Saab 900 T16S "The Exxon Valdez"
Discussion
Bit of an overdue update, although to be fair there hasn't really been much to report - the old girl has been getting used quite infrequently, but has been 100% reliable and remains a joy to chuck around!
Spent a little bit of money in January sorting a couple of niggles:-
Bought this
to replace this which had long since lost its leather covering and even the plastic underneath was wearing smooth!! (the grooves are where the seams in the leather once sat, in case you were wondering, and didn't really add to its comfort in daily use..)
I expecting a fight removing the old knob, "rock and pull" the supplied instructions helpfully suggested, so when it came off stupidly easily whilst I was still applying maximum upward strength, I'm surprised I didn't end up in the back seat with a dislocated shoulder!!
Since the last update, the mid-range boominess resulting from deleting the centre exhaust box had become a steadily increasing source of irritation - and I felt was out of keeping with the overall image of the car, so it was once more out with the axle stands...
Old and new..
Checked the underside whilst up in the air - the old girl is mostly very clean, although there are one or two areas where work will definitely be needed in the not too distant future
And the new downpipe / cente box section fitted - it won't be that shiny for long!!
Result - much quieter, sound like a proper Saab again, rather than some boy-racer special. If the new section is more restrictive, it certainly isn't obvious from the drivers seat - with the cool air today the APC was allowing the boost needle well into the red zone and she was pulling rather well!!
Spent a little bit of money in January sorting a couple of niggles:-
Bought this
to replace this which had long since lost its leather covering and even the plastic underneath was wearing smooth!! (the grooves are where the seams in the leather once sat, in case you were wondering, and didn't really add to its comfort in daily use..)
I expecting a fight removing the old knob, "rock and pull" the supplied instructions helpfully suggested, so when it came off stupidly easily whilst I was still applying maximum upward strength, I'm surprised I didn't end up in the back seat with a dislocated shoulder!!
Since the last update, the mid-range boominess resulting from deleting the centre exhaust box had become a steadily increasing source of irritation - and I felt was out of keeping with the overall image of the car, so it was once more out with the axle stands...
Old and new..
Checked the underside whilst up in the air - the old girl is mostly very clean, although there are one or two areas where work will definitely be needed in the not too distant future
And the new downpipe / cente box section fitted - it won't be that shiny for long!!
Result - much quieter, sound like a proper Saab again, rather than some boy-racer special. If the new section is more restrictive, it certainly isn't obvious from the drivers seat - with the cool air today the APC was allowing the boost needle well into the red zone and she was pulling rather well!!
Boo!! Failed the MOT 
But only on one of the two number plate lights not working. Garage stuck a new bulb in and it still didn't work.
Hopefully a minor fettle at the weekend will see it right.
Not picked the old girl up yet, but they did comment that there are quite a few advisories that they will go through when I call in!!
But only on one of the two number plate lights not working. Garage stuck a new bulb in and it still didn't work.
Hopefully a minor fettle at the weekend will see it right.
Not picked the old girl up yet, but they did comment that there are quite a few advisories that they will go through when I call in!!
99t said:
Boo!! Failed the MOT
But only on one of the two number plate lights not working. Garage stuck a new bulb in and it still didn't work.
Hopefully a minor fettle at the weekend will see it right.
Not picked the old girl up yet, but they did comment that there are quite a few advisories that they will go through when I call in!!
I get jealous every time this thread pops up.But only on one of the two number plate lights not working. Garage stuck a new bulb in and it still didn't work.
Hopefully a minor fettle at the weekend will see it right.
Not picked the old girl up yet, but they did comment that there are quite a few advisories that they will go through when I call in!!
Advisories will probably be tyres and brakes (that's my prediction). Keep us updated
There must be something about them!!ManFromDelmonte said:
I get jealous every time this thread pops up.
Advisories will probably be tyres and brakes (that's my prediction). Keep us updated
Numberplate light now fixed, was a furry connector on the inside of the light block.Advisories will probably be tyres and brakes (that's my prediction). Keep us updated
Pretty good guess on those advisories...
- rear across axle brake pipe slightly corroded
- offside rear brake hose slight corrosion to ferrules
- nearside front brake hose slightly deteriorated
- offside front tyre worn close to legal limit
- nearside front tyre worn close to legal limit
- offside rear upper shock absorber slightly worn bush
- nearside rear upper shock absorber slightly worn bush
- rear silencer rubber mountings deteriorated
- fuel filter banjo connections corroded
- oil leak!!
In light of the the "minor" advisories (perished brake hoses, rusty fuel filter connections etc.) I decided to do some bodywork!!
Bottom of the tailgate has had some minor bubbling under the satin black wrap for as long as I've owned EV.
Peeling off the wrap. Note also the dodgy lacquer below the rear spoiler which will be sorted at the same time as it is the only poor paint on the car.
Hmm, pretty much as expected, better start cleaning it back...
... that may be a tad worse than expected!!
Better start cutting and welding then...
to be continued...
Bottom of the tailgate has had some minor bubbling under the satin black wrap for as long as I've owned EV.
Peeling off the wrap. Note also the dodgy lacquer below the rear spoiler which will be sorted at the same time as it is the only poor paint on the car.
Hmm, pretty much as expected, better start cleaning it back...
... that may be a tad worse than expected!!Better start cutting and welding then...
to be continued...
Ok, so only nine months later, that's actually not a bad update rate for me! 
Removed the "whaletail" spoiler, fortunately not too grotty underneath.
If you've been following my 99 Turbo restoration thread you'll remember how bad these can be under the rear spolier
Anyway, happy that the tailgate wasn't scrap I shaped a repair section for the lower lip
Bit of welding, dressing and a thin skim of filler later..
.. and then I Dynaxed it to death
Started prepping for paint on the upper surface, metal quite wavy
Lots of high build
LOTS more high build
Surely it will flat back level now...? GRRRRRR!!!
Finally though it was ready for colour and lacquer. Waited a while and then flatted back. Came out ok for rattle cans applied outdoors.
Satin black wrap as per the factory on the lower section and re-assemble
Spoiler and badges to refit, plus a damn good clean needed but it is starting to look presentable again.
Repair costs:
Metal (from stock) but say £7
High build 750ml £14
Paint and lacquer £20
Satin wrap £6
Dynax, Electrox and welding wire from stock, say £10
My time, priceless!!
Removed the "whaletail" spoiler, fortunately not too grotty underneath.
If you've been following my 99 Turbo restoration thread you'll remember how bad these can be under the rear spolier
Anyway, happy that the tailgate wasn't scrap I shaped a repair section for the lower lip
Bit of welding, dressing and a thin skim of filler later..
.. and then I Dynaxed it to death
Started prepping for paint on the upper surface, metal quite wavy
Lots of high build
LOTS more high build
Surely it will flat back level now...? GRRRRRR!!!
Finally though it was ready for colour and lacquer. Waited a while and then flatted back. Came out ok for rattle cans applied outdoors.
Satin black wrap as per the factory on the lower section and re-assemble
Spoiler and badges to refit, plus a damn good clean needed but it is starting to look presentable again.
Repair costs:
Metal (from stock) but say £7
High build 750ml £14
Paint and lacquer £20
Satin wrap £6
Dynax, Electrox and welding wire from stock, say £10
My time, priceless!!
95Aero said:
Looks fantastic, how much power do these have?
The "standard" T16 models were 175bhp from the factory, Carlsson and Ruby special editions had 185bhp. Doesn't sound much by current standards but the 900 isn't an especially heavy car and the mid-range urge is very addictive.EV has a 185bhp "red box" APC (boost control electronics box). It is a common misconception that all red box APC are 185bhp whereas some are still 175bhp. The part number needs to be cross referenced to discover which variant it actually is.
That said, I am actually running a manual boost controller at the moment, wound out to cap the maximum boost to less than the APC would allow as the clutch had started slipping under maximum load and boost. The clutch is neither old or high miles but maybe it didn't escape contamination completely when I had the gearbox leak / clutch slave failures early on. I do have a new clutch to fit when I get round to it but didn't want to destroy the flywheel before then.
99t said:
The "standard" T16 models were 175bhp from the factory, Carlsson and Ruby special editions had 185bhp. Doesn't sound much by current standards but the 900 isn't an especially heavy car and the mid-range urge is very addictive.
EV has a 185bhp "red box" APC (boost control electronics box). It is a common misconception that all red box APC are 185bhp whereas some are still 175bhp. The part number needs to be cross referenced to discover which variant it actually is.
That said, I am actually running a manual boost controller at the moment, wound out to cap the maximum boost to less than the APC would allow as the clutch had started slipping under maximum load and boost. The clutch is neither old or high miles but maybe it didn't escape contamination completely when I had the gearbox leak / clutch slave failures early on. I do have a new clutch to fit when I get round to it but didn't want to destroy the flywheel before then.
Yeh bet it goes well with 185 bhp, guess it only weights 1200ish kgEV has a 185bhp "red box" APC (boost control electronics box). It is a common misconception that all red box APC are 185bhp whereas some are still 175bhp. The part number needs to be cross referenced to discover which variant it actually is.
That said, I am actually running a manual boost controller at the moment, wound out to cap the maximum boost to less than the APC would allow as the clutch had started slipping under maximum load and boost. The clutch is neither old or high miles but maybe it didn't escape contamination completely when I had the gearbox leak / clutch slave failures early on. I do have a new clutch to fit when I get round to it but didn't want to destroy the flywheel before then.
I have a good relationship with my local MOT place, they are a good bunch of guys who seem to have two descriptions when discussing the advisories:-
"it's just a little bit of surface rust / perished / tiny bit of play, maybe have a look at it before winter"
and
"it's not a fail but I would definitely sort it sooner rather than later"
which I have always taken to mean the item is hanging on to legality / safety by a thread and it's only that the guys know I do my own maintenance and generally do keep well on top of stuff that they haven't failed it.
EV had quite a few advisories last time around and most fell into the former category but the tester's facial expression when describing the front brake hose being perished meant it definitely fell into the latter category.
To my shame then that 12 months later I hadn't got around to looking at it. Although I've covered less than 1,000 miles in EV since the last test, that's no excuse, must do better.
So the last couple of weekends I have been working through the list of advisories from last time, replacing exhaust rubbers, treating and painting a short and lightly corroded section of brake pipe on the rear axle, cleaning up and treating cosmetic rust on brake and fuel line ferrules etc. Thrilling stuff.
Due to the lack of miles covered the tyres are still close to the limit but legal so they'll keep until I see if the test reveals any major new horrors.
The upper rear shock bushes are still perished and may now be a fail, we'll see. However the upper shock nuts definitely aren't going to undo so replacing the bushes will mean cutting off and replacing the otherwise perfectly serviceable shocks.
The front brake hose wasn't as bad as feared, but it certainly wasn't great.
Good excuse to test out my flare nut spanners, these were recently picked up as B&Q clearance items, so reduced to buttons each. Perfect fit and made the job so much easier, no chance of rounding the connections off.
New hose fitted and brakes bled.
Noted that the potentially troublesome drive shaft tunnel area still looks pleasingly solid
Time to book the MOT now...
"it's just a little bit of surface rust / perished / tiny bit of play, maybe have a look at it before winter"
and
"it's not a fail but I would definitely sort it sooner rather than later"
which I have always taken to mean the item is hanging on to legality / safety by a thread and it's only that the guys know I do my own maintenance and generally do keep well on top of stuff that they haven't failed it.
EV had quite a few advisories last time around and most fell into the former category but the tester's facial expression when describing the front brake hose being perished meant it definitely fell into the latter category.
To my shame then that 12 months later I hadn't got around to looking at it. Although I've covered less than 1,000 miles in EV since the last test, that's no excuse, must do better.
So the last couple of weekends I have been working through the list of advisories from last time, replacing exhaust rubbers, treating and painting a short and lightly corroded section of brake pipe on the rear axle, cleaning up and treating cosmetic rust on brake and fuel line ferrules etc. Thrilling stuff.
Due to the lack of miles covered the tyres are still close to the limit but legal so they'll keep until I see if the test reveals any major new horrors.
The upper rear shock bushes are still perished and may now be a fail, we'll see. However the upper shock nuts definitely aren't going to undo so replacing the bushes will mean cutting off and replacing the otherwise perfectly serviceable shocks.
The front brake hose wasn't as bad as feared, but it certainly wasn't great.
Good excuse to test out my flare nut spanners, these were recently picked up as B&Q clearance items, so reduced to buttons each. Perfect fit and made the job so much easier, no chance of rounding the connections off.
New hose fitted and brakes bled.
Noted that the potentially troublesome drive shaft tunnel area still looks pleasingly solid
Time to book the MOT now...
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