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Re: Info/opinions on 9000s Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:58:30
In Reply to: Re: Info/opinions on 9000s, Boone B., Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:49:51 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The '97/98 was the end of the model, and Saab isn't big on making changes for the sake of changes. So the cars are pretty well sorted out. Most of the warnings would be the same for any car of this vintage.
Maintenance records aside-
First would be belts/pulley/motor mounts. The pulleys (tensioner and idler) should be replaced every 75K or so. You can't really test them without taking the serpentine belt off, so you've pretty much got to go by age unless the owner doesn't mind you messing quite a bit with his car. Check the serpentine belt for unusual wear. When the car is running, watch how the belt tracks on the tensioner pulley. It should be right in the middle. If its running off one edge or another, something is amiss. It might be the Main pulley (aka Harmonic Balancer) on the crankshaft, or the tensioner might be getting tired.
Make sure the AC cycles on and off, and runs cold. Go back to the tensioner pulley. It should jiggle a little as the engine runs, but not much - about 1/8 inch. Wait for the AC compressor to kick in - the pulley will move to a new location due to the extra load. If it moves quickly and smoothly to the new location and resumes the same small jiggle there, the shock is OK. If it bounces back and forth before settling down, the shock needs repair.
Tensioner and idler pulleys - about $75 total. About $100 for the shock assembly. About $140 for a new main pulley. All prices mail order. Not a big job - a couple of hours, depending on your tools.
Using a flashlight, peer down the belt side of the engine, near the front. You'll see the right front engine mount, which is a rubber pot with a bolt coming up. If the rubber looks cracked, the mount needs replacement. Check the 'dogbone' torsion mount at the top of the engine. How do the rubber bushings look? A few minor cracks are OK, but if the rubber is cracked through, not only do the bushings need replacement, but the lowers are probably shot, too.
A couple of hundred for new lower mounts, a few hours of work. Upper bushings not expensive, just a pain to replace.
Turn the heat to HI and sniff the vents. If you smell coolant, the heater core is bad. Not expensive, but a massive pain to replace. All manufacturers start with a heater core, and they build the car around it. Make sure the blower fan changes speed. Make sure you can blow both hot and cold.
Check all the electrics you can - windows, lights, power seats, radio, sunroof.
If the owner doesn't have the code for the radio, ask why not. Disconnect the battery ,and the radio will need a code to ever work again. You should be able to get the code from a dealer if you go to them with proof you own the car. It'll take a while - they don't keep a database. And if the radio isn't original to the car, out of luck.
How many remotes with the car? Do they all work? Remotes aren't expensive - $40 on eBay - but you need a dealer or an Indy with a Tech II tool to program it in. Only a Saab specific Indy is likely to have the tool, and it's a special to Saab. Dealers will charge between $0 (to get your business) and an hour's labor to program in a new remote. You don't need the remote to start or lock the car - a key works just fine with the anti-theft. Like most cars, the keys are special and can only be gotten from a dealer, so if they only have one key, you'll need to drop about $25-$50 for another. The good news is they aren't 'chipped,' which would make them very expensive.
The car should shift smoothly. If you have trouble finding gears, the shift coupler may be shot. Not hard to replace, but hard to drive with.
The car should drive strong. Find a highway to merge onto, and put your foot to it. It won't dump you into your seat like a 911, but you'll feel it. Check the boost gauge - you should be able to get the needle into the hash marks near red under hard acceleration. If this is your first turbo, don't expect to get full boost simply by pressing your foot. Turbos don't work that way. You'll get power when you need it, but you want to check that the engine CAN make full boost. You want to find a place where you can have the engine at decent revs (2500 at least) and a way to load the engine. The ideal is to find a long hill to go up, and hit it at about 45 mph in 3rd gear. Yes, you can use lower gears, but you go through them FAST. At about 2500-3000 rpm, and going up the hill, put your foot in it. The boost needle should go up into the upper has marks, and you'll feel the car pull like a freight train. If the needle only goes to about mid-yellow, the car is stuck in 'base boost.' This is what the engine control does when it senses knock. So this could be due to low octane gas, or a host of air intake/fuel/ignition issues. Some expensive parts can be involved, or it can be quite cheap. But if the car isn't making full boost, be suspicious.
Otherwise, the usuals. Does it leak oil/coolant? How's the exhaust? Do all the doors work?
Parts are redily available mail order, and at most autoparts stores. No, you won't find engine mounts at Napa, but you can buy an alternator and spark plugs. eEuroparts is an excellent source mail order. Just go to the bottom of the page for site Sponsors. Not only do they sponsor this site, but if they screw up, folks here will be pretty vocal, so these are the good ones. Saabs aren't uncommon like old Fiats or Renaults, so parts are pretty easy to get. OK, not so true if you're looking for a '79 EMS water pump, but not a problem for a 10 year old car.
posted by 192.249....
, Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:43:46, Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:14:47, Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:24:21, Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:58:30 <-- Viewing This Message
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