Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 23:51:06 +0100 From: Robert Brown <rjbnopsamnetNOSPAM.se> Subject: Re: the shifting saaga begins... looking for advice
Hi, some comments below: leone wrote: > i have an '89 900 turbo (relatively "solid") that has a really loose > shifter. i've been babying the car (i just bought it about 5 months ago) > because i haven't had a minute to look into it. > > in any event... > i stopped by a dealer today to have them check out the "sloppy shifting" > and it appears that my shifting mechanism is all worn and loose. apparently > without taking it all apart, one can't tell how much repair is needed (makes > sense). they felt the tranny seemed fine (no whining). the dealer told me > it could be anywhere from $200 - 700 beans to fix. also they said it could > "go" at any time. I've done a few gearshift linkage fixes on our cars (1983 900 and 1983 99), plus a few 1985-1987's, as a non-professional mechanic. What I have to suggest goes for manual boxes, not automatics. I can think of three places _outside_ the gearbox that, when loose or worn out, will cause sloppy shifting - let's hope your problem has to do with these: 1) loose centre console, 2) broken gearstick centering spring 3) torn rubber joint behind gearbox. Guess we have to see if any of these is the problem (BTW problems 1 and 2 can be fixed by working within the driver's compartment; for number 3, you'll have to get under the car (probably no need to lift it). 1) By selecting, say, third, and moving the gear lever left and right, you'll see if the centre console moves or tips a bit. To tighten the three anchor points, you'll need to remove the plastic from around the console (often easiest by first removing the driver's seat - remember the seat heating cable too). Saab use a special tool for these three points, but you can fashion your own from a 1 cm diameter pipe and a hacksaw if you're desperate ... 2) Put the lever in neutral, then push it left or right. The gear lever should always return to a point between third and fourth. This is made possible by a yoke and spring assembly that sits a few inches forward of the centre console. If that spring breaks (and I've managed to break three so far), then the lever will flap around a fair bit. You'll know that's the case if you find yourself going from second to fifth all the time when you really want third. You'll have to take up the carpet on the driver's side and unscrew some ventilation ducts to get to this. 3) This can be seen from under the car. Get someone to shift the gears while you shine a flashlight on the rubber linkage (about 6 inches back from the point where the selector bar goes into the gearbox. If it's damaged, you'll probably see this. I had an old type of rubber linkage on my 99, and it disintegrated to the point that I could get second, fourth, and reverse OK (pushing the selector tube into the box), but had trouble getting first, third, fifth (pushing the stick forward draws the selector tube out of the box, of course). Costs for the various fixes above, if it's DIY: 1) about $25 for Saab's special tool? 2) about $6 for a new spring 3) about $30 for a new rubber linkage and cotter pin None of these jobs will take a mechanic more than a half hour to do. Again, we're assuming and hoping that your problem is not related to anything _inside_ the gearbox. > > > i was wondering if anyone has embarked on fixing one of these themselves and > if it's true that it might "go" and leave me stranded. it's very tempting > to begin mucking around there. my problem is that i live in a washington dc > and can't really get under the car. so, before i began troubleshooting it > myself i wanted to see how big the can of worms might be. i've done a bit > of work on my older saabs without too much trouble but never in the > shifting/transmission world. > > if anyone has any advice on whether i should: > a) get this fixed right away before i'm stranded in Southeast DC and/or, If 3) above is your problem, fix it straight away, you may lose the linkage altogether and won't be able to shift. 1) and 2) you can always live with for quite a while. > > b) give it to someone else to take care of (and eat rice and beans for 6 > months, and/or Have a look at the three possibilities above before you decide to make someone else rich. > > > c) try and get the parts through the dealer and do it myself > i'd appreciate it. email me if you need to ask more (remove the NOSPAM in the addresses) good luck // Robert > > > thanks a lot.. > > jim leone > leone123nopsamigy.net
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
