The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 4/9 Saab Owners' Convention Day Pass Raffle | 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine)

The Saab Network Mailing List FAQ
Search:

Main Index
[ Prev by Date ] [ Next by Date ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Timing Chain Replacement & Upper Motor Mount
Posted by Mark Mueller (more from Mark Mueller) on Sun, 9 Jan 2000 12:58:28
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge with me on replacing the
timing chain on my '88 9000S and renewing the upper motor mount bushing
on the engine!    Sorry this post is long, but I wanted to shcre some
detail I hope someone might find useful.

Timing Chain:

I bought a timing chain and new-style tensioner for about $110.  Once I
opened everything up, the old tensioner (also new style) was in good
condition, but I replaced it since I had the new one.   The tensioner
was right at the 11 mm limit SAAB suggests for changing the chain.
There was no noticeable wear on the cam sprockets nor on the chain
guides, so a roll-in was justified, particularly since I like the car
but expect it will need a complete re-build before the rest of the
timing components give trouble.

The procedure is in the SAAB manuals; and Townsend Imports are good
enough to have shared a few additional hints on their web site.  Read
both for a good background, but I do have two additional items to share:

1) Connecting the Chains:   The hair-clip style master link shown in the
SAAB manuals (to pull the new chain in) is no longer available as new
SAAB stock.  Since I needed a temporary 'master link' to attach the new
chain to the old, I ground down one end of the trailing pin (the back
side) of a link in the old chain and carefully pried the outer link
plate off that pin, pivoted it on the other intact pin, put the new
chain end onto the pin, and snapped the old side plate back into place.
This was really no more trouble than cutting the whole link as the
manual suggests, and took relatively little time.

2) Timing Chain Retaining Tool:    I did this without the 'special
timing chain retainer' illustrated in the SAAB manual -- I could not
find a used one, and the kit with a new one lists for over $450.   I
used a large number (about 42) of electrical zip ties in its place.   I
took great pains to secure the chain to each sprocket with at LEAST TWO
zip ties per sprocket at all times -- meaning there were temporarily 3
ties on each sprocket just before I clipped the two that had finished
their job.  I jacked up the passenger side front tire, set the manual
transmission into 5th gear, and rotated the tire by hand.  It was 4
zips, rotate, zip, zip, clip, clip, rotate, zip, zip, clip, clip, . . .
. .etc.    I'm sure this takes double or triple the time a skilled
mechanic would need for this part of the procedure using the tool, but
it worked for me.   I used a large bungee cord looped around the hood
latches to tension the old timing chain as I removed it.   Failure to
keep tension on the old chain during removal will most likely lead to
need to remove the chain cover, and maybe remove the engine from the
car.

I share this to let people know there is an alternative to a $450
special kit and tool.  I obtained a good result, but there is a lot of
care involved.    Dropping a used zip tie into the motor could produce
some big problems -- I accepted that  risk;  if you don't wish to you
should probably use a different method or hire the job done.   The car
doesn't run any 'better', but at least now I don't worry that every
acceleration up to highway speeds could cause my chain to break.

Motor Mount:

I bought a new bushing for my upper motor mount for about $26.   Pulling
the old one out was the tough thing.   One individual who messaged me
wondered about removing the bushing in the car without removing the
motor mount -- he might have been right.  I think the people who told me
I could freeze the bushing and tap it right in must have done it with
the motor mount out of the car.  Certainly the removal of the old
bushing would have been easier that way too, but there is a lot of
removing to get the mount free, so to me it was a toss-up.  As I sawed
away, I began to wonder

I disconnected the dog bone mount anchored to the firewall.  I
disconnected the AIC valve.   I then used a carbide grit cable style
hacksaw and cut the old bushing shell in two places.  It was a very slow
process to cut through the rubber to the shell and then to cut the shell
and not the aluminum motor mount itself.  Eventually I was able to make
two cuts close together, and I used a drift punch to push the segment
between the cuts into the center of the bushing, so the bushing could be
slipped out.

I froze the bushing in my freezer for 24 hours.  When I tried to tap the
bushing into the mount the fit was far too snug to tap in.  Inserting
the new bushing was done with a 2-jaw gear puller -- mine just barely
fit, and the AIC had to be removed to make this possible.   I used a
little anti-sieze compound and inserted the new bushing from the
driver's side.  The puller jaws fitted onto the outside (passenger side)
of the motor mount.   I placed a flat backing plate between the driver's
side end of the bushing and the puller screw.  Under compression the
flex of the rubber was sufficient to allow the plate to seat on the side
of the bushing outer shell.   Then it was about five to ten minutes of
careful ratcheting to drive the bushing in.   The result has been
gratifying.   I knew my upper bushings were showing age, but the
difference is something I can FEEL in crisper shifting and better feel
of solidity under acceleration.

Thanks again to people on TSN for their kind help and courteous responses
!!

Mark Mueller
1988 9000S  225,000 miles so far
==================
The Saab Network
http://www.saabnet.com/
saabno39sdcx6spamx782saabnet.com

Posts in this Thread:
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

This is a moderated FAQ - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no Spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. TSN has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the TSN Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous
Your address is: 3.17.154.171 - Using Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) - Logged.
Site Members do not see red text instructions, green links, and bottom of the page banners.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!