Turbo swede. Making the engine go BOOM!

[The Moog]

That's lovely.

 

Going to look at 95 2.3 estate Friday.

[nacho man]

 

So I have had this a few months, I really like it, it's a lovely place to be after a hard days graft.

 

And after the remap it's a proper weapon, it's ace when someone tries to bully you out the way, and you like "laters taters"

 

However.....it's had a few teething troubles. First of all, after a while it was down on power, still pretty quick, but not rapid like it was. When there remapped it opens up some functions on the trip computer, you can check boost, intake air temps, exact engine temp and loads of other bits and bobs. One of the functions is where it tells you how much air the engine is requesting and how much it's actually receiving.

 

It was asking for full beans, but it just wasn't receiving what it wanted. There are about 63,713 pipes running about the engine bay, they have all been changed for silicone ones recently, they all looked intact and no obvious loose ones. Also couldn't find any obvious boost leaks. So with some online investigation and some on the road sid( saab information display) diagnostics I thought it was the apc valve.

 

These are only £20 odd quid for a new genuine part so I bought and fitted one, full boost was resumed.

 

I was now happy, then one day I was happily minding my own business and the eml light came on.

 

The gm roots shining through.

 

 

eBay code reader said cylinder 3/4 was misfiring. The car was driving Bob on, so I cleared it and it stayed off for a week or so.

 

Then it came back. The plugs are recent specified ones, gapped to 0.9mm as the Internet says.

 

Cleared it again and it stayed off. Then today, I was giving some wot action, and it held back and I gave it some again, and it was down on power.

 

Now it's not asking for as much and it's getting what it's asking for, which is not much air.

 

So I am thinking maybe the di cassette is playing up, and the Ecu is holding it back, as it's the original but the cheapest new ones of uksaabs are still 100+ quid.

 

I have had it out and looked for obvious cracks and couldn't find anything.

 

But looks like I have to stump up again.

[Pillock]

How many Autoshite Hammers is the sump job rated as? ( they're like Haynes Spanner ratings, but more realistic)

 

Could I do it with a Halfords toolkit and axle stands out do I need a load of specialist shiz, a pit and an engineering degree?

[twosmoke300]

Just done one this week . Autos are a pain cos the bell housing stops the sump coming off easily . Just a case of dropping subframe a bit and lifting engine a bit til you can get it out . 3 o rings and special anaerobic sealer needed

[mrbenn]

That's fupping gorgeous.

 

Having spent the weekend driving a Saab I'm not only viewing them in a whole new light, I'm stalking them on eBay.....

[Guest Breadvan72]

A 9-5 turbo estate is one of the possible 156 replacements I am looking at, so it's interesting to see this thread.  Enjoy the yarmouth!

[Pillock]

I reckon I'll do the sump pretty soon on mine - it's had about twelve engine flushes in its life according to the history, had one on every MOT but opinion on the forums seems divided on whether that helps, or just loosens the crap elsewhere in the system that ends up blocking the strainer.

 

I also want to put a solid mount for the steering rack in to get rid of a bit of the shake, but at some point I'll bite the bullet, throw my clutch to the wind and go for a remap. 150bhp / 250NM goes to 220bhp/360NM. Should be fun!

[nacho man]

Mine is on 99k and had 14 services prior to me getting it, all at a saab specialist somewhere, but on lots of the invoices it says 5w-30 semi synthetic, these are meant to be run on fully syn.

It was a bit of a pain to do the sump, downpipe in the way,the red loctite stuff for the sump was like 17 odd quid.

It was well worth doing though, there was say a couple of mm of crap on the bottom. The strainer was free of crud though so that was nice.

[worldofceri]

How many Autoshite Hammers is the sump job rated as? ( they're like Haynes Spanner ratings, but more realistic)

 

Could I do it with a Halfords toolkit and axle stands out do I need a load of specialist shiz, a pit and an engineering degree?

An engineering degree will be naff all use to you in this instance.

 

Ask me how etc…

[nacho man]

So a new original di is £250+ which is a quarter of its value. But a bloke on the uksaabs forum is sourcing the bits and getting them made in China, loads of good reviews, and did me one for £130 posted.

 

 

I had inspected the old one before but obvs missed this mahoosive crack.

 

Fitted the new one and drives spot on, eml not coming back on and drives smooth.

 

BUT still the thing is causing me headaches, say from cold you drive 15 mins and its warmed up, you boot it, it flies but you go to boot it for say the 4th time in a row and it holds back. Y U TESTING ME. It also does a little clickty clack noise when it holds back, not a engine noise, and only when you floor it its make the noise and then is not as fast.

 

Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

[nacho man]

 

If it don't book its ideas up I am 'aero'in it into a car park wall like this, from a catapult.

[nacho man]

So this old bus just did a nice two week 1600 mile tour to Scotland and back via the middle class Butlins that is centre parcs.

 

 

It ran perfectly and managed a average of 32mpg. Which ain't bad for 250bhp+

 

It's the longest at anytime it's run without flagging up a eml. Hopefully it's all sorted now, a new di cassette cleared one, a new apc valve cleared another. Then one popped up that related to the dump valve, so I bought a new supposedly performance billet job. It turned the light of for a week then it came back on, scanned it again and it related to the dump valve again. So re fired the original and cleared it, still the same.

 

Which pissed me of and I was fed up messing about, so dropped it off at a saab place to get it sorted. He scanned it with tech two which is the saab software.

 

He rang and told me it was the dump valve. He had replaced it and it was now sorted. He fitted a original Bosch one and since then it's been prefect.

 

 

Here is Miss T driving it. It's ace being a passenger in it, electric heated seat right back and sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

She ain't normally a fan of my old crocks and wouldn't drive the scimitar or the stag I had. She has had a potter in some other stuff but she ain't a fan of driving new to her cars.

 

But she blezes along at a right old rate in the old saab tanker.

 

 

Got lost on the way back through the lakes as wanted a quick look at Windermere and wasn't using sat nav, stumbled across the ferry that runs across.

 

There are some mega roads around there which don't really suit the big old gal, but it can be hustled along nicely and has mega mid range punch especially in third, really really really addictive.

 

I am gonna get the sid repaired at it loses the pixels after a while, and it looks a bit gash as the rest of the interior is mint.

 

I know you can do them diy style but I ain't got the patience.

 

Don't really want to sell it as even though it has its niggles at the start, ain't really going to go much faster for £1k. Plus it's practical we only went for a two week holiday but the massive boot swallowed up all Miss T's gubbins a load of shopping for the cabin in Loch Ness and all the other crap we took.

 

[The Moog]

They certainly are ace cars. Going to miss mine.

[Shep Shepherd]

Saab 9-5s are brilliant cars. I wish that I'd bought one a lot sooner than I did.

[twosmoke300]

I just wish mine had more supportive seats .

[Shep Shepherd]

^

Volvo seats are far better in my experience.

[twosmoke300]

Saab ones are comfy enough on a run but just let you slide too much round the twisties . It makes the car feel even more boat like than it really is . Aero seats seem not better so I'm not sure there is much I can do about it without chopping about .

The seats are part of the reason I want a cheapy hot hatch cos they usually have nice seats

[Shep Shepherd]

Saab 9-5 front passenger seats are nice; I tend to fall asleep in them. I'm glad that their driver's seats don't have the same effect

[The Moog]

Yep the leather seats are definitely too slidey. Almost need the 9000 rocky seats or cloth

[nacho man]

Your right but there sooooo comfy. You just have to hold on for dear life in the bends.

 

 

Just gave the old bus a clean as it was covered in about 3 billion dead bugs.

 

Before

 

 

After

 

 

 

Picked some saab roof bars of eBay for 20 quid. Gonna get some of them bike holders to run across.

 

 

Need to get a dash at night shot of one of these.

[twosmoke300]

We will see all your missing pixels 😄

[nacho man]

You know how it goes, you looking on ebay and BAM, you're bidding on something.

 

So anyone want this, as I am 99.9% going to win it, unless it goes for £4.6million. Been to view it today and it's got my juices flowing.

 

Mot till may 2016.

101k

All below done in the last 3k

Sump dropped and cleaned and a new updated pcv kit fitted.

New DI cassette.

New apc valve.

New dump valve.

New plugs.

New oil, air, fuel filters.

0w-40 Fully synthetic mobil one oil, Changed twice in 4k.

New rear Hankook evo2 tyres, correct load rating.

Saab roof bars.

Wiring repaired so the boot popper works.

 

Loads of other bits I have forgot.

 

Just done 1600 odd miles in this, a superb cruiser.

 

The bodywork has some hail damage, not mega noticeable to be honest and only on one rear quarter and only one or two, the rest are a couple on the roof,the roof has been vinyl wrapped in carbon. A few scratches but shines up nice.

 

Interior is mint, sid pixels go missing after ten mins or so, still readable just annoying, ac dont work, everything else does. elec memory heated seats, cd player etc etc.

 

Only a few previous owners, 16 service stamps with all old invoices original folders handbooks etc.

 

Remapped by noobtune, takes it from 230bhp to 260 ish bhp plus loads of torque.

 

Cost me £1022.

 

I have spent a fortune on bits and bobs.

 

Yours for only £1000.

 

Pics in this thread.

[nacho man]

Not for sale no more peeps as I won a car on ebay and the seller never got in contact.

 

Also only cool kids drive Saabs.

 

 

 

 

 

[nacho man]

Well have been doing some "research" on the world wide web. The internet experts reckon that a dosage of thinners in the petrol gives some more ooommmppphhhh. Its meant to raise the octane rating.

 

Its pretty pricey, £13 for 5 ltrs and I put 2.5 ltrs in to half a tank of pez.

 

 

Dont worry I am a professional alright.

 

 

So in went some.

 

 

It was a cold night when I tested it, so that helped the turbo. Also I have been driving a transit for three weeks, but it did feel faster. Who knows if it is......

 

It didn't blow up so that was good.

 

Treated it to a service anyway to keep it happy.

 

 

I also replaced some speakers, the 9-5 came with a variety of stereos from standard, mine came with the worst of them all the 4 speaker bottom of the range, it's crap. Plus one of the rear door speakers had gone.

 

 

Luckily in the parcel shelf there are factory slots for 6x9's, so I sacked the rear door speakers off and used the feed for the 6x9's.

 

 

 

A bit better but still not head banging. But will do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M'coli]

Thinners is full of aromatic hydrocarbons; toluene, xylene and suchlike - the stuff that the turbo racing cars used in the 80s (sometimes referred to as the"Wintershall fuel" that was used in the 1983 Brabham BT52 with the BMW engine).

 

Go easy on adding it to petrol, as it also has the effect of thinning fuel pipes and fittings as well as thinning paint.

[twosmoke300]

I think saabs are pretty safe to put thinners in because the fuel lines are all made for e85 biofuel which is pretty nasty on rubber and plastic too .I used to put it in mine when I had the tuned ecu in it . It helped that , with trade discount , it was cheaper than petrol at the time.

[nacho man]

So this has been getting some loving lately. It was spluttering again which was doing my nut right in.

 

First up was a new MAF as I got an original for £40 new, new plugs, cleaned the throttle body. Still the same. 

 

Got fed up and sent it to a garage, Nottingham Saab. They fitted a secondhand di cassette and its perfect. I assumed as the one I fitted was new and there was no cracks or eml lights on that it was ok, but it wasn't.

 

While it was there he showed me that my intercooler had ballooned out as the end tanks are plastic and when the boost is turned up they can balloon out.

 

Therefore I spent half the car's value on a intercooler from sweden.

 

 

Ordered today so should be with me in a few weeks.

 

Two new Hankook Ventus Evo went on the front so she runs a full set of good tyres now.

 

 

My Sid was also sent of for repair and I now have no more missing pixels. 

 

A new uprated fuel pressure regulator was also ordered. I am gonna buy a 3" downpipe when funds allow and then with another remap it will be at stage 3. 

 

To summarise, I spent far too much on a car not worth very much.

 

Chooo Chooo

[hauserplenty]

Great SAAB story. I'm partial to the 80's 900's, because engine backwards and everything different, down to the drain plug. But the GM years weren't all bad, at least up until the bailout...

 

Autoshite BFH rating = 5!

[RoadworkUK]

These are in BOLD letters on my want list. With those wheels, natch,

[alfetta]

Never really liked the GM ones but owned lots of 'proper' Saabs. Having seen a few 9-5's on ebay in the past with blown bottom ends at 100K put me right off, but maybe I'll give one a go...

 

My 2001 Accord is currently on 260000 and my old carina e did 308000 when it was scrapped.