OK gang - here's my experience with this common S-series tranny problem. I have a '96 SL2 with 118k miles. All of a sudden I was getting some harsh shifts that would turn on the SES light. A delayed reverse would also become NO REVERSE after the car warmed up. I decided to take my chances with the Input Shaft Nut since the nut (SN21001680) and End Cover Gasket (SN21001684) were only about $12. I went in hoping I could dream up something that would take the place of the Input Shaft Holding Tool (SA9119T) that was called for in the manual. Getting the End Cover off was somewhat of a pain - you have to lower the engine a tad to get at the top few bolts (10mm) and separate the ball joint to move the strut aside a little. After getting the cover off I discovered you need a thin-wall 23mm socket to get at the 12-point shaft nut. (I had to grind down a Craftsman socket enough for it to fit into the clutch pack recess). Since the nut came out rather easy, I felt a little more confident that this was my problem. However, rather than risk mucking up something by using a chain wrench or other jury rig to stop the shaft from turning while torquing the new nut to 111 ft-lbs., I decided to buy the proper tool. I went through 3 Saturn dealers before one of them would tell me where to get the tool (SPX Service Solutions - Owatonna, MN 800
533-2585). The bad news: $150 plus shipping (Yikes!:-( - looks to be worth maybe $25). I also replaced the Output Shaft Nut (SN21001679 - $2.82) since I was already in there. Probably 5 hrs. work all toll, but problem solved!:-)- posted
18 years ago