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Re: Engine Running Hot
Posted by Stephen Goldberger (more from Stephen Goldberger) on Thu, 1 Feb 2001 16:41:44
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00 

>i seem to be having some problems with my engine running hot.  i own a '92
>900.  i have so far replaced the radiator, thermostat, waterpump, as well
>as the radiator relay switch.  after about 30+ minutes of driving the car
>around the city it starts running at just over 3/4 on the temp gauge. 

Seems to me it's running there because that's the temperature at which the
radiator fans turn on.  First off, one can not assume that 3/4 on the temp
gauge is bad.  Step 1 (if you are curious) is a calibrated temperature
reading, or pull the thermoswitch and find out what temperature it closes
at.  If it matches the number on the box, then you have to choose between
accepting that the car is operating as designed and no harm will come from
it, or backfitting a thermoswitch with a lower temperature setting,
available from independent parts suppliers like Townsend Imports, Andrews
of Princeton, ScanWest, etc.  
Stephen Goldberger, Editor and Publisher
NINES, the magazine of the SAAB Club of North America
vist our web site at http://www.saabclub.com
==================
Message from Peter_Muirno39sdcx6spamx782adaptec.com
I have gone through the same horror you are facing.  At the time I was not
driving a SAAB, but the symptoms sound the same, hopefully this will help.
After going through the same horror you are experiencing, I finally brought
the car to the dealership.  After three or four times of bringing it to the
dealership without any success, I brought it again but told them that I was
not accepting delivery of the car until the problem was found.  Well after
about a week and a half of them 'diagnosing' the problem they finally gave
me an answer.  According to the dealership the problem was the fact that
antifreeze was leaking into the cylinder heads.  Again, this car at the time
was not a SAAB but the estimate to get the problem corrected was going to be
between $1200 - $1400.  

Good Luck, 

Pete
==================
Message from darrellno39sdcx6spamx782ici.net
What about the temperature sender. Maybe it's giving a false reading.

Darrell
==================
Message from David Prantl <david_prantlno39sdcx6spamx782hotmail.com>
>  i seem to be having some problems with my  engine running hot.  i own a 
>'92 900.  i  have so far replaced the radiator,  thermostat, waterpump, ...

The fundamental thing that is often wrong in such a situation is the type
of thermostat being used.

Auto parts chain stores sell all kinds of thermostats that will fit a SAAB
4-cylinder engine.  Many mechanics who are not terribly familliar with
SAABs install these thermostats.

THE ONLY thermostat that should EVER be used in a SAAB is an 82degC unit
that has been (originally) purchased from an authorized SAAB DEALER, and
has a SAAB sticker/part-number stapled/glued to the plastic bag that
contains it.  For your '92 900, the part number is:

88 17 538

Costs about twenty bucks.

Unless you are really clever and source the same exact Waxstat-made unit on
the aftermarket, running with a non-SAAB thermostat makes it likely that
your SAAB will run at 3/4 or higher on the temp guage, no matter what else
you do to your cooling system.  If that wasn't bad enough, you may also not
have reliable cabin heat in the winter.

So, the right thermostat is usually the key to a cool-running SAAB.

In conjunction with the correct thermostat, it also helps to replace the
thermoswitch that is screwed into the side of the radiator, and turns your
fans on.  SAAB only sells the high-temp switch.  A lower-temp switch can be
purchased from Townsend Imports for $9.20. It is Wolkswagen part number
823959481D.

http://www.townsendimports.com

Another more insidious cause of engine overheating could be a failed
crankshaft pulley.  The outside of the pulley (part with the belt-grooves)
is separate from the *hub* that sits on the end of the crankshaft.  There
is rubber in the pulley assembly, keeping these two parts together rotating
at the same speed.  Over time, this rubber can deteriorate and cause the
outside of the pulley (and therefore the belts) to turn slower than the hub
(and crankshaft).  This can ead to reduced water-pump output,
frequently-dead battery, and engine overheating.  Unfortunately, all four
auxillary drivebelts must be removed from a Classic 900 to make it possible
to test the pulley condition.  It is not easy to remove/replace the pulley,
as there is very little clearance between it and the firewall.  It is
possible however, and an experienced technician with the correct tools can
do it in about one hour.  A new crank-pulley for a '92 non-turbo 900 costs
$125-$150.  This sounds like a lot, but it's much cheaper than a
replacement engine when the original one overheats and warps it's head.

Best of luck.

David Prantl
david_prantlno39sdcx6spamx782hotmail.com
'84 900S, 5M, 210kMi, RIP
'86 9000T, 5M, 185kMi
'88 9000S, 5M, 142kMi
'90 9000S, 4A, 133kMi
'93 9000CSET, 5M, 66kMi
'89 900, 3A, 115kMi
'68 97 Sonett V4, 76kMi, #000467
==================
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