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Chris,
I think you have some serious freewheel mechanism problems.
First, go to the famous "performance 96 co uk" website- insert dots for spaces. Click on 96 tuning then gearbox and familiarize yourself with the great picturs of the freewheel.
So...when you pull the freewheel lever out (or towards the firewall from inside the car), you are locking the freewheel so it doesn't "freewheel". From the picture, what happens is the outer teeth on the freewheel "dog" mesh with the inner teeth on the freewheel hub, therefore locking the drive.
When you push the freewheel lever in (or towards the engine from inside the car), you are unlocking the freewheel. The outer teeth of the freewheel dog no longer mesh with the inner teeth on the freewheel hub. What happens is this- when you increase RPM, the freewheel rollers jam against the smooth inner surface of the freewheel hub and you have drive. Just like a clutch on a chainsaw or a go-kart. When you let off the gas and RPM falls, the rollers relax and you coast! Cars with sticky freewheels have gunk in freewheel hub which causes the rollers to stick. Worse, wear ridges can develop in the inner hub surface making it all herky-jerky.
Now...what is YOUR problem? I think it's the worn teeth on the freewheel dog that you heard grinding after you messed with the freewheel position. The dog can be replaced if the teeth are bad. Not so easy to replace the freewheel hub if its all worn out!
Notice also from the pictures- a freewheel lockout is a SLEEVE that fits over the shaft and pushs the freewheel dog into the hub and keeps it deep in there, thus locking out the freewheeling feature. It's not a fork. Just a simple sleeve.
And for the love of all things good about VSaabs, DON'T weld it in! Welding does NOT belong inside a transmission, for a variety of reasons. Yeah, I know people have done it over the years, but NOT a good idea.
Your original problem was poor selection of reverse- could be a poorly adjusted shift mechanism.
Once you get the drivetrain out- check very carefully for wear in the throwout forks- oval holes and general sloppiness which can cause shifting problems. You'll have to drain your trans, pop out your drivers, and pull off the bellhousing to get at the shaft and freewheel mechanism. You should also pull off the top and rear trans covers and check the rear shaft nuts- most common problem of failure for Saab gearboxs is that they LOOSEN up and pretty soon the whole thing grenades! If you don't know how, I can tell you...If you pull off the rear cover, don't LOSE the shims!
Sorry for writing a book...good luck and keep us posted with what you find.
eric in vermont
posted by 68.142.46...
, Sun, 2 Nov 2008 09:11:43
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