1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Sounds like you're doing great bagging SAABs for few bucks! Wish it were that easy where I live!
Will try for a few answers:
-- Neutral is the middle position of the shift rod, where you can slide it in and out freely. Don't be surprised if the output shafts turn when you turn the input shaft by hand, even when the box is in neutral -- there's enough friction to make it turn a bit if the output shafts are free to spin. If you're not sure you're getting neutral, remove the top cover and check that all three shift forks are lined up. Removing the top cover is pretty safe, as there's nothing that's going to pop out or require disassembly. This also will give you a chance to look at the gears and synchros to make sure nothing's chipped or broken.
-- The freewheel isn't involved in getting neutral; it's a completely separate mechanism, located on the input shaft. The arc-shaped lever on top of the box slides a toothed sleeve back and forth to lock or unlock it. People bypass the freewheel for several reasons, including: (1) The freewheel hub has worn or broken so that the freewheel won't hook up, so locking it out is the only way to make the car move; (2) The freewheel works OK, but they don't want to risk breaking it; the older 6-roller hub was pretty tough, but the newer 10-roller hub is a bit more fragile and can be broken by harsh driving; (3) They just don't like the effect of driving with freewheel because they're used to using engine braking to slow down. All this applies only to V4 cars; on a stroker, you need a working freewheel to prolong engine life (which is why SAAB included it in the first place; the older strokers were lubricated by mixing oil with the gas, so engine braking with the throttle closed meant the engine didn't get enough oil.)
-- If freewheel is working and you like using it, you can use it under any kind of driving condition. It makes the car quieter (the engine can drop off to idle while you're coasting) and saves a bit of gas. The only times you should lock it out are when you need engine braking (such as driving down a long mountain pass) or when you're doing really hard driving, such as track driving (if you stomp the gas while freewheeling, the sudden impact can brake the hub; ask me, I've done it!)
-- If the freewheel hub is broken, you have to lock it out via the sliding sleeve, or the car won't move. If the teeth on the sliding sleeve are damaged, or the slider won't move it far enough, then you won't be able to lock it and the car will be immobilized. (That's what happened to me after I broke the hub at the track; the broken bits kept the sleeve from engaging, so I had to ship the car home on a flatbed.)
-- A nut and bolt of the correct size will work in the linkage, although shifting will be a little sloppier than if you have the correct pin. Taper pins are a standard item at a well-stocked hardware store, so if you don't mind taking in the linkage parts, you might be able to find one that will fit. The original SAAB taper pins had threaded ends to hold a retaining nut, and I've never had any luck finding that kind; however, I've found that if you've got a set of dies, you can cut a couple of threads on the skinny end of a regular taper pin and that will let you put a nut on it. The main benefit of the nut is that if the taper pin does work loose, the nut will keep it from falling out and getting lost.
-- If the trans is just a little noisy, that doesn't mean it's too bad to drive. You have to pay a bit of attention to how much noise there is and what kind. If you can't make yourself heard over the gearbox noise, that's too much. The reason to stop driving the car if it gets that bad is that the noise usually comes from sloppy bearings -- if they get TOO sloppy, the shafts will start flopping around and ruin the gear teeth, for which replacement parts aren't easy to get. Another good indicator of transaxle health is to check the magnet on the drain plug every time you change the fluid (which you should do every 6000 miles or less) -- some metal "whiskers" are normal, but larger or recognizable chunks are a bad sign, and you should stop driving it until you find out where they came from. Again, this is to avoid the risk of a big piece going through the gearsets and chipping or breaking a tooth; the gearsets are hard to get AND hard to replace, so you want to protect them as best you can.
Hope this helps...
posted by 68.227.170...
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