SiC's Silver Saab 9-5 2.3t Vector - Gone!

[Parky]

Nielsen Cdg do Total brand oil dirt cheap. 5w30 synthetic is about £20 for 5 litres.

 

Place near me does AC Delco oils cheaply and they are GM spec Dexos 2 which is probably what you need. Failing that, the slightly odd named Mannol (Man hole?) stuff is cheap as you know and they do a good spec 5w30 as well

[SiC]

Yeah GM Dexos 2 is what it's been having and recommended spec. Good call on neo bros Barry. £25 all in with shipping for genuine oil and filter is a great price. Might give the 2 local Saab dealers here a call and see if they're any similar in price.

 

Just ordered another 20l of MANNOL JWS3309 ATF again.

 

My plan is to get one drain and fill done, to try and make it a bit less likely to shit itself on me. Then get an MOT booked asap. MOT expires late October, so no point getting the fluids changed and spending money if it's going to fail badly.

[SiC]

Had a bit of a fiddle session tonight. First job was to find why the radio didn't work. Checked the fuses on the side of the dash - some reason Saab don't print what fuse is what anywhere there. Luckily Google came to the rescue. All were good. Hmm.

 

A bit more Googling and I found one post mentioning there is a fuse on the back of the head unit. Worth a look I thought. Cue 30minutes of searching for my damn radio keys. Gave up and jammed some screwdrivers in instead and yanked it out.

 

The way it's mounted is identical to how Vauxhall did it on the Astra G. Very GMesq.

 

 

Look on the back of the radio to find the prize. Yup it's blown. Apparently prone to blowing if the alternator regulator dies or if the car is jumped started.

 

Found a replacement 5A blade fuse in the bottom of the random car bits box. Pushed back in, pressed the power button and voilà!

Saab haz tunz!

 

Checking around on the lights found one front dipped out and the 2 Number plate lights. Unfortunately the torx bolts that held it in were rusted through on the heads. I took a hunch that, being a Saab, they'd make another way of making it removable.

 

The plastic strip that they live on had some torx bolts. To get that off, it also required the number plate trim and one boot light to be undone from the inside.

 

 

Removing the plastic strip off revealed the light holders. Removed the protective cap and found a very useful plastic clip. Yup! Saab had designed in a way to get the bulbs out the back!

 

Thanks Mr Saab

 

Just need to buy some W5W bulbs for the numberplate and a cheap H7 for the headlight. I should have both around but I'm blowed if I can find the damn things!

[5speedracer]

Posting to promote back up the timeline. Only bloody joined to see this fine motor redeem itself!

Seem to remember Chinese Ed reviving a Porky dsg with an oil and filter change. Bloke who sold it must've felt a div.....

 

Sent from my X17 using Tapatalk

[SiC]

Do you know this car?! 

[SiC]

Gave this a good hoover out and a going over with the pressure washer. My theory being that if you present an MOT tester with a cleaning car, subconsciously they will look upon it more favourably than one that has been treated like a mobile skip.

 

This one wasn't that bad but the exterior hadn't been washed in yonks and under the seats was full of child related residues...

Children, sweets and cars should not be put together.

 

 

Oil leak, what oil leak??

 

The headlights on these suffer the usual yellowing and clouding. Admitedly, these aren't that bad, but still looked a bit unsightly. Dug out the Meguiars Headlight restorer kit and set to work with my electric drill.

 

Half hour later...

 

 

Before:

 

After:

 

To be fair from distance, you can't really tell. Looks pretty clean and decent from a distance! Closer up and all the stone chips from running up and down the motorway show up.

[Barry Cade]

That's why I like the earlier ones- glass lenses and Saab's just have to have headlamp wipers. It's the law.

[SiC]

Funny enough the original ones have grown on me a lot recently. Shame they only came with 4spd autos though. If I had the mechanical skills, I'd like to take a early aero and fit a post 2004 auto aero drivetrain in! 5spd box, with tipronic controls, more power and less sludging issues.

 

Saying that, I do like the mid-facelift (my age) with the projection HID lights.

 

I can see myself getting an Aero in the not too distant future...

 

If I do, it has to have ventilated memory seats!

[Jerzy Woking]

And a 9-5 with the headlamp wipers that don't self park, just stop where they like is just great. Erm, just like mine.

 

Although I'm looking for a 2005 model Aero, I really like my £400 SE model that, despite all the odd noises and the lightest steering of any car I've ever had (its been adapted for a disabled driver), I may give up my quest until this car fails (75,000 miles and no sump drop done or uprated breather). No problems on the recent MOT either.

[Shep Shepherd]

That's why I like the earlier ones- glass lenses and Saab's just have to have headlamp wipers. It's the law.

 

I too prefer the early models, not only because of the headlamp lenses and wipers, but also because they look a little bit like a 9000.

 

Having said that, the high pressure headlamp washer jets that many post-2002 9-5s are equipped with are pretty cool 

[rantingYoof]

The 9-3 wagon in 2.8 V6 Aero flavour is a truly insane beast. Shame about that interior, although when you are out-dragging a 911 in the 30-70 third gear sprint you probably don't care terribly much.

 

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[SiC]

I saw this bargain on a Saab forum the other day and decided to pick some up. As we all know, these cars do like a drop of oil, especially as mine appears to be leaking some anyway...

 

£14.99 for 5l in Asda.

 

Not sure who makes it, but this is the key and most important fact for us - GM Dexos 2 compliant.

 

Cheap enough to keep in the garage for top-ups between changes.

[5speedracer]

Do you know this car?!

No but it's the classic root for the underdog thing!

 

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[Kiltox]

I saw this bargain on a Saab forum the other day and decided to pick some up. As we all know, these cars do like a drop of oil, especially as mine appears to be leaking some anyway...

 

£14.99 for 5l in Asda.

IMG_20160925_131413.jpg

 

Not sure who makes it, but this is the key and most important fact for us - GM Dexos 2 compliant.

IMG_20160925_131429.jpg

 

Cheap enough to keep in the garage for top-ups between changes.

 

That is cheap for "low saps" synthetic oil 

[SiC]

A fun weekend ahead!

 

I hope which ever irritating Berk squished/knocked over my parcel causing it to leak some oil has got sticky ATF in the back of his van...

 

Luckily didn't loose too much of this expensive*, precious** lifeblood of gearboxes.

[Parky]

That engine oil was super cheap! Probably find it is Comma Syner-Z or Carlube

[SiC]

2.9l sucked out of ATF. Definitely feels less clunky going from neutral to drive. Still bangs a bit, but I'm pretty certain the main "Torque Rod" mount is knackard. This attaches to the front of the gearbox and front subframe. So as the engine twists, it's supposed to absorb the shock. mount itself isn't too pricey (around £30) and can be done on a pair of ramps - providing the nuts aren't solid!

 

The fluid itself was pretty rancid looking.

 

This is fresh fluid for comparison:

 

 

After changing it, I shifted it through the gears and it got the oil mucky pretty quickly. I think I'll have to detach an oil cooler house and do a proper flush - rather than the dump and fill I did today. That's going to require getting under it though and a bit more faff. Basically involves draining the fluid, refilling but with an extra 2 litres in, disconnect a ATF return line, starting engine and drain 2 litres off. Refill extra 2 litres and restart engine to drain again. As dirty fluid is coming straight out, it should after 10l or so, start coming out clean.

 

Found the Blow Off Valve vacuum pipe is pretty knackard. Feeling it at the solenoid valve end split it. I cut off the split bit and pushed it back on. Made a mental note to replace the pipe if the box starts to play ball.

 

You can see the valve that it connected to on the left of the green brake pipes, situated on the bulkhead:

The turbo boost control pipes are known to deteriorate in a similar fashion too, however these looks in good nick and not OEM. I know the last owner said he had problems where it lacked power, took it into a garage and they fixed it quickly and cheaply. I suspect it was just these boost pipes.

 

 

Not gone for a drive yet after the change, as need to get insurance sorted. Also need to clear the Astra off the drive - buyer coming tomorrow!

[SiC]

I've found some photos of the fluid that was in the Laguna before I started doing the changes. Actually doesn't look that much worse than what's in the Saab. Admittedly the Laguna had done 105k miles less and wasn't misbehaving like the Saab.

 

Laguna:

 

Saab:

[Laseraligningfoofooflanges]

Rancid that

 

Really fancy one of these one day, Theres seats then theres SAAB seats!

[Guest Lord Sward]

Theres something oddly satisfying about changing dirty oils.

[SiC]

Insured and taxed today. So should be back on the road this weekend.

 

£350 for a fresh policy, with zero NCB on 2x 30yr Olds (me & wife). Not bad for a Bristol postcode I reckon? Also no fees if I cancel in the 14 day cooling off period. So if it fails its MOT, I won't loose out on the insurance.

 

However, to dampen my mood, I did get this message on DVLA website:

Your vehicle will be taxed from 01 October 2016 This vehicle's previous tax/SORN expired on: 01 September 2016. This means the vehicle has not been taxed since this date.

 

You can apply for vehicle tax from today's date, with a tax start date of the first of this month, however, please note that it is an offence to be the registered keeper of a vehicle that is untaxed and does not have SORN in force. DVLA's enforcement section may be in contact with you regarding this gap in tax.

 

Wtf? Last owner obviously sent V5 off so he got the tax back. Was I supposed to SORN it with the V5/C? I thought you need the V5 back to SORN it??

 

Or is this just scare mongering on the part of the DVLA?

[Dave_Q]

Insured and taxed today. So should be back on the road this weekend.

 

£350 for a fresh policy, with zero NCB on 2x 30yr Olds (me & wife). Not bad for a Bristol postcode I reckon? Also no fees if I cancel in the 14 day cooling off period. So if it fails its MOT, I won't loose out on the insurance.

 

However, to dampen my mood, I did get this message on DVLA website:

Wtf? Last owner obviously sent V5 off so he got the tax back. Was I supposed to SORN it with the V5/C? I thought you need the V5 back to SORN it??

 

Or is this just scare mongering on the part of the DVLA?

Have had that message before and never heard anything else.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Scaremongering. Ignore!

 

Is this thing behaving itself now then?

[SiC]

Good to know. Will make me sleep a bit better right now knowing it's unlikely that I'll be receiving random fines through the door.

 

The DVLA SORN website requests the document number from the V5, however that obviously is kept by the seller. The V5C/2 doc number is 12 digits long, so thus too long for their form!

 

Obviously you can use that to tax, but I'm not sure how you're supposed to SORN until the actual V5 comes back?!

 

Daft.

[SiC]

Is this thing behaving itself now then?

I'll be find out this weekend.

 

Got one change done. 2.9l removed out of 7.5l total. So 39% fluids changed or 61% old still. Not expecting myricals at this stage with so little changed.

 

Next change (61%/39%), if its had a decent mix through, will be 24% old. 3rd change (24%/39%) will be 9.5% old. 4th change (9.5%/39%) should mean 4% old.

 

Anyone feel free to correct that if my maths is off! Obviously assumes a good mix too.

 

Another option is to remove a ATF cooler line, fill box extra 2l and then drain 2l from that cooler line. That will get it much cleaner quicker with less fluid wasted. However I don't want to do that because:

 

a ) 210k miles with never removed banjo bolts exposed on the underside could be a major nightmare.

 

b ) Dump and fill (what I've done so far) is likely to not remove all the friction material that is left in there. If there is any suspended in the fluid, then fluid change is likely to kill the box. Completely fresh fluid even more so!

 

c ) I can suck it out top side with dump+fill quickly enough and don't need a helper (I.e. moaning wife) to start+stop the engine when I've got the 2l out.

 

There is a distinct possibility that this may kill the box completely if it's fubar because of wear from the old fluid. However as it's pretty much undrivable in stop+start rush hour (standard Bristol traffic), I don't have much to loose.

[SiC]

Yeah she's just as bad after one fluid change. When the gearbox oil gets warm is when it gets bad. In manual mode shifting between 3rd to 2nd on the drive give a big bang and almost stalls.

 

Going to try and get another fluid change done today.

 

Just hope it's not the solenoid/valve body sticking. Trying to source a replacement that is known working could be a pretty futile exercise.

[SiC]

Plugs certainly need changin. I didn't measure the gap, but the gap was huge. Must be around 2mm, possibly a bit more.

 

 

Checked the oil level. This was it at ~85c (read over diagnostics port). The supposed temperature to read at is 80C. So it's a bit low, even at 85C (will read higher). Min to max on the stick is 0.5 litres. However I wouldn't say it's low enough to be a problem. Not least it bangs the gears when warm, not cold.

 

 

Got another dump and fill done. Got 3 litres out this time (last time 2.9 litres). Possibly because the fluid is a bit warmer than last (~35c). I put 3.2l back in to try and get that dipstick up a bit more and all helps to get more changed in the 'box.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You seem to be a skilled shiter so I will stand by the sidelines and watch, but it all sounds a bit optimistic to me! Fingers crossed it works though.

[SiC]

After that second flush above, I've just done a 15 miles trip around locally (if someone was clocking my movements, it would look well dodge).

 

The shifting start all well and sweet. As I was getting home, it started slipping between 2nd and 3rd. By the time I was got home, it was banging hard into Reverse and Second. Sticking it into manual and shifting through the gears is a painful exercise when its like this. You get a small clonk ... pause for a second ... BANG

 

Really not pleasant.

 

Gearbox oil is currently at 101C. Seems that as it gets above around 90C, it really starts being naughty.

 

Oh and when stopping at lights, the revs sometimes started hunting with it almost stalling. When I read the gearbox temp above, I did a complete error code scan again. Engine module was coming back with P1231.

 

Googling around, the description of that code is:

P1231

 

Throttle Position Sensor 1 and 2 Circuit. Sum Out of Range (No Limp Home).

 

Brief disturbances in throttle valve control that cause the engine to jerk.

 

Introductory information

•The DTC should be ignored if it appears along with other throttle body related DTCs.

 

Purpose

The purpose of this DTC is to notify that sporadic jerkiness has occurred at constant speeds and/or that idling is irregular. The jerkiness may be relatively uncommon and produce a sensation similar to driving over small holes in the road. In the worst cases the phenomenon may be similar to rapid, brief losses of engine power, which can lead one to believe that the ignition discharge module is faulty.

 

Note The jerkiness must not be confused with the jerkiness that can occur at high engine loads.

 

Technical explanation

The phenomenon is due to faults in one of the potentiometers (pot.1) in the throttle body. The

 

9-5 (9600) 3 20031

 

2. Engine\Trionic T7, 4-cylFault diagnosis, fault codes - P1...

 

throttle will briefly move towards closed. This may give rise to an irregular idling speed or jerkiness during cruising. The disturbance is harmless from a safety point of view and does not affect exhaust emission control.

General consensus online says that the throttle body is kippered and replacement is the only option.

 

Starting to think that this one may be right at the end of its useful service life.

[SiC]

Currently the list of known issues, is as follows:

• The biggie ... Gearbox banging when warm
• Interior fan doesn't work (fan brushes?)
• Squeals when cold, not so bad when warm (aux belt/tensioner?)
• When cold, clunks when garage shifting - stationary shifting between neutral/drive/reverse (most likely gearbox mount ~£30)
• Spark plugs knackard (Less than a tenner to replace though)
• Throttle body probably knackard or on its way out (~£40 for second hand on eBay)
• Oil pressure light has been on and off for a while - no longer an issue since topping up, but means it has been run dry at least a couple of times == potential internal damage.
• Oil leak! Looks like it may be from the cam cover. Minor though and oil is cheap.
• Engine oil+filter needs service
• Coolant is not very pink. Looks like it may need changing.
• Back tyres have 2mm tread, so will need doing at some point. Front tyres are at ~3mm.
• One alloy is different (still Saab though). Not a biggie, but still annoys me.
• Currently sitting at 209482 miles. So no spring chicken.

Oh and the MOT expires on the 22nd of this month.

 

Hmm.....

 

 

Starting to think that this may be beyond saving and my cash would be better spent on a less truly knackard example. Shame, as if the Gearbox wasn't playing up, then the rest of above are not show stoppers.

 

What does everyone reckon? Cut my losses and frag it?