Need mechanical advice on Saturn or mechanic recommendation

[Curly]

I have a 2002 Saturn SL2 with 138,000 miles.  (4 cylinder DOHC with manual 5-speed trans).  The car has always gotten around 38 mpg so it's been a great car for commuting to work (45 miles).

After the long 4th of July weekend, I started the car on Monday to go to work, and it just shook violently before I shut off the ignition (probably lasted 5 seconds before I shut it off).  I checked the oil and noticed it was low.  I drove the truck to work and picked up some oil on the way home.  Then filled 1.5 quarts of oil to get up to "full" level.  (I guess the rings are getting worn cuz it is using more oil now than it used to).

So, then I went to try starting it again and it will not start. 

So, I'm wondering what my next step should be to diagnose the issue?  I'm not much of a mechanic, but I can follow directions and check some things. 

Any advice from you guys as to what to check would be great.  For instance, should I just replace the plugs and wires (I don't think they've ever been replaced) and see if that fixes it?  Or might that be wasting money because maybe the engine is toast?  (did I kill it by letting it get low on oil?)

Or should I drain the oil and see if there is anything in the bottom of the pan (like timing chain pieces)......

And if I decide I'm in over my head, does anyone have a mechanic in the Tumwater, Olympia, Centralia areas that might be good to work on this Saturn?

[92xj]

Disconnect battery.
Pull the wires off.
Pull the plugs, if it's easy.
Try turning the engine over by hand using the crankshaft pulley bolt.
If you cant do this, you're done. 
If you can, thats a very good thing.

Being 1.5 quarts low shouldnt have hurt the engine, but who knows at this point.
Make sure it turns over and start from there.

[Buckmark]

Need more basic info to give you any advice
It does crank over correct?
If it does crank, does it sound like it always had and does it crank the same (not faster or free sounding?)
Do you have spark?
If not, why?
If you have spark do you have fuel?
If not why?
Have you had a mil (check engine, service engine soon light) on before this happened, like on for awhile and you have been ignoring it.
Can you scan it yourself at home (borrow a scanner from a friend/neighbor)

[Buckmark]

DO NOT DISSCONNECT THE BATTERY. The pcm may have info needed to help diagnose and doing that can clear it..

[coachcw]

check compression , but it sounds like shes a goner.

[92xj]

DO NOT DISSCONNECT THE BATTERY. The pcm may have info needed to help diagnose and doing that can clear it..

Didnt see where a code was thrown.

[elkoholic1]

blinker fluid low??            

[Curly]

Need more basic info to give you any advice
It does crank over correct?
If it does crank, does it sound like it always had and does it crank the same (not faster or free sounding?)
Do you have spark?
If not, why?
If you have spark do you have fuel?
If not why?
Have you had a mil (check engine, service engine soon light) on before this happened, like on for awhile and you have been ignoring it.
Can you scan it yourself at home (borrow a scanner from a friend/neighbor)

It will crank.

It cranks like it always had.

I don't know if it has spark.

Don't know if it is getting fuel.

No check engine light recently.  I did have one on a couple months ago and stopped at Autozone and the code came back as low engine coolant.  I filled the coolant level and the check engine light stopped.  Then about a week later the light came on again, I checked the coolant level and it was fine; I then disconnected the battery and replaced it and the light never came back on.  (I suppose that may have been a mistake; I probably should have had the code checked that time too).

Is scanning the best, next step?  Or should I check on spark and fuel first.  (I'd have to see about getting a scanner; maybe Autozone would loan one out?)

How do I check spark and fuel?

How do I check blinker fluid.?