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What to look for, when to run
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Posted by Arabiflora [Email] (#1129) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Arabiflora) on Tue, 3 May 2005 19:00:37 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Re: oh no, not an automatic, those trannies were terrible, phil, Tue, 3 May 2005 10:34:55
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I saw your post when it first appeared and knew it would generate the usual litany of "Saab auto trannies suck" and "Not if they're cared for" replies that periodically arise here on SaabNet. Unfortunately, the discussion generates too much heat and not much light. Not that the following is definitive, but it's my 2 cents and you get it cheaper than that.

I've driven an '88 900S 5 spd for the past 5 years or so. It recently rolled 335,000 and the drivetrain is solid as a rock (knock on wood). The tranny is balky in cold weather on startup but smooth under normal operating temps. I love the car.

I bought a '93 900S sedan, auto tranny last winter with ~125,000 miles. First thing I noticed was the difference in road speed rpms auto (~3500 at 70 mph) vs ~2400 in the 5 spd. Bottom line, much more road noise with 3 spd auto and less upper end rpms if more speed is needed.

Actually, that's not true. The FIRST thing I noticed was the slow shift from 2nd to third on the auto. For a while I could 'persuade' it to shift by accelerating with the selector in 2 and it would advance gears when I pushed it to "D", but soon that trick stopped working and shortly thereafter (~1500 miles total miles on my dime) I lost 2nd and 3rd gears altogether. The tranny is toast.

So what to look for?

1. Service records! As noted in other posts, autoboxes can be dependable but aren't nearly as forgiving of maintenance lapses as manual transmission. You'll have to search the board for recommended fluid change intervals, it never became an issue for me.

2. Put the auto tranny through it's paces on test drive-- see if the shift points seem about right relative to rpms on hard accelerations and on slow ones; see if you can feel any clunkiness on accel or decelleration, and be sure to test recovery on a non-stop decelleration (brake gently from 55 to ~20 then put your foot back into it, see if it's still in drive or whether it's downshifted to 2nd for more torque).

3. Pull the tranny fluid dipstick and inspect fluid. It should be red and clear with a sweetish oil smell if the tranny has been well-maintained. Tell-tale signs of a poorly maintained auto are discolored fluid (brownish) and a burnt smell.

The auto tranny on your friend's prospective car is its Achilles heel, especially given the mileage you cite, so be extra careful to look it over and give extra weight to its condition relative to the other common Classic Saab issues (Rust on suspension A-arms and elsewhere, worn alternator bushings, harmonic balancer, head gasket, etc). I paid $1425 for my '93 (not including costs for procurement, lisence and registration, and some other nec. repairs) and it presently sits uselessly in my driveway as I scramble to find either a dependable auto tranny replacement or a suitable donor car for the auto-to-manual tranny conversion. Either will cost major $, hassle, gnashing of teeth and/or knuckles, so if you have any doubts about the car, urge your friend to run far, far, away.

Good luck, hope it goes well for you, and I believe that it can. But as you evaluate the car, keep your eye on the real bottom line costs. The condition of the head liner or whether the heated seats actually work only matter at the margins.

SW
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