After cooler wiring

[SoCal Redline]

I just returned from my dealer. Saturn of Loma Linda in southern California. I was there for a regular service and a few other issues, one being the after cooler wiring. The tech got the plug diagram off the net........ the wiring is correct. However, the pump itself has markings that show otherwise. The tech assured me that it wouldn't hurt the pump, only cause it to run the other direction. He also said if the cooler weren't working properly the car would heat up. I thought the air to water was a closed system, but the tech said it was tied into the cars cooling system, and the, what I called filler neck, at the front of the motor. Was not a fill, but a burp for the entire system. He couldn't explain to me, if the after cooler is part of the cooling system, a system under pressure with its own pump, why would an auxiliry pump be needed.
Can anyone shed some light?

Oh, they also are very, I mean very cool about warranty stuff. So they say. I asked about header, exhaust, intake. He said no problems. I said okay, a pulley swap. He said only if I burned the blower up would there be an issue. Then I got personal.... what about a pulley swap with a piggyback controller, on a tow truck, with a fried ECU. He said " I would tell you to take it home and bring it bake without the piggyback and you got yourself a fresh ECU". Sounds good to me.

[Sp00ner]

First off, if the intercooler is connected to the rest of the system, then the intercooler is NEVER going to be below 185 degrees. The filler neck actually has it's own overflow, so it seems odd that the two systems would be together, since the car has a normal overflow attached to the cooling system. I've followed the lines as well, and I see NO point in which they connect. It's a pretty closed system. It goes from the intercooler, to the pump, to the heatexchanger, and back to the intercooler. I could have the in the wrong order, but I spent 2 hours under it looking right at the system. I think the tech is wrong on this one. If the pump is running the wrong direction, it is not moving coolant worth a crap. The entire car would not heat up, since the coolant would only be heated under boost. When you let off the gas, it would cool down again, but it would hardly circulate anywhere.

[SoCal Redline]

While the car is running do you see any disturbance in the filler neck?

[Sp00ner]

Yup, no question about it. It moves like hell.

Just look at the system, you might have to life the car up a little, if you can see where the two systems link together let me know. I sure couldn't.

[SoCal Redline]

I think I might switch it myself.... see what happens

[SWCRedline]

I'm assuming that tech was looking at a schematic that has never been redrawn since the backwards wiring issue was discovered. I forget if this issue ever became a full blown TSB, would have to double check.. but I doubt Saturn would pay us to make the repair under warranty if it wasn't a genuine concern.... Heck we got a bulletin last week making it harder for us to resurface rotors when replacing brake pads under warranty.

[Robotech]

The RL has a very unique intercooler. Most are have flat cores where this car has a round core. If, for some reason, this core (or the pump, or the heat exchanger), requires coolant flow in a particular direction, then this could be a problem. Otherwise I doubt it will make much difference which way the coolant flows.

Spooner, there is an IC system for the Grand Prix that will draw coolant from the engine coolant overflow bottle if it needs it but other than that it is a closed system. The line it uses to do this is very small. However you are right, they should not "share" the same coolant...they may draw from the same overflow source but the coolant systems should be completely seperate. What you're describing would make more sense especially if each system has its own fill neck.

[SoCal Redline]

I thought it was a closed system... The tech got the wiring schematic off of the gm tech site (service.gm.com). He let me keep the diagram and when I entered the web address off the bottom of the schematic I couldn't do much without a password. The tech told me that gm uses a few different pumps in this application and that the bosch just calls for a different set up, and moving it either direction would be okay. He likened it to changing a puller fan to a pusher fan.
As for the filler neck... like I said he called it a burp for the entire system? I can not see any coolant moving through it. It raises in the heat, but no disturbance?

[Sp00ner]

The only problem with the pump running backwards, is it's an impeller bro. They don't work well spinning the wrong way. The difference in the flow is amazing when you swap the wires.

The other reason I/We should know it's seperate, is the fact that there's two pumps for it. I also overfilled it before, and lemme tell you, it dosen't run into the coolant system.