1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main C900 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Cleaning the lower engine compartment- What a Mess! Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 11:24:08 In Reply to: Re: Cleaning the lower engine compartment- What a Mess!, Matt Grimes [Profile/Gallery] , Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:50:45 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
There was actually a discussion about painted blocks in another place recently. The story apparently goes that early motors were just grey, but in the mid '80s Saab started painting them red to make finding leaks easier... spotting automotive fluids against a grey background isn't easy. They went to black later on... I imagine with UV dye & other modern techniques there isn't a big requirement to spot leaks. I'm sure all iron blocks got painted - otherwise they would turn into a rusty mess pretty quickly. Newer cars (including newer Saabs) with aluminum blocks tend to be bare... no point in incurring the cost for a motor that won't rust. :)
As far as mess goes, I generally blame the power steering system. The rubber hoses & seals get old and fluid ends up misting to the outside. The same happens to a lesser extent with the oil cooler hoses. There is also a "platform" under the entire rear of the engine bay (rack, driveshaft tunnels, etc.) which collects oil & road gunk and everything you drive over sticks to it. Doing that for 30 years makes a mess.
c900s are built completely differently from everything else... and there are definitely some odd side effects from it. :)
posted by 66.60.157...
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.