Oh mama!

What a difference a new clutch makes….

For the last 8 months I’ve barely driven my 1985 Saab 900 Aero because I had the Alfa to play with and because the clutch was playing up. It happened gradually so I didn’t really notice the drop in performance until it was pointed out to me (stupid, I know).

Two weeks ago I got out the orbital polisher and cutting compound and gave the car a quick clean. It was looking really good but it was still driving like a dog.

Today I got the clutch and oh….my….

I’ve got a new car!

I’m committed to selling it, but I’m scratching my head like crazy to find a way to keep it. We don’t have room and I can’t afford the associated costs, but just this afternoon I’ve developed a new found appreciation for this most classic of vehicles and am finding it very hard to see myself let it go.

Before you suggest it: the Alfa is not up for consideration. It was bought with a purpose and that purpose is only a month or so away from being realised.

But I’ve got to find a way to keep this car in the collection.

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A brief word from someone who’s not mechanical.

My clutch plate was actually fine. It was the pressure plate that was stuffed. The previous clutch kit was made up of a Sachs clutch plate and a pressure plate from a company called Luk. Apparently a number of aftermarket companies use these Luk pressure plates (they’re cheaper) and they’re prone to premature failure on turbocharged cars. My mechanic, Steve E, has seen a few of them go this way.

If you’re replacing the clutch in your C900, stay away from these Luk units. The extra $50 for the proper full Sachs kit is well worth it.

I received the following via email from Ryan A and as usual, I’ve got no idea about this stuff, so I thought I’d post it here and the technically competent amongst you could provide any feedback you might have.

Here’s the email:

I am into car lighting and have recently installed an aftermarket HID kit in my MY07 9-3 SS 2.0T A.E. Apparently the Factory Saab Xenon HID package cannot be installed after-the-fact as I checked with 2 dealers techs.

The install went fairly well and the lights are definetly what I have been craving all this time (escpecially at the much higher rated 55W HID), BUT they only work when the engine is not running. If I turn on the engine, they lights go out after 3 seconds. I get the expected “Headlight/Foglight Failure” in the SID, but was wondering if there is anyway to bypass, reset the diagnostics, or fool the computer to keep them on so I can actually drive.

I’ll be checking with the supplier techs to see if the Warning Code eliminator really solves the problem or if its the quirkyness of the Saab electrical system.

Any help would be helpful as this kit would be a great X-mas present (to myself).

The lights that Ryan is trying to install are here. He got the 8000K DDM 55 Watt Slim Ballast HID KIT for the Lowbeams (H7) and Fog Lights (H3).

We’ve got a pretty good hit rate with tech questions here but this one could be tricky. If you can share some knowledge then I’m sure it’d be appreciated by Ryan and anyone else looking to do the same conversion.

Just a quickie to let you know about a discovery I just made at Elkparts. I was heading over there to check out some bits for the Monte Carlo and noticed that there’s now a Haynes service manual available for the 2003-2007 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi and Convertible.

Please note that this manual covers vehicles in this range manufactured up to September 2007 only and therefore doesn’t cover the 2008 versions. It also skips the V6 Aero model from 2006 and 2007 and the early 2.2 litre diesel models in Europe.

What it DOES cover, therefore, are the 1998cc petrol models and the 1.9 litre diesels, which should be of assistance to the vast majority of 9-3 owners out there.

If you like to turn the occasional wrench on your cars, then the Haynes manual could be of valuable assistance and it’s the first manual I’m aware of for the 2003-onwards range for the Saab 9-3.

Haynes manuals are typically based around a complete rebuild of the car and are full of pictures to help you identify what it is you’re messing with. These books can help anyone out with their basic maintenance and are especially useful for the technically inept (like me). I’ll be using my Haynes 9-3 manual for the 1998-2002 range on the Monte in the next few weeks to save a few bucks that can then be spent on more enjoyable things.

Related link: the Elkparts product page for the Saab 9-3 SS range manual from Haynes.

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Local Tasmanian Saabnut, Drew B, is doing a fixer-upper repair job on a 1995 V6 Saab 900. I covered the initial stages of the job a few weeks ago.

Let’s recap.

When Drew first got the car, it looked like this:

After removing the damaged radiator panel (and associated bits) and straightening the supports, the new panel was spot welded into position and primed, ready to go:

So where are we at now? Well, it’s not quite done yet, but should be on the weekend. Have a look….

[Read the rest of this entry →]

This is going to be another one of those stories that reports a repair job being done by local Tasmanian Saabnut, Drew B, while the job’s still only half done. But I get somewhat fascinated by the work and can’t help but toss it up here, anyway.

Back in October, I showed the roof repair job that he is doing on an OG9-3. The roof panel has now arrived and is on the car, though the work is still unfinished. I’ll update that one shortly.

In the meantime, here’s the latest project, which began just a few days ago. And remember, this is all being done at his home. Drew makes his living in the engineering sciences. He’s not a professional bodyworks guy. It only looks that way when the job’s done.

The latest project involves a Saab NG900 with a 2.5 V6 that he picked up at auction for a couple of hundred dollars. Here’s how it looked then:

[Read the rest of this entry →]

In another welcome diversion from the gloom and doom of the automotive market crunch and crushing cash burn rates, I present a few little digital gems that will enhance any Saab lover’s life.

Featured: A cheap dyno/skid-pad program for iPhone and iPod Touch, some great podcasts for your PC and/or mp3 player and an accessory from one of our sponsors.
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The reason for this post — I’ve just purchased my first actual iPod. I was a long-time satisfied user of an iRiver Clix that was either lost or stolen on a trip to New Jersey last summer. Faced with the decision, I decided to buy a factory refurbished 4GB iPod Nano 3rd Generation from the Apple store online. With shipping it was around $85 — a great price if you ask me. I grudgingly admit that this little gadget is a huge upgrade. I still have a fundamental issue with the proprietary Apple compression format, but I must admit that it sounds great and having video in your player is also a huge plus.

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This has my wheels turning in that direction, so here are a few Saab-related revelations that accompanied the iPod-ing of my life. (For a non-Saab related revelation, see here.)
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I’ll start with the great-looking iPod/mp3 add-on kit for your 9-3 available from Elkparts. This setup avoids the compromised sound associated with FM transmitters and other add-on adapters. Using a direct interface, this harness gets you connected the right way. Works for me, except that I don’t own a 9-3!

(Swade has looked at this option in the past, but I’m assuming that since the Viggen is no more that little project went by the way.)
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I love this little software package from Dynolicious for Apple iPhone or Apple iPod Touch. It uses the accelerometer inside the device to measure acceleration in all directions that can be used to translate engine output, 0-60 times, quarter mile time, lateral grip and braking performance. For only US$13, you get a little performance monitor for any car! I’m sure that it’s not very precise, but for $13 I could live with that. It requires no connections to the car and you can download the results to your PC. Very cool.

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If you haven’t checked out the Saabcast site on Saabusa.com, have a look. There are a few great video podcasts there. I found a couple of additional videos from Saab USA on iTunes that I could download free of charge, including this video on “How to change a tire.” Nicely done, and the Dame Edna 9-5 and an attractive actress make it easy on the eyes, for sure.

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GM Europe has a cache of iPod-ready videos for we Saabisti, too. Some very polished stuff such as this video of the Saab 9-X Air concept with Mark Adams.

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Finally, there are a few Canadians out there actually racing Saabs! Swade has featured JL Racing before, but they’ve posted some great information on their website including a few great audio podcasts (click on the podcasts banner on the right column of the front page). They certainly had some late-season success in the Canadian Touring Car series with three wins in late August! I highly recommend all three podcasts for some great Saab techie tidbits.

UPDATED! – ‘before’ pictures now added.

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Fellow Tassie Saabnut, Drew B, is at it again. He’s always looking for a project and many of them involve cars that other people would just pass by. Take this Saab 900 S, for example. It was a low mileage car owned by an old lady – a classic vehicular pickup – but it had also had its roof caved in courtesy of a wayward tree that got lost during a wind storm. Perfect.

I no longer have the Here are the ‘before’ photos…..

……and here’s what Drew got up to last weekend:

Drew picked up the car for a song with the intention of fixing it up for his mother to drive. It’s only done around 90,000kms and apart from the dented lid, it’s squeaky clean.

Getting the replacement roof panel was a story in itself. Drew ordered the panel and it turned up in it’s box, though when he checked it out he found that it was a 9-5 roof panel, not a 900 panel. A check of the database showed that the 900 roof panel was now obsolete and there were none in stock. A few phone calls, discussions and arguments later, it was found that the panel was, in fact, still available, despite the database showing it as being unavailable. The 9-5 panel was shipped off and the new one arrived a few weeks ago.

Back to the repairs…..

So how do you remove a roof panel? Well, it helps if you have one of these to drill out all of the spot welds.

So the roof is now off. I’m sure we’ll get some updated pics when the new roof is attached and the car is put back together. Then Drew can get on to fixing the silver convertible, restoring the blue 99……..

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I got an email in from Renee the other day. She wanted to tap my technical expertise.

Seeing I have no technical expertise, I thought I’d post the question here and let you lot get in on the act. Renee’s question is a two-parter, as follows:

I love my used Saab 9-3t convertible 2004, which I bought about six months ago. I wondered if you could help me with a techie question?

Ever since I bought the car it has had a problem with randomly revviing up as I am driving. Do you have any idea what could be causing this and how I can get it fixed if it is random?

Secondly, what brand gas is best? I was using Chevron premium but have switched to their regular due to cost. However, I hate to support mid east gas when I could buy American…any suggestions?

Firstly, congratulations on your wise choice in picking up an irrestivertible. A fine drive in anyone’s terms. I suggest getting a BSR upgrade for some enhanced zippiness. It’ll really bring it to life. Our email circle here in Australia have been discussing the BSR unit over the last few days and one guy who’s done the modification to his 1.8t SportCombi absolutely loves it.

Of course, that’s got nothing to do with your questions, but I thought I’d offer it up anyway.

On the first issue, I’ll have to defer to those that tune in here and actually know what they’re on about. Something electrical, perhaps?

On the second issue, I have to confess that I’m an absolute believer in the marketing of the oil companies. I only use premium. BP Ultimate, actually. I don’t know if it’s just phychological, but my cars definitely do feel like they’re running better, and are more responsive, on the premium juice.

Standard fuel here in Australia is 91 Octane, though I think we use a slightly different measuring system to the US. The BP Ultimate stuff is 98 octane, so it’s certainly supposed to have some more zip than the normal stuff.

I think it’s even more important to use the good stuff if your car is modified and the new tuning is based on an expectation for good fuel.

In terms of the origin of the oil – stuff it. Everyone you’re buying it from is way wealthier than you, so you’re lining someone’s pockets either way. Just whose pockets they are is almost impossible to tell at any given filling station. The only way you could be sure is to buy a diesel and start making your own.

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They’re just my token thoughts. Over to the rest of you.

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