers and
keep them in your car, and use it to keep oil topped up at correct
level. Do the oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles through.
This is typical GM's design of this engine, poorly done and won't give
you improved parts to rebuild that to stop oil consumption.

Oh, keep a eye on transmission oil level and condition (smell and
color) if yours is automatic.

And regular tune ups too on engine consumables; spark plugs, ingition
wires if your car has one, etc. That's part of maintaince and this is
good investment and protects your money in long run.

Nearly all of this is doable by yourself. Get the service manual from
GM dealer (appox 120 cdn for mine) for your car please. Not Hayes or
Clitons.

Cheers,

Wizard

 

I concur that the "oil light will flicker when ... moderately braking" is
probably the oil in the pan sloshing away from the intake. But these
symptoms (loss of oil, low oil pressure when braking) in other, older cars
sometimes mean a small leak in the vacuum booster for the power brakes.
I'm not sure if this applies to a 1998 SL-2, I don't know the car that
well...our 1995 SW2 is the only Saturn I've worked on.

Hpoe this helps,
Stephen

 

Owner said it did this when braking more firmly or harder than gentle
braking.

Also this assertion doesn't jibe. For any reason for oil loss, when
oil level get low, oil pump pick up is now higher than oil level and
noisily sucks in air and oil when oil sloshes away from pickup. Like
a children does with drinking straw & pop when drink empties.
foamy oil is very sprougy because of air is compressible than pure
liquids like oil, hence the oil pressure switch get triggered and BAD
NEWS for bearings, engine needs high oil pressure to keep metal to
metal contact apart.

Oil loss can be any reason: lack of oil level checks or not often
enough, any leaks (external or internal), oil burning (bad rings or
valve seals, bad PCV). Even on normal good engine does consume oil in
very tiny amount. But on Saturns and some other brands with specific
engines it is poor design, abuse or unlucky failure when it suddenly
consumes too much oil.

Checking oil level every few days or every week or on every gas fill
if car isn't driven far enough or driven often, every n miles like
200miles for example.

Cheers,

Wizard