1986 Saab 900 Turbo - White
Discussion
Straff99 said:
Duck tape?
Isn't that illegal?
It's like fur coats - ok to purchase old stock, you just can't make it yourself anymore.Isn't that illegal?
Cambs_Stuart said:
Updates on this and the 164? You're spoiling us..
Ha! Just happy to have them both on the road and racking up the miles.The 900 had a particularly grotty boot handle, a product of a repair by the previous owner when a truck dented the rear hatch. While he had done a good job reshaping the panel and repainting, the handle was split in two and unhappily joined with JB weld, putty and hope. Not pretty.
I sourced a good replacement from a breakers, but this needed a good soak and removal of rusty bolts. Fortunately the oft-decrepit rubber seal was in good order.
..though this old Fokker wasn't impressed:
Taking the old item out was simple, out came the interior trim but the complicated arrangement and levers and screws were carefully photographed as I assume all this needs careful adjustment for central locking and exact movement ranges:
With the wires removed you can see evidence of the, er, enthusiastic dent repair:
Rusty bolts out, unit freed.
Old and new. As expected, all moving parts are over-engineered, tough and likely to have been tested by frozen trolls to be good for 1 million operations.
Old lock barrel was scabby, and missing some tabs that allow it be held in place.
I rubbed it down an doused it in some new paint, then refitted with a few O ring that gave it back a tight fit.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gjrZTq]
Then it was just a case of selecting the best of the bolts, bulbs and lenses and refitting with electrical paste, grease and all done. Another satisfying fix.
"Who you gonna call?"
We'll get onto that particularly luminous photo in a moment.
The 900 has been in regular use around London and beyond, the only work since the June update was another adjustment to the idle speed and the continuous purchase of parts whenever they came up for a decent price.
A week ago my wife reported she had to pull over in a queue of traffic - for some reason the car had overheated, steam pouring out from under the bonnet. No pictures, but apparently some gallant lads in a truck behind helped her push it out of traffic, held torches, prodded bits and waited for it to cool down. Once restarted, no issues in the rest of the trip.
On the presumption that whatever had been most recently changed was the culprit, we conducted a test on the driveway upon her safe return, and the electric fan wasn't making a contribution at expected temperatures. I shorted the two wires on the fan sensor at the back of the rad and it kicked in, so the sensor itself was to blame. Doubly annoying as I replaced this a year ago under similar circumstances!
I checked the part history and it was a cheapy copy/pattern, so I ordered a new sensor from Parts For Saabs and got to the easy replacement at the weekend.
Wires unclipped, overflow hose off:
30mm spanner to unscrew the sensor made me feel like a videogame mechanic. Clear difference between the new part (on the left) and old one at least:
I put a small smear of hylomar on the threads and put it back in, double checked all the connections, renewed a few rusty hose clips on various water hoses (as always) and topped up the tank with antifreeze and water.
Checking the radiator return:
...and the fan kicked in once more. Easy.
Luckily the Saab's water system has the expansion tank at the top of the circuit and it appears to self-bleed efficiently once up to temperature, so after a bit of cap on / cap off action all is well once again.
Next up, the inclement weather of late had resulted in water behind the indicator lenses. Given that these came from Germany and are in short supply for a flat nose, I was was worried the upcoming frostyseason would wreck them.
Easily unscrewed, I decided on adding some clear sealant behind the 30 year old rubber seal to try and lift it 'up' and improve the seal, rather than bonding the removable lenses with glue or attempting to make new ones.
I pushed the seal in until sealant started to ooze and ginger placed the lense in place then screwed it a bit tighter a few hours later once dry. So far, so good.
I like the fact that the screws are angled so they are fully accessible with the bonnet up!
We'll get onto that particularly luminous photo in a moment.
The 900 has been in regular use around London and beyond, the only work since the June update was another adjustment to the idle speed and the continuous purchase of parts whenever they came up for a decent price.
A week ago my wife reported she had to pull over in a queue of traffic - for some reason the car had overheated, steam pouring out from under the bonnet. No pictures, but apparently some gallant lads in a truck behind helped her push it out of traffic, held torches, prodded bits and waited for it to cool down. Once restarted, no issues in the rest of the trip.
On the presumption that whatever had been most recently changed was the culprit, we conducted a test on the driveway upon her safe return, and the electric fan wasn't making a contribution at expected temperatures. I shorted the two wires on the fan sensor at the back of the rad and it kicked in, so the sensor itself was to blame. Doubly annoying as I replaced this a year ago under similar circumstances!
I checked the part history and it was a cheapy copy/pattern, so I ordered a new sensor from Parts For Saabs and got to the easy replacement at the weekend.
Wires unclipped, overflow hose off:
30mm spanner to unscrew the sensor made me feel like a videogame mechanic. Clear difference between the new part (on the left) and old one at least:
I put a small smear of hylomar on the threads and put it back in, double checked all the connections, renewed a few rusty hose clips on various water hoses (as always) and topped up the tank with antifreeze and water.
Checking the radiator return:
...and the fan kicked in once more. Easy.
Luckily the Saab's water system has the expansion tank at the top of the circuit and it appears to self-bleed efficiently once up to temperature, so after a bit of cap on / cap off action all is well once again.
Next up, the inclement weather of late had resulted in water behind the indicator lenses. Given that these came from Germany and are in short supply for a flat nose, I was was worried the upcoming frostyseason would wreck them.
Easily unscrewed, I decided on adding some clear sealant behind the 30 year old rubber seal to try and lift it 'up' and improve the seal, rather than bonding the removable lenses with glue or attempting to make new ones.
I pushed the seal in until sealant started to ooze and ginger placed the lense in place then screwed it a bit tighter a few hours later once dry. So far, so good.
I like the fact that the screws are angled so they are fully accessible with the bonnet up!
Thanks! I have to say the budget for pro-active maintenance on this one is substantial, but as we agreed to keep this one for the long run its not a burden.
Plus - the secret to running a classic every day is to have a few!
Next on the quest to replace all split and perished hoses on the 900, the crankcase breather. This runs from the top of the rocker (top right int he picture below) from a plastic tap, deep under the intake manifold and into the air intake just after the AFM. In the picture below that's, erm, below the metal pipe that looks like a comb on the left hand side. Ours had several splits and cracks, misting oil all around the engine bay and generally being a nuisance.
To deter amateur 30 years down the line, Saab added into this hose a metal water line, meant for warming the intake air (I presume) and some other Swedish witchcraft elements. Some owners bypass this entirely and run two normal hoses, but I wanted this car as original as possible, and the do88 ones had served me well thus far. Also, the hose needed to be suitable for oil vapours at temperature, so I took the plunge.
Loosen all jubilee clips and ponder extraction:
Here's the intake end, with solidified rubber grommet, the end of the metal water pipe and tremendously easy access:
Water hoses were pointed up to eliminate water leaks.
Onto extraction... due to the Y at the water pipe end, exit to the crankcase was impossible. I removed the air intake pipes, and it became a bit easier to go out towards the radiator.
Out! With evidence of more splits to justify this endeavour:
The water pipe ends were both dodge, so I went at them with a wire brush.
Metal tube pulled out, cleaned and brushed, checked for holes, and put into the new hose.
Luckily in the previous owner's spares pile there was replacement for not only the air intake grommet but a crankcase one too. Both the old ones were Digestives:
Then it was just a case of feeding it back though, ensuring a the existing hoses clamped on securely and refitting the intake. Quite fiddle, the new hose being bigger than the old one, but it all went back.
Or so I thought...
Plus - the secret to running a classic every day is to have a few!
Next on the quest to replace all split and perished hoses on the 900, the crankcase breather. This runs from the top of the rocker (top right int he picture below) from a plastic tap, deep under the intake manifold and into the air intake just after the AFM. In the picture below that's, erm, below the metal pipe that looks like a comb on the left hand side. Ours had several splits and cracks, misting oil all around the engine bay and generally being a nuisance.
To deter amateur 30 years down the line, Saab added into this hose a metal water line, meant for warming the intake air (I presume) and some other Swedish witchcraft elements. Some owners bypass this entirely and run two normal hoses, but I wanted this car as original as possible, and the do88 ones had served me well thus far. Also, the hose needed to be suitable for oil vapours at temperature, so I took the plunge.
Loosen all jubilee clips and ponder extraction:
Here's the intake end, with solidified rubber grommet, the end of the metal water pipe and tremendously easy access:
Water hoses were pointed up to eliminate water leaks.
Onto extraction... due to the Y at the water pipe end, exit to the crankcase was impossible. I removed the air intake pipes, and it became a bit easier to go out towards the radiator.
Out! With evidence of more splits to justify this endeavour:
The water pipe ends were both dodge, so I went at them with a wire brush.
Metal tube pulled out, cleaned and brushed, checked for holes, and put into the new hose.
Luckily in the previous owner's spares pile there was replacement for not only the air intake grommet but a crankcase one too. Both the old ones were Digestives:
Then it was just a case of feeding it back though, ensuring a the existing hoses clamped on securely and refitting the intake. Quite fiddle, the new hose being bigger than the old one, but it all went back.
Or so I thought...
All is not well in 900 land, but first I'll finish off the breather saga.
Following a few trips with new hose attached, an increasing amount of steam started to show from the exhaust. On a return trip through Richmond park, this became a smokescreen.
The older heater hose connection to the metal pipe had given, letting water escape into the breather that feed the intake. Ugh. In a small, muddy car park surrounded by gleaming 4x4s in Richmond, I stick a biro on one end, a socket in the other and we made a dash for freedom.
It just about hung together, though the steam cloud was now being generated from coolant leaking onto the engine and exhaust.
I noted that Bond drove a Saab 900 in the novels, though without such gadgets. This elicited no response from the wife.
Safely home ,the heater hose crumbled to pieces, and I ordered a new lower item from Saabits.
I was a bit nervous that with all this coolant related nonsense there might be something more sinister afoot, but fortunately the engine oil was perfect, not a single milky droplet, and a quick pressure test actually gave good compression results, same figures as at purchase.
A week later and the hose turned up, a certain owner wanted to ensure her beloved Saab was actually put back together correctly, and also learn about some of the particulars should any further emergencies arrive.
New lower heater hose with tendril for the breather:
Some coolant drained and the lower hose off (at bottom of this picture):
Clamps inspected, brushed and replaced where necessary, very awkward to relocate all the new item again under the manifold but two pairs of hands helped.
The relocated battery provides for a 'footplate':
...and the Saab was all running.
...
Until two weeks ago, when third gear started to become troublesome. Then more than troublesome - it wouldn't engage at all. On the way to NDS Saab, other gears started to be intermittent...oh dear...
Nelson at NDS sadly surmised a gearbox starting to let go. Not unexpected (see every Saab 900 thread, ever) but as this one had dome well over 100k I'll cut it some slack. The fact that the turbo hadn't been engaging nor the car running right until recently likely gave it a few years, but we do like to drive it as intended, so probably time for a clutch, gearbox other engine-out jobs.
So, if any of you Saab followers out there have a gearbox (type 7 gears, 5 speed) for a B202 lying around, let us know, otherwise we'll be raising funds for an slot at NDS in January!
Following a few trips with new hose attached, an increasing amount of steam started to show from the exhaust. On a return trip through Richmond park, this became a smokescreen.
The older heater hose connection to the metal pipe had given, letting water escape into the breather that feed the intake. Ugh. In a small, muddy car park surrounded by gleaming 4x4s in Richmond, I stick a biro on one end, a socket in the other and we made a dash for freedom.
It just about hung together, though the steam cloud was now being generated from coolant leaking onto the engine and exhaust.
I noted that Bond drove a Saab 900 in the novels, though without such gadgets. This elicited no response from the wife.
Safely home ,the heater hose crumbled to pieces, and I ordered a new lower item from Saabits.
I was a bit nervous that with all this coolant related nonsense there might be something more sinister afoot, but fortunately the engine oil was perfect, not a single milky droplet, and a quick pressure test actually gave good compression results, same figures as at purchase.
A week later and the hose turned up, a certain owner wanted to ensure her beloved Saab was actually put back together correctly, and also learn about some of the particulars should any further emergencies arrive.
New lower heater hose with tendril for the breather:
Some coolant drained and the lower hose off (at bottom of this picture):
Clamps inspected, brushed and replaced where necessary, very awkward to relocate all the new item again under the manifold but two pairs of hands helped.
The relocated battery provides for a 'footplate':
...and the Saab was all running.
...
Until two weeks ago, when third gear started to become troublesome. Then more than troublesome - it wouldn't engage at all. On the way to NDS Saab, other gears started to be intermittent...oh dear...
Nelson at NDS sadly surmised a gearbox starting to let go. Not unexpected (see every Saab 900 thread, ever) but as this one had dome well over 100k I'll cut it some slack. The fact that the turbo hadn't been engaging nor the car running right until recently likely gave it a few years, but we do like to drive it as intended, so probably time for a clutch, gearbox other engine-out jobs.
So, if any of you Saab followers out there have a gearbox (type 7 gears, 5 speed) for a B202 lying around, let us know, otherwise we'll be raising funds for an slot at NDS in January!
Having rearranged a few pennies, the Saab is with Nelson at NDS Saab for a full gearbox rebuild.
Two weeks ago I rinsed off the mould and the leaves, reconnected the battery and the 900 eagerly leapt into life amid the frost.
As you can see in that photo, there was a fair bit of frost on the inside of the back hatch too, and a large amount of condensation on the rear of the roof. Either that glass seal is failing or the rusty sunroof hatch has finally become a a real problem.
Moving swiftly on... I nursed the sickly 900 through West London traffic in 1st and 2nd - 3rd is but a distant memory now, and any turbo engagement or sudden jabbing of the pedals would led to otherworldly noises from John Carpenter's The Thing.
Luckily an hour later Nelson & family welcomed me to the workshop.
As the engine was coming out, I grimly prepared a list of other jobs which it made sense to complete, allowed myself a mental tear for the bank balance. Nelson is doing this around other jobs as the wife is using the Alfa 164 for her work and I am taking the train, so the hourly rate is somewhat subdued.
That was two weeks ago - Nelson called yesterday with a mixed bag of news, which I'll write up fully when I see him, but the upside being it'll ready next Friday to collect. I can't wait - probably one of our biggest bills on any car, ever, but most of it was on my 'to do' for the car since purchase!
Finger crossed he finds nothing else in the final furlong and reassembly...
Two weeks ago I rinsed off the mould and the leaves, reconnected the battery and the 900 eagerly leapt into life amid the frost.
As you can see in that photo, there was a fair bit of frost on the inside of the back hatch too, and a large amount of condensation on the rear of the roof. Either that glass seal is failing or the rusty sunroof hatch has finally become a a real problem.
Moving swiftly on... I nursed the sickly 900 through West London traffic in 1st and 2nd - 3rd is but a distant memory now, and any turbo engagement or sudden jabbing of the pedals would led to otherworldly noises from John Carpenter's The Thing.
Luckily an hour later Nelson & family welcomed me to the workshop.
As the engine was coming out, I grimly prepared a list of other jobs which it made sense to complete, allowed myself a mental tear for the bank balance. Nelson is doing this around other jobs as the wife is using the Alfa 164 for her work and I am taking the train, so the hourly rate is somewhat subdued.
That was two weeks ago - Nelson called yesterday with a mixed bag of news, which I'll write up fully when I see him, but the upside being it'll ready next Friday to collect. I can't wait - probably one of our biggest bills on any car, ever, but most of it was on my 'to do' for the car since purchase!
Finger crossed he finds nothing else in the final furlong and reassembly...
rickygolf83 said:
However bad the news is, you will have your car back in a few days!
Cant beat that feeling
Absolutely - very rare that anything goes away for this long - it will be all the better as it means my wife will not be driving my 164 any more! It's not been working since early December as we've been saving for the rebuild, so this is quite a while all-in. Cant beat that feeling
Big Tomm said:
The shape of these are utterly satisfying. They just look so fantastic and I love seeing them, but I just don’t seem to see many any more.
A chap I know locally has a red one with a few modifications over standard. I had to lend him some workshop items last May so that he could replace his gearbox. It seems as though they’re a weak link in the system. However if that’s the original gearbox which has lasted since new then it certainly hasn’t done a bad job.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks - Nelson has said the gearbox is an original unit but that the clutch looks to be in good condition, definitely replaced with the right unit in recent years.A chap I know locally has a red one with a few modifications over standard. I had to lend him some workshop items last May so that he could replace his gearbox. It seems as though they’re a weak link in the system. However if that’s the original gearbox which has lasted since new then it certainly hasn’t done a bad job.
Keep up the good work.
Unfortunately after dodging that bullet, the front calipers were attempting to exit stage left, so we've that little extra rebuild to contend with this week...
Well, it's back, with all gears working as they should. Thank goodness.
Almost three weeks with Nelson had the gearbox and engine out, gearbox rebuilt and a host of other fixes on my list that were easier without a shell.
For the gearbox - problems were concentrated on the 3rd gear selector, hub and sliding sleeve. Nelson replaced these from his stores and also a set of pinion bearings and seals. He also completed a 'reverse gear modification' that I won't pretend to understand, but that in his experience was a no-question upgrade from his wealth of experience.
Other bits included the CV boots that were cracking badly (see post 18 months ago), the alternator and power steering belts that are far easier to get to with the engine out, and tidying some of the electrical earths and wiring that needed to come off/on anyway.
Front brakes had never felt right, and although we had attempted to replace pads previously, the nearside offside caliper was sticking and ground the pad to zero!
This had badly marked the vented Saab discs, which was annoying, so pads and rotors were changed. The recalcitrant caliper Nelson tried to replace, but three sub-par replacements later he's bathed it in fluids to loosen it and put it on deathwatch. We need to find a pair of original used front handbrake calipers to send off for refurbish and fit sharpish, so if anyone has them kicking about let me know!
Nelson and son also freed up the wastegate, checked all my work thus far on the engine and ensured timing & boost were back to factory.
The bill was big but the smile at that first full boost was bigger! Car is back and in fine fettle - my wife is far happier tackling the streets in it, and I'm happier that the 164 is back to being solely mine.
Of course, after a large expenditure like this its sensible to just take a break and enjoy the car as is, making a careful assessment of what to look into fixing next, especially those front calipers...
Or you can just buy a massive job lot of used Saab parts in a caffeine fueled haze and journey 4 hours to fill up your other car with them...
More on that actual shedload soon.
Almost three weeks with Nelson had the gearbox and engine out, gearbox rebuilt and a host of other fixes on my list that were easier without a shell.
For the gearbox - problems were concentrated on the 3rd gear selector, hub and sliding sleeve. Nelson replaced these from his stores and also a set of pinion bearings and seals. He also completed a 'reverse gear modification' that I won't pretend to understand, but that in his experience was a no-question upgrade from his wealth of experience.
Other bits included the CV boots that were cracking badly (see post 18 months ago), the alternator and power steering belts that are far easier to get to with the engine out, and tidying some of the electrical earths and wiring that needed to come off/on anyway.
Front brakes had never felt right, and although we had attempted to replace pads previously, the nearside offside caliper was sticking and ground the pad to zero!
This had badly marked the vented Saab discs, which was annoying, so pads and rotors were changed. The recalcitrant caliper Nelson tried to replace, but three sub-par replacements later he's bathed it in fluids to loosen it and put it on deathwatch. We need to find a pair of original used front handbrake calipers to send off for refurbish and fit sharpish, so if anyone has them kicking about let me know!
Nelson and son also freed up the wastegate, checked all my work thus far on the engine and ensured timing & boost were back to factory.
The bill was big but the smile at that first full boost was bigger! Car is back and in fine fettle - my wife is far happier tackling the streets in it, and I'm happier that the 164 is back to being solely mine.
Of course, after a large expenditure like this its sensible to just take a break and enjoy the car as is, making a careful assessment of what to look into fixing next, especially those front calipers...
Or you can just buy a massive job lot of used Saab parts in a caffeine fueled haze and journey 4 hours to fill up your other car with them...
More on that actual shedload soon.
__The Haul__
While the Saab was under the knife at NDS I was regularly in contact with Nelson to discuss any other missing parts or bits to pick up and replace while the engine was out of the car.
One constant annoyance was the missing Super Inca wheel centre for the front left - this had found a new home somewhere in central London, and I had trouble tracking down a replacement.
As the Super Dooper Incas weren't entirely handsome, and the 900 was destined for year-round use, I decided that the best course of action was to track down a new set of alloys to have seasonal tyres. Perfectly logical.
Our 900 is one of the last years with the handbrake on the front wheels, and so apparently that limits the available wheels from other classic 900s. While I would have loved a set of BBS style lattice wheels, a set of the correct Ronals show up at a measly £42 on eBay, about a mile from my parents' house. The Swedish gods were smiling on us.
As always, before any pickup I have a look at the seller's other items...oh.
A haul. A large haul of 900 parts. I made a very cheeky offer. It was accepted. I went to look for more storage boxes...
The next weekend I emptied the erstwhile 75 and journeyed to Somerset, picked up my dad and sauntered a few hundred miles as the Swedish crow flies to the seller. Good strong stable in evidence:
He had previously worked at TRW (?) in Somerset and had quite the outstanding store of parts - luckily he just wanted them to go to a good home as he was losing his barn workshop, so I took the lot!
He also has an amazing 900 project with 9000 engine racing towards conclusion. What a beauty!
Oh to have a barn...
Anyway, 75 was loaded to bursting, and my parents picked up the alloys separately (parents are great, aren't they?), and I motored home.
The 75 'shed' stood in the drive for a few weeks while I cleared storage space, and yesterday I attempted an Art Attack on the driveway to identify all the bits:
Highlights include: MAF, ignition amplifier, injectors, alloy intercooler & piping, flat front indicators and headlights, four door handles, three wing mirrors and the horn. I mean a horn.
This will take some sifting - rare items like the MAF and module I'll keep as spares, various other bits have found homes in the Saab club and the rest perhaps will help recover the cost of the recent gearbox rebuild.
Not featured - the beautiful Ronals and also a full set of smoked windows.
Not bad for £120 and a few diesel fumes.
While the Saab was under the knife at NDS I was regularly in contact with Nelson to discuss any other missing parts or bits to pick up and replace while the engine was out of the car.
One constant annoyance was the missing Super Inca wheel centre for the front left - this had found a new home somewhere in central London, and I had trouble tracking down a replacement.
As the Super Dooper Incas weren't entirely handsome, and the 900 was destined for year-round use, I decided that the best course of action was to track down a new set of alloys to have seasonal tyres. Perfectly logical.
Our 900 is one of the last years with the handbrake on the front wheels, and so apparently that limits the available wheels from other classic 900s. While I would have loved a set of BBS style lattice wheels, a set of the correct Ronals show up at a measly £42 on eBay, about a mile from my parents' house. The Swedish gods were smiling on us.
As always, before any pickup I have a look at the seller's other items...oh.
A haul. A large haul of 900 parts. I made a very cheeky offer. It was accepted. I went to look for more storage boxes...
The next weekend I emptied the erstwhile 75 and journeyed to Somerset, picked up my dad and sauntered a few hundred miles as the Swedish crow flies to the seller. Good strong stable in evidence:
He had previously worked at TRW (?) in Somerset and had quite the outstanding store of parts - luckily he just wanted them to go to a good home as he was losing his barn workshop, so I took the lot!
He also has an amazing 900 project with 9000 engine racing towards conclusion. What a beauty!
Oh to have a barn...
Anyway, 75 was loaded to bursting, and my parents picked up the alloys separately (parents are great, aren't they?), and I motored home.
The 75 'shed' stood in the drive for a few weeks while I cleared storage space, and yesterday I attempted an Art Attack on the driveway to identify all the bits:
Highlights include: MAF, ignition amplifier, injectors, alloy intercooler & piping, flat front indicators and headlights, four door handles, three wing mirrors and the horn. I mean a horn.
This will take some sifting - rare items like the MAF and module I'll keep as spares, various other bits have found homes in the Saab club and the rest perhaps will help recover the cost of the recent gearbox rebuild.
Not featured - the beautiful Ronals and also a full set of smoked windows.
Not bad for £120 and a few diesel fumes.
Cookeh said:
Fantastic haul. Don't suppose, give his second car, that he has a chunk of spares for an 850 going?!
No sadly not, the 850 was the winter hack and the white 900 had been in the family since new. The 99000 project was his focus!Cambs_Stuart said:
That's a great haul of bits! Looking forward to lots of updates as you fit them!
Yes quite a bit to get through, and most of it filthy. Plenty of items spoken for already on the Saab owners club, and I took the exhausty bits to the dump as they were shot.99t said:
Nice haul and an entertaining read as usual.
Never been a big fan of Super Incas so think it'll look good on the Ronals
Indeed, I think they'll look quite sharp, and the Incas were heavily kerbed when we got them. Just need to delve into the worrying world of alloy wheel cleaning...Never been a big fan of Super Incas so think it'll look good on the Ronals
After listing a few of the parts on the Bay of e and some Saab forums, the first in person collector turned up in the right car:
A cracking FPT that he had bought in Finland and driven back - what a trip that would have been! Check out the Nardi wheel and oxblood (reindeer blood?) leather interior:
He picked up the interior boot trim and a few other bits, we chatted with a cup of tea and compared engine bays. This seems to be a traditional 900 owner exchange, as there is always a vacuum line, clip or plug that is amiss that can be solved with a quick comparison. For me, it was the connector on the nearside front loom:
For him, a vacuum hose near the APC that we assembled.
I also noticed one of the injectors has been pushed too far in to the engine after the gearbox rebuild, and the clip was loose, so I reset it and reattached. when I touched it a fine mist of petrol came out, so I'm glad that particular catastrohpe has been avoided!
Fixing that injector and also scraping away some pitting in the dizzy cap has cleared the idle and occasional hiccuping we had seen - so far, so good.
As it was also completely covered in sand from a recent jaunt to the seaside (sorry no pictures, I wasn't invited), the owner spent a good afternoon clearing up those granules of misery from the interior and engine bay. The car is much happier.
Now, what's in that shed over there...
A cracking FPT that he had bought in Finland and driven back - what a trip that would have been! Check out the Nardi wheel and oxblood (reindeer blood?) leather interior:
He picked up the interior boot trim and a few other bits, we chatted with a cup of tea and compared engine bays. This seems to be a traditional 900 owner exchange, as there is always a vacuum line, clip or plug that is amiss that can be solved with a quick comparison. For me, it was the connector on the nearside front loom:
For him, a vacuum hose near the APC that we assembled.
I also noticed one of the injectors has been pushed too far in to the engine after the gearbox rebuild, and the clip was loose, so I reset it and reattached. when I touched it a fine mist of petrol came out, so I'm glad that particular catastrohpe has been avoided!
Fixing that injector and also scraping away some pitting in the dizzy cap has cleared the idle and occasional hiccuping we had seen - so far, so good.
As it was also completely covered in sand from a recent jaunt to the seaside (sorry no pictures, I wasn't invited), the owner spent a good afternoon clearing up those granules of misery from the interior and engine bay. The car is much happier.
Now, what's in that shed over there...
Hope everyone is keeping well in this weird period - fortunately a bit more time for car tinkering, as an upside.
Just before the lockdown we passed the Duke Of London's factory and stopped for a beer. I think with some better photography skills the white on blue will make a decent photo!
The Saab has sat mainly dormant since lockdown, though a thorough clean was in order from the owner. I'll forgive her leaving microfibres on the 164 just this once.
All those pesky sand granules were also purged:
Few other little jobs completed to great satisfaction:
Rear light trim - compared to the recent Finnish visitor our car was missing some trim, and I salvaged some bits from the Haul that were serviceable:
Following the gearbox rebuild and engine in/out, there was the telltale hiss of unhappy vacuum from the dash on the passenger side, so I delved in, upside down with my feet out the sunroof. Saab maintenance is not always glamourous.
Quite a few lines were split or pulled off, so I cut some new bits from my store of black silicone and put it all back into place, all the while shifting sore shoulders and teeth-held torch to ascertain failure levels.
As I traced the line back to inlet manifold, the line that runs through the bulkhead was split too.
To feed the new line correctly I joined the old and new together with an existing connector, taped it up and pulled it through the grommets, fortunately that worked neatly.
Cured? Nope. The hiss has moved elsewhere (insert your own Federal Bureau of Control reference here), put that was enough inverted footwell work for the day.
The spare we have was looking a bit ropey, and in the Haul a thicker, beefier item that held more air was found, so I've swapped them over. Whilst I like originality, as the car is used all the time I prefer a better spare from the later models.
After cleaning out the under-boot, I realised - what use is a decent spare without a jack? Ours was missing!
Can't believe I missed that for this long, but I once again consulted the Haul and found an excellent example. Phew.
Its only fault was to be covered in underseal from use, so I cleaned it up with some Gunk, added fresh grease and added it to the car.
For the final puzzle - determine correct placement in a Saab 900 boot of a jack. Only one option really works and has no rattles, so I'm going with this:
Right. That's a little list complete for now. Time to root through the rest of that Haul...
Just before the lockdown we passed the Duke Of London's factory and stopped for a beer. I think with some better photography skills the white on blue will make a decent photo!
The Saab has sat mainly dormant since lockdown, though a thorough clean was in order from the owner. I'll forgive her leaving microfibres on the 164 just this once.
All those pesky sand granules were also purged:
Few other little jobs completed to great satisfaction:
Rear light trim - compared to the recent Finnish visitor our car was missing some trim, and I salvaged some bits from the Haul that were serviceable:
Following the gearbox rebuild and engine in/out, there was the telltale hiss of unhappy vacuum from the dash on the passenger side, so I delved in, upside down with my feet out the sunroof. Saab maintenance is not always glamourous.
Quite a few lines were split or pulled off, so I cut some new bits from my store of black silicone and put it all back into place, all the while shifting sore shoulders and teeth-held torch to ascertain failure levels.
As I traced the line back to inlet manifold, the line that runs through the bulkhead was split too.
To feed the new line correctly I joined the old and new together with an existing connector, taped it up and pulled it through the grommets, fortunately that worked neatly.
Cured? Nope. The hiss has moved elsewhere (insert your own Federal Bureau of Control reference here), put that was enough inverted footwell work for the day.
The spare we have was looking a bit ropey, and in the Haul a thicker, beefier item that held more air was found, so I've swapped them over. Whilst I like originality, as the car is used all the time I prefer a better spare from the later models.
After cleaning out the under-boot, I realised - what use is a decent spare without a jack? Ours was missing!
Can't believe I missed that for this long, but I once again consulted the Haul and found an excellent example. Phew.
Its only fault was to be covered in underseal from use, so I cleaned it up with some Gunk, added fresh grease and added it to the car.
For the final puzzle - determine correct placement in a Saab 900 boot of a jack. Only one option really works and has no rattles, so I'm going with this:
Right. That's a little list complete for now. Time to root through the rest of that Haul...
Thanks, these bits are very satisfying - although hopefully we'll never need the jack!
The vacuum system, as always, is a bit of a mystery - I think under the bonnet everything is now sorted, as every single line has been replaced and double checked by Nelson at NDS who grudgingly accepted I may have done something right.
The dash hiss is only at idle, and boost is working correctly. I think it may be one or more lines not visible from the footwell that control the heating vents, but it requires further delving.
I have a newer Bluetooth radio to install, do perhaps when that is going in I'll take the opportunity to check what I can see from that vantage point! All pointers greatly received. Other than that the car is running 100%.
The vacuum system, as always, is a bit of a mystery - I think under the bonnet everything is now sorted, as every single line has been replaced and double checked by Nelson at NDS who grudgingly accepted I may have done something right.
The dash hiss is only at idle, and boost is working correctly. I think it may be one or more lines not visible from the footwell that control the heating vents, but it requires further delving.
I have a newer Bluetooth radio to install, do perhaps when that is going in I'll take the opportunity to check what I can see from that vantage point! All pointers greatly received. Other than that the car is running 100%.
Bobberoo99 said:
Been following this from the start your attention to detail is great and I love that fact that you're keeping her maintained almost regardless of cost, loving reading the updates, on this and all the other threads I'm watching, keep up the great work and stay safe!!!
Thank you - cost is definitely in close regard, its just about balancing urgency with expenditure!darkyoung1000 said:
Another set of excellent updates, nice to read, thanks. Please keep them coming!
Playing 'hunt the boost leak' must get a little tiresome though, especially when it involves contortions of that magnitude!
I'm taking another go this weekend. wish me (and my scarred fingertips...) luck. Great to see the Corrado updates too.Playing 'hunt the boost leak' must get a little tiresome though, especially when it involves contortions of that magnitude!
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
OP - Just noticed a freebee on the second to last column of this Wiki which may interest?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks - I actually have about 3 Haynes manuals for this car - one I bought years ago to read up on a potential purchase, one came in the car's boot and another in the recent haul of parts. Still, I'm sure there are discrepancies between them, because Haynes.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Not much to report on the Saab as its understandably not doing a daily commute, however I have been doling out some of the Saab spares to contacts that need them and cleaning up as I go. One absolutely minuscule update was to the passenger side sun visor. The original mirror was rusted beyond Autosoling and starting the separate. The Haul had four, so I cleaned up the best one and replaced it.
Thrilling developments, I'm sure you'll all agree.
Edited by Spinakerr on Friday 1st May 10:21
Cambs_Stuart said:
It's the little touches that make all the difference.
Hopefully, as at present I can't get on with the big touches!PurpleTurtle said:
Cool Saab seat in the reflection not gone unnoticed!
Thanks, better than my grimacing face I hope. The seats also need restitching, but that's a job for another time...I did have a look this morning at the stereo, which was not original, only occasionally worked and also mangled my copy of Bjork's Debut. Therefore it required removal, a pelting with ice water and burying in the direction of Rekjavik.
Face off, some 90s clips removed and the rainbow entrails of a unicorn were exposed. Another project by the 'enthusiast' former owner I believe - what a mess!
Tape, bags, clips and nasty connectors everywhere.
Remember - blue to green. And red. Right?
I decided to order the correct converter for a modern bluetooth stereo from Saabits for a tenner, and hopefully I can dump this little technicolour spaghetti disaster.
Exactly! Joseph's Technicolour Bodgery. Absolute shambles.
While I await the stereo loom, I ransacked some of the remaining bits in the Haul.
Now, there's no evidence or reports of the 'all alloy' earlier intercooler being better, and this one didn't look as good as the plastic capped one in the engine already, but I liked the alloy pipes, because shiny.
Cleaned these up with a fair amount of gunk and cleaning paraphenalia:
The top joint to the intercooler is a bit larger than my one, but when I had the do88 set delivered I remembered a spare piece - so that's what its for!
Before:
After:
One mystery to solve before the stereo goes in, would appreciate all Saab knowledge available here - what is this blue wire that has been wired in to the plug (with the red and green wire)?
I've accounted for all the wires in the actual plugs using manuals and data on the club, but no idea what this blue wire feeds, it appears completely separate to the original wiring.
Answers on a postcard please!
While I await the stereo loom, I ransacked some of the remaining bits in the Haul.
Now, there's no evidence or reports of the 'all alloy' earlier intercooler being better, and this one didn't look as good as the plastic capped one in the engine already, but I liked the alloy pipes, because shiny.
Cleaned these up with a fair amount of gunk and cleaning paraphenalia:
The top joint to the intercooler is a bit larger than my one, but when I had the do88 set delivered I remembered a spare piece - so that's what its for!
Before:
After:
One mystery to solve before the stereo goes in, would appreciate all Saab knowledge available here - what is this blue wire that has been wired in to the plug (with the red and green wire)?
I've accounted for all the wires in the actual plugs using manuals and data on the club, but no idea what this blue wire feeds, it appears completely separate to the original wiring.
Answers on a postcard please!
With some of the restrictions abating and businesses getting back on track, I decided to take a day off for car related scruffling, which involved the Saab doing a bit of a tour of the countryside around Hertfordshire.
First up, a visit to 2 Stroke 2 Turbo. I wanted to get some quotes together for the rusty wheel arch and sunroof repairs, plus a general assessment of other jobs that might need doing.
I always enjoy visiting a specialist for the first time after talking to them on the phone for a while - the team here have been helpful sourcing a few bits and bobs since we bought the car, but their yard of cars being broken is a joy to behold in person.
There were also some truly delightful examples of staff, customer and 'for sale' cars about for goggling...
Lovely. Suitably softened up, I had an hour with the very knowledgeable Jerry going over the cars and poking every square inch.
Sparing you all the details - the car is generally very solid (phew, as we knew), and has had several repairs of varying quality throughout its life. There are some repairs that have deleted drain channels or specific shapes in the design that really should be fixed, but nothing about to give way or ruin my day at 70mph.
The most pressing is the sunroof repair, which would be quite involved and require a section from another donor in the yard, the two wheel arches and the door bottoms. Plus there are a few small holes to tidy up before undersealing. The sunroof is a priority as it seems to be the cause of the damp in the boot - I'll also look at clearing the drains and removing the sunroof cassette before the rust swells further and starts to damage the panels...
The team at 2 Stroke were all fantastic - knowledgable, amicable and happy to provide options. They clearly have a great setup and would be able to deal with the complex of restorations & faults.
The quote for each of these thee repairs 'worst case' is about 1000 English folding pounds, which is a sobering thought. At present there's no way I can be spending the purchase price of the car again, especially after the gearbox rebuild, so I think I will be looking for more quotes and/or see how the work can be spaced out - all suggestions welcome.
The other reason for the trip was to pick up a replacement Super Inca wheel centre:
As I believe a lot of us can attest, picking through a scrapyard is one of life's greatest pleasures, and ones that is rarely possible nowadays. When I first passed my test I remember heading out to a yard almost every weekend searching for something for a freinds's car (or my woefully asthmatic Ford Capri) and then fitting said part before retiring to a pub in the long summer holidays. After over 100 days of working from home and really not going very far, it was fantastic to just pick my way through the elephantine graveyard of Sweden's finest.
My patience was rewarded when I found these in a 900... fitted rubber mats, 'Made in Finland'. Very rare!
£30 secure the set, and I happily scrubbed them up and replaced the curling eBay specials with absolute glee upon returning home.
Meanwhile the stereo cable is on its way, and I'm eyeing up a few other things to sell to try and cover the repairs! Saab covered, it was off to the nearby Alfa Romeo yard for parts of the 164...
First up, a visit to 2 Stroke 2 Turbo. I wanted to get some quotes together for the rusty wheel arch and sunroof repairs, plus a general assessment of other jobs that might need doing.
I always enjoy visiting a specialist for the first time after talking to them on the phone for a while - the team here have been helpful sourcing a few bits and bobs since we bought the car, but their yard of cars being broken is a joy to behold in person.
There were also some truly delightful examples of staff, customer and 'for sale' cars about for goggling...
Lovely. Suitably softened up, I had an hour with the very knowledgeable Jerry going over the cars and poking every square inch.
Sparing you all the details - the car is generally very solid (phew, as we knew), and has had several repairs of varying quality throughout its life. There are some repairs that have deleted drain channels or specific shapes in the design that really should be fixed, but nothing about to give way or ruin my day at 70mph.
The most pressing is the sunroof repair, which would be quite involved and require a section from another donor in the yard, the two wheel arches and the door bottoms. Plus there are a few small holes to tidy up before undersealing. The sunroof is a priority as it seems to be the cause of the damp in the boot - I'll also look at clearing the drains and removing the sunroof cassette before the rust swells further and starts to damage the panels...
The team at 2 Stroke were all fantastic - knowledgable, amicable and happy to provide options. They clearly have a great setup and would be able to deal with the complex of restorations & faults.
The quote for each of these thee repairs 'worst case' is about 1000 English folding pounds, which is a sobering thought. At present there's no way I can be spending the purchase price of the car again, especially after the gearbox rebuild, so I think I will be looking for more quotes and/or see how the work can be spaced out - all suggestions welcome.
The other reason for the trip was to pick up a replacement Super Inca wheel centre:
As I believe a lot of us can attest, picking through a scrapyard is one of life's greatest pleasures, and ones that is rarely possible nowadays. When I first passed my test I remember heading out to a yard almost every weekend searching for something for a freinds's car (or my woefully asthmatic Ford Capri) and then fitting said part before retiring to a pub in the long summer holidays. After over 100 days of working from home and really not going very far, it was fantastic to just pick my way through the elephantine graveyard of Sweden's finest.
My patience was rewarded when I found these in a 900... fitted rubber mats, 'Made in Finland'. Very rare!
£30 secure the set, and I happily scrubbed them up and replaced the curling eBay specials with absolute glee upon returning home.
Meanwhile the stereo cable is on its way, and I'm eyeing up a few other things to sell to try and cover the repairs! Saab covered, it was off to the nearby Alfa Romeo yard for parts of the 164...
jamesson said:
I have a lot of want for that green 99.
Can you imagine it with a 99 turbo or even 9000 engine? Awesome...mercedeslimos said:
I always love your topics Spinakerr. I like the in-depth nature, this is why I much prefer forums (and probably the only one of my mates who still uses them and not Faceache). While I admit, never had a huge pile of love for the SAAB stuff, the journalism is top-notch. My godfather, American living in northern Sweden, had an '89 900 in a sort of rust colour for about twenty years. He has zero interest in cars, but it was reliable and designed for where they live. I love the blow-by-blow nature of your posts, down to the last gritty detail. That's why I use PH now almost exclusively. It doesn't have to be some fancy supercar (not enough modified VAG content for my liking personally, but ED38 is gone now and that was my outlet for that side of me), but the little details are what's interesting. I sort of hate when a car is standard at one post and then completely changed at the next, where did the journey go undocumented!
Top work!
Sam
Thank you for posting this, I'm glad to hear it's of interest and I must admit writing everything down and having the history on PH is quite fun, as opposed to some of the other 'modern' means of keeping updates on cars. I like the simple format and varied cars on PH, plus there's always a useful PM or comment if I get stuck on something! Northern Sweden is truly beautiful - part of all this repair action is the desire for road trips around Europe while they're still potentially possible...Top work!
Sam
Cambs_Stuart said:
Hope the rust problems don't get too expensive. It's always a tough choice, you can ring round and might be able to get a quote thats a couple of hundred cheaper, but would you get the same level of expertise?
Anything you can do to to reduce the bill? Strip and prep the areas yourself?
I remember having this issue with an MG midget many years ago (That was the last time i tried to use a classic as a daily).
I went cheap, as i was young and broke, and regretted it.
Thanks, as always - It's difficult to judge the costs and work required, and some quotes are never realistic whereas with 2stroke I do believe they know exactly what they are doing, and when they say 'worst case', they mean it! At the very least the sunroof is a must, and its also a question of scheduling if we are going to get a load of protection applied underneath before some jaunts in the autumn...Anything you can do to to reduce the bill? Strip and prep the areas yourself?
I remember having this issue with an MG midget many years ago (That was the last time i tried to use a classic as a daily).
I went cheap, as i was young and broke, and regretted it.
All suggestions of Saab skilled workshops welcome!
Thank you all, and thanks to those that sent PMs with other bodyshops for quotes, we're still umming and ahhing over what can be done in the months ahead.
This cigarette socket stopped working recently, and I hope it was just a loose connection or fuse - alas it just enjoyed smoking fuses! Its number 13, the bottom left 20 amp yellow one:
So I took some switches out of the dash to get to the socket, and scraped off a fair bit of detritus, checked the connectors and wires for shorts, and rebent some of the cradle with a screwdriver to rule out any issue. Its like a down-at-heel droid's eye socket:
Alas it was still drawing far too much current, so I unplugged it entirely.
Remember the mystery blue wire soldered onto the radio power lead? turns out it was attached to the live feed for the rea window demister.
Really.
...but that's a story for another time!
Consulting the manuals the fuse also covers the reversing lights, so with the lighter socket disconnected it must be something in that circuit.. right? Earthing point in the boot looked good, but the rear lights themselves needed a bit of TLC:
One lens required an araldite repair for a screw socket, and there was lots of scrunge around the various bulb holders, and one blown reversing light bulb...aha!
No longer 'Forever Blowing Fuses', but each time I go into the wiring on this car I despair. Here's an under bonnet connect I spotted with the infamous biodegradeable 80s wiring taking hold... remember the original War Of The Worlds film?
If anyone know of any NOS undegradeable looms sections, please let me know - I think it needs doing!
Basic functionality restored, we took the Saab for our first proper 'night out' since March - a drive-in cinema at Goodwood.
Very good fun, pricey but well managed and good quality, plus we managed to win the freebies with our acute film theme knowledge.
We stayed at the Goodwood hotel for one of their 'revival' first openings, food was excellent but without air con the rooms were unbearable - be warned, and bring your own fans if you go - I think its the same for all hotels at present.
Some interesting items in the car park. Wife liked the Corvette:
I liked the SZ!
We made it nicely there and back, though the annoyingly low exhaust grounded out a few times and needs to be adjusted, one of the CV joints is weeping grease again, and the brakes a shreiking worse than ever... MOT end of July, time to get stuck in.
This cigarette socket stopped working recently, and I hope it was just a loose connection or fuse - alas it just enjoyed smoking fuses! Its number 13, the bottom left 20 amp yellow one:
So I took some switches out of the dash to get to the socket, and scraped off a fair bit of detritus, checked the connectors and wires for shorts, and rebent some of the cradle with a screwdriver to rule out any issue. Its like a down-at-heel droid's eye socket:
Alas it was still drawing far too much current, so I unplugged it entirely.
Remember the mystery blue wire soldered onto the radio power lead? turns out it was attached to the live feed for the rea window demister.
Really.
...but that's a story for another time!
Consulting the manuals the fuse also covers the reversing lights, so with the lighter socket disconnected it must be something in that circuit.. right? Earthing point in the boot looked good, but the rear lights themselves needed a bit of TLC:
One lens required an araldite repair for a screw socket, and there was lots of scrunge around the various bulb holders, and one blown reversing light bulb...aha!
No longer 'Forever Blowing Fuses', but each time I go into the wiring on this car I despair. Here's an under bonnet connect I spotted with the infamous biodegradeable 80s wiring taking hold... remember the original War Of The Worlds film?
If anyone know of any NOS undegradeable looms sections, please let me know - I think it needs doing!
Basic functionality restored, we took the Saab for our first proper 'night out' since March - a drive-in cinema at Goodwood.
Very good fun, pricey but well managed and good quality, plus we managed to win the freebies with our acute film theme knowledge.
We stayed at the Goodwood hotel for one of their 'revival' first openings, food was excellent but without air con the rooms were unbearable - be warned, and bring your own fans if you go - I think its the same for all hotels at present.
Some interesting items in the car park. Wife liked the Corvette:
I liked the SZ!
We made it nicely there and back, though the annoyingly low exhaust grounded out a few times and needs to be adjusted, one of the CV joints is weeping grease again, and the brakes a shreiking worse than ever... MOT end of July, time to get stuck in.
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