Date: 17 Aug 2001 16:35:42 -0500 From: dhinznopsamh.execpc.com (Dave Hinz) Subject: Re: So.. why is the engine in back to front?
Jonathan McCormack (McCormackJnopsamsyCity.Gov.UK) wrote: : My wife's 900 has just had it's clutch replaced and the mechanic who did it : was wondering why the engine is in back to front compared to normal cars. Well, for one thing, it makes the clutch a *heck* of a lot easier to change. : He says it took a lot of effort to engineer parts of engine and drivetrain : for this to happen, so it must have been done for a very good reason... but : why? Since Saab pretty much designed these components from scratch anyway, it's no extra effort. The 900 has the engine "backwards" because it's derived from the classic 900. The classic 900 is that way because it's derived from the 99. The 99 had it that way because, well, I dunno...maybe so that the clutch would be easy to change. Interestingly enough (or not, you decide!), the 3-cylinder Saab's, using the 2-stroke engine which were produced until about 1968, were derived from a DKW 2-stroke engine, which Saab put the flywheel on the opposite end of. So, they've been backwards (cyl #1 closest to the firewall) for a *long* time. But, it's no extra work when you're designing it, and I'd guess it was done either for serviceability, or balance, at least. Dave Hinz
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