Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 14:30:09 -0800 From: Justin VanAbrahams <jvanabranopsamnet> Subject: Re: Saab 9-3 Engine Question
Bristlecone wrote: > > What is the design/engineering lineage of the 9-3's engine? Is it a GM/Opel > product, which I gather it would be if it were a derivative of the 94-98 > 900. Or is it derived from the pre-94 900 series? I'm seriously thinking > about buying a 9-3, but I'm not sure I want a GM-designed engine. > > Thanks in advance. The four-cylinder engine is a direct derivative of the first four cylinder engine that Saab used... In 1985 they re-engineered that original eight valve four cylinder into two distinct 16v four cylinder engines - one for the 900 platform and one for the 9000 platform. The heads on these engines are essentially the same, but the block is fairly different since the 900 platform used a 45-degree slant and the 9000 used a far lesser slant... Both engines are designated B202 by Saab. In 1991 (in the U.S., anyway) Saab did some further adjusting - the 900 engine was bored to make a 2.1l engine (the B212, only on non-turbo models) and the 9000 engine was stroked to make a 2.3l engine (B234). Additionally, in Europe, Saab modified the 9000's 2.0l engine design to add a pair of balance shafts to help smooth it out (designated B204). The four cylinder engine you'll find on the modern 9-3 and 9-5 is almost precisely the same engine as those found on the 9000s in the early '90s - the 9-5s and the Viggen get the 2.3l engine (B234) while all other 9-3s and some 9-5s in Europe get the 2.0l engine with balance shafts (B204) and either an LPT turbo or a full-pressure turbo. That's the long answer... :) The short answer is that all four cylinder engines in all Saabs are designed and built by Saab, and have none of GM's influence... -Justin
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