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

[stripped fred]

Could you adjust your attitude regarding driving broken cars in this instance? Wanting your car perfect is fine, I'm a bit the same myself, but it doesn't always fit well when you also like to drive old cars on a budget. Why not keep the insurance on, drive the car through the winter and make your decision then?

[Parky]

If access to the valve block is easy and the cure is a simple case of a thorough clean out, is it worth a final throw of the dice to extract it and perform a bit of an autopsy on it to establish if fixable?

 

Easy for me to say as I won't be the one rolling around on the ground getting covered in crap during the process but just imagine if a clean out resolved all the issues?

[NorthernMonkey]

I know on the Volvo boxes, it's a case of removing the solenoids from the valve block, opening them up carefully with the aid of a dremel and cleaning/rebuilding. Not sure if it's possible with Saab ones but it'd be interesting to pull one to pieces to find out?

[Stroller133]

you like cheap broken saabs right?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-Saab-9-3-Vector-Sport-DTH-Estate-/291903743824?hash=item43f6d1a750:g:RXoAAOSwOyJX-MYZ

Careing Doctor! Pass.

[406V6]

If access to the valve block is easy and the cure is a simple case of a thorough clean out, is it worth a final throw of the dice to extract it and perform a bit of an autopsy on it to establish if fixable?

I'm with Parky on this. Easy to say as it's not my driveway getting splattered with ATF nor getting the stress of taking the box apart and putting it back together.

The actual gears on the box are fine as it works OK some of the time  - the problems must* lie with the solenoids or valves where the variable is the viscosity of the ATF. My money is on gunge in the valves as the guy on the 406 coupe forum found.

[SiC]

I've been deliberating over this the whole weekend (quite easy when you had to do 8 hours worth of motorway driving).

 

My fix-it nature is that I really want to fix this and not let it defeat me.

My tight-fisted nature is saying that its not worth spending money on this when there are better examples to start from.

 

Either way its going to cost me.

 

If I keep, I need to MOT + pay insurance before I even start fixing, but it'd be worth more (but spent more). If I screw up trying to clean the valve body, I've found a replacement for £90. But then it might not fix it, and the car could shit itself another way. The tyres are going to need changing in not too distant future too (17s aren't the cheapest to replace either).

If I dispose, I get some money back (won't be all that I've spent so far) and frees up drive space for something else. However getting something else could have equal or worse problems.

 

I really can't decide.

But I need to decide by tomorrow, to be able to book an MOT in time and its a dead car if its fails that as I don't want to get stung £50 on insurance cancellation charges.

[barefoot]

Don't cancel, do a (free) change of vehicle.

[beko1987]

I'd see what the mot says. Then if it passes decide!

[SiC]

But then what do I do with it?! No-one will want to buy in its broken state!

 

For a bit more context, there is a cheap 9-5 Aero (broken, but less broken) that I have my eye on...

[DodgeRover]

What does it stand you at, at the moment?

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Sounds like its more a case of not having the space for it to be hanging around?

 

If I was you I would MOT it, you've only lost the cost of the test either way. But if it passes it's instantly easier to flog on. A years ticket and its still moving under its own steam.

 

If the solonoids are as easy to access as you say then you may as well whip them out for a look. You'll quite quickly see how easy or not they are to dismantle and clean

[SiC]

What does it stand you at, at the moment?

Currently £180 purchase price, £55 worth of ATF oil, £25 of months tax. Couple quid for bulbs.

 

So £260 so far.

 

End of week it'll owe me an extra £50 if I want to cancel the insurance. Also £45 for MOT.

 

Things that may need to be done is fixing the interior fan (hopefully just motor brushes ~£5), gearbox mount (£30) and tyres soon (3mm on front, 2mm on back). Service wise, Engine oil+filter needs changing, I have the engine oil, but no filter (~fiver), spark plugs (£9 for 4) and coolant looks a bit suspect in its strength.

 

Removing the solenoids I should have enough ATF to do it and I'd need some RTV too to replace the gasket.

[beko1987]

Mmmm £300+ for a broken car does sound like alot.

 

Cartakeback today?

[oldcars]

If its a winter runner and its not 100% i personally would'nt bother with a service. If it goes boom its away anyway.

[SiC]

Booked in for its MOT on Thursday.

 

If it passes, it lives, if it fails, it dies.

 

I decided to do this because:

• Cleaning the valve body may actually just work
• £500-600 ones are older than what I've got - which brings a whole set of different issues with these
• Broken saabs are worth pretty much what I paid
• If I buy another, it could have a whole load of other problems and probably have similar gearbox problems anyway
• The faults it has will give me something to fiddle with.
• There is loads of stuff to play with on the Saab 9-5s, like diagnostics, mapping, etc.

I've ordered some spark plugs too. Hopefully will arrive tomorrow, as they may be needed to pass the emissions test.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Years' MOT = serious valet, sell it for £750.

 

Fail = break it for spares and make a modest profit.

[stripped fred]

Good luck! I trust you will update us on your progress.

[mrbenn]

Good call on the MOT. Fingers crossed it passes, looks far too good to be bean tins just yet!

[Parky]

Looks like a sensible thought process there.

 

How big a fail will it need to have? If it's just a bulb or a tyre, is it still becoming bean tins?

[SiC]

Tyres maybe. They're pretty close as they are, but look legal to me on my measuring thingy. Bulbs I've sorted. Bit of a mission but got the numberplate bulbs working (see earlier in the thread).

 

I'm thinking more busted springs, blowing exhausts, leaky shocks and perished bushes will be its killer. I've looked underneath and it looks generally pretty clean - as Saabs usually are.

 

I think the biggest risk (which has been in previous years on this one), is emissions. Last year it was new coil pack and plugs to fix. Unfortunately the eBay seller hasn't said he's shipped it, so don't look like they'll get to me tomorrow.

[scdan4]

But then what do I do with it?! No-one will want to buy in its broken state!

 

For a bit more context, there is a cheap 9-5 Aero (broken, but less broken) that I have my eye on...

 

Don't get an aero, they shit their gearboxes  I hear.

 

Booked in for its MOT on Thursday.

 

If it passes, it lives, if it fails, it dies.

 

I decided to do this because:

• Cleaning the valve body may actually just work

 

 

I really want you to do it, just cos i'm very interested in seeing how it goes having contemplated similar in the past and having chickened out. 

 

And if it does work then it opens up a whole new world of cheap chod. A quick gearbox rebuild and off we go. 5 minute job.

[SiC]

Took the missus out in it a minute ago for a quick run up to the shops but with the proviso that she didn't moan about it.

 

First reaction "I forgot how comfy Saab seats were!". Then "Why don't you pay a bit more and get a better one that's an estate??". I think the 9-5 is a possible hit.

[RichL]

It won't be the cost of 12 months ticket that kills it. I reckon it'll go straight through, unless EMISSIONS.

 

There has to some kind of fix out there for these gearboxes I'm sure of it.

 

You do realize that if it does pass, you sir are the chosen one to find that fix.

 

Good Luck.

[twosmoke300]

Saabs are stupidly clean on emissions if running correctly . They come so so close to passing cat tests with the cats removed

[rantingYoof]

My 9-3 Aero was very close to a fail on emissions the MOT it got when I bought it.

 

I absolutely hooned it to the MOT place and moved the results of that part of the test to the other extreme.

 

Also, I have driven a 9-5 Aero which was absolutely sharted. The gearbox felt like porridge and the engine had none of the silky smoothness of the normal Saab four pots. I imagine a good one will be a gem but according to most reviews the 9-5 Aero deals with its 250 horses a lot worse than a Volvo T5 deals with its 250 horses.

[SiC]

I'm a bit nervous for the drive in, as likely traffic will be bad - which makes the gearbox more likely to get into its bad banging/flairing state. Also means I can't get it up to a toasty temperature.

 

Aero autoboxes are identical to this one and also the same in the T5. A Manual box would feel wrong in these cars.

[SiC]

The aero engine is identical to this too except a bigger turbo and sodium filled valves. You can swap the turbo and ecu on this one and it'll instantly have the same BHP as an aero!

[rantingYoof]

I wouldn't want an auto with a high powered turbo engine...it feels right to me to be able to drop a cog myself to get it on boost to time an overtake correctly.

 

Also, I don't have much faith in Volvo or Saab automatics...

[SiC]

I wouldn't want an auto with a high powered turbo engine...it feels right to me to be able to drop a cog myself to get it on boost to time an overtake correctly.

 

Also, I don't have much faith in Volvo or Saab automatics...

It could be worse, you can get an identical model automatic gearbox as these Saab's and Volvos, but in a big engined mid-2000 Renault Laguna II!

 

(Touch wood it's been solidly reliable so far in nearly 6months... MOT is due in a month and a bits time though)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The autobox in my Gooner is flippin SWEET, I love it