Date: 25 Apr 2003 15:17:55 GMT From: davehinznopsamcop.net Subject: Re: Question about the Opal (spelling) engines
Someone who looks an awful lot like Brittany <LauraJ2Bnopsamcom> wrote: > Anyway, I was shopping at a dealership in Andover and they had an > awesome 95 Saab 1999 6 cyl. My father told me not to get it because > of the engine was an opal. One of the guys at work told me Opal is an > engine manufactured here in the states. It's a German V6, I believe. > So is it really a bad engine? I turned the car down and decided to > wait for a 4 cyl but this car is soooo nice. The V6 doesn't have the reputation for being a solid engine, as the 4 does. Mostly, this is because it has timing belts to move the camshafts, rather than timing chains as the 4's do. The result is that if the timing belts aren't replaced every (30,000 I believe) miles, there is a real chance that they'll break, and this will do massive damage to the engine (bent valves, pistons, possibly connecting rods, all sorts of ugly/expensive stuff). > So any advice from the car experts will be soooo greatly appreciated. It depends. If that is the car you really really want, and you're willing to make sure the belts are properly maintained, you should do fine. Me, I'd get the heater fan fixed in the existing car, and keep the 4. Dave Hinz