1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main 95 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Oil cooler Posted by Larry West [Email] (#1140) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Larry West) on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:45:10 In Reply to: Oil cooler, JLee [Profile/Gallery] , Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:22:34 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
>>>I have oil in coolant. Thinking this is the result of a bad oil cooler. Is
>>>it ever possible, to save a little money, by just replacing gaskets o-rings etc ?
Unfortunately, that is NOT how they fail. The V6 oil cooler lives in the valley between the cylinder banks, awash in coolant (see the pic below). It corrodes, oil mixes with water, and you have a mess. The inlet manifolds have to come off, the cover removed, and the cooler changed.
>>>It is also time to replace timing belt and tensioner.. so spending plenty there.
While it's not necessary to do it at the same time, you might get a break on labor if you do...
And, if you are doing the oil cooler, do the thermostat. It's just a LOT easier to do with all that apart.
>>>I saw a mechanic on UTUBE changing belt and tensioner, and he
>>>just inspected belt, then chose to re-use it.
NEVER re-use a timing belt! The belt is far, far, cheaper than either the labor to open up the end of the motor to change it, or the damage it WILL cause to the valves and heads when it does fail.
Are you sure the video was talking about re-using the TIMING belt, and not the SERPENTINE (accessory) Belt? The Serp belt, I suppose you could get away with re-using, but again, just how often do you want to be under the hood of your car to replace a $30 belt? And to you want to have to be doing a band-aid fix on the side of the road, after midnight, in the rain? (The Serpentine belt drives the water pump, the alternator, power steering and AC compressor)
>>>Just got this car, think I'm gonna like, after spending plenty. Any input is appreciated.
I love the V6, and it's a very good motor, but it is highly intolerant of maintenance neglect. The timing belt MUST be changed every 60k, along with the tensioner & pulleys. Use synthetic oil and premium gas, and you'll have a long life with it.
Since you're getting the timing belt done, MAKE SURE that they change all of the pulleys (not the sprockets) the TB touches. In the illustration from Anders at the link, the pulleys are the two on the tensioner (under the cam sprockets to the left), and the one idler (blue arrow just above and right of the crank). There are a couple variations on the timing belt tensioner layout, so yours may not look exactly like this. Anders has illustrations of both.
Consider changing the water pump while it's all apart. Changing the water pump is 90% of the SAME labor as changing the timing belt An extra couple hundred here will save you several hundred later. In Anders' illustration, the water pump is the thing in the middle of it all.
I have two rules about V6 water pumps:
1) change it every other timing belt (120k) whether it looks like it needs it or not
2) if the car is new to me, change it anyway when I have the TB changed, regardless of miles
Anecdote: My mechanic owned a V6 9-5, and changed the timing belt on it. But he didn't change the water pump, because it was "working fine". The pump failed a very short time after he changed the belt. He realized the pump failed when the motor felt off song. The leaking coolant had caused the timing belt to slip a tooth on one of the sprockets! Fortunately, he avoided major motor damage, but he had to completely disassemble the timing belt area twice in three weeks. Not what you want to happen when you're paying someone like him!
One other thing, do a transmission fluid flush. DO NOT have a "pressure flush" done at a shop! Buy a case of the 3309 fluid, get the car warmed up, drain the pan, replace the plug, refill to the line, drive around for 20 mins, using all gears for at least 30 seconds, then repeat till you have put the last of the new fluid in.
My current 9-5 has a rebuilt (!) transmission in it. Rebuilt before 85k! In the records I got with the car, there was a shop trans flush done only weeks before the trans was replaced. Coincidence??? I don't think so!
Anders' pic of the V6 timing belt
_______________________________________ Current: 2002 9-5 Aero Kombi Cosmic Blue 2000 9-5 SE sedan, Imola Red 1990 900S Rose Quartz, Auto Past: 1999 9-5 LPT Combi 1999 9-5 LPT sedan 2002 9-5 Arc 1990 900 5-speed 1986 900 turbo Convertible 1991 9000 turbo 1980 99 GLi 1986 900 turbo 1986 900 S 1991 900 turbo 1984 900 turbo 1976 99 GL
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.