Date: 26 Nov 2003 19:01:31 GMT From: Adrian <spamtrapnopsampman.freeisp.co.uk> Subject: Re: I want to beat a Saab engineer to death with a blunt spanner...
Grunff (grunffnopsam.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : >> Open the bonnet ('88 c900i) and everything looks *dead* easy. Pah. > I've owned a whole bunch of cars, including (the ones I can > remember) Saab, BMW, Rover, Volvo, Honda, Citroen, Renault, > Triumph, Mini, and a few others - dating from 1968 to 1996. I > have to say that overall, the C900 wins hands down for ease of > maintenance! (The e30 comes a close second, in case it's listening) I'm *used* to Citroens... My mind works in a chevron kind of way... >> Poor design :- >> - That Sodding Air Filter. What the hell were they thinking? *THIS* is >> why I want to beat a Saab engineer to death with a blunt spanner. >> Grrr. > [a] This was a mistake they made on the CIS models. Not wrong. > [b] Try doing one on a 9000! Heh. Thanks, no thanks. >> - That Sodding Alternator Bracket. F'ing thing was broken, so had to >> be swapped. Jaysus. Still, at least the allen bolts came undone, >> unlike the bracket donor. The belts aren't fun, either, but I do like >> that adjuster. > Erm, ok, you found the big one. ;-) <grin> >> - Fuel filter unions. Seized solid. Did come in the end, though. > I never try to undo anything without emptying half a can of > plusgas on it, and never put it back together without big > dollops of copper grease. That *WAS* with PlusGas.... >> - Power steering belt. It didn't help that the belt GS&F supplied was >> a bit too short, but it might have worked if the soddin' pivot bolt >> wasn't seized. > This one puzzles me - what could be easier than the PS belt?? Doing a PS belt on a car where the pump pivots. The pivot bolt was seized solid in the body and on the bracket - the nut was off completely, but the pump WOULD not move, without severe leverage abuse. Yep, PlusGas used. >> - Oil filter. It was a Fram one on there, roughly the size of a >> bucket. If the alternator hadn't been out anyway, I think it'd still >> be in there... Nice place for coolant hoses, too. > A bit tight, but far preferable to having to crawl under the car > to get at it, no? You've done one on a CX, then? <shudder> - No, it was the size of the one that was on there. No way would it have come out - hence under poor maintenance rather than design, although it would have been tight with the alternator and cooling pipes on. >> - Reverse selector mod. Oooh! That's made all the difference. Or >> should this be in "poor design" that I had to do it at all? > The gearbox is a major weak point in the C900. It's an awful, > awful gearbox. <touches wood, rapidly> Mine seems OK at the mo. Fifth is a bit of an acquired skill, but it'll now reverse without a death grip on the lever. >> - Plugs - look easy, ran out of time. What's the odds they're seized? > One word - PlusGas! Hell, yes. Ally head. Stone cold, plenty of Copaslip going back in.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
