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Re: New to 99's - Things to look for? Posted by Gary Stottler [Email] (#1463) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Gary Stottler) on Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:59:21 In Reply to: New to 99's - Things to look for?, Jawerdna [Profile/Gallery] , Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:14:06 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
As noted, the Triumph motor (1.7L and 1.85L) was used from 1969 - 1972, first carbureted then fuel-injected (Bosch D-Jetronic). An automatic transmission (Borg Warner Type 35) was available from 1970. Manual transmissions prior to 1972 included free wheeling (a hold-over from the 2-stroke engine days even though it was a completely new gearbox) and were quite fragile. As noted, the 2.0L Saab "B" engine was introduced in 1973 and is generally pretty robust. Just keep the coolant clean! Water pump parts are actually readily available, but expertise and tools to do the service are specialized and may be hard to find and if it's not done properly a leaking water pump can lead to rebuilding the whole engine. Models from 1975 on (in the US) all had Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. Again, parts are not really a problem, but many have been messed with by owners/technicians who did not understand the system. I would say that there are three groups - 1969-1972, 1973-1976 (during which there were endless changes to brakes, clutch, fuel injection, transmission, etc.) and then 1977-1980 when things were fairly stable and well-sorted. There's really nothing to fear mechanically in the later group of cars although some parts will take some searching. I find that the biggest challenge is plastic interior and exterior trim - it's getting increasingly difficult to find, for instance, a turn signal lens. Very few trim parts are still available or reproduced, so it's good to try to buy a car which has all those items in good condition.
_______________________________________ Gary Stottler
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