Automobile / Saab

Saab Repair Questions and Answers

Answer: Light brown foam on the dipstick is never a good sign. You may be having crankshaft ventilation problem - check the breathers. If the car is driven on short trips, (a minute or two each) it will not warm the engine up enough to get the moisture out. In addition, check proper operation of the cooling system thermostat.

Question:  1980 SAAB  mileage: 120,000.   I had a blown head gasket and drove with it for quite some time.  It got kind of bad and I was forced to drive the car out quite some distance to store it.  Along the way, the engine was overheating and I began to lose a lot of power.  I have since replaced the head gasket, and checked the compression on the cylinders.  They were pretty even at about 130.  The car still has difficulty with a lack of power.  I was wondering if that lack of power could be caused by a clogged catalytic converter due to all of the fowled exhaust.  I had never replaced the catalytic converter on the car.

Answer: Yes, there is a good chance that the catalytic converter is plugged.

Answer:   A Mitchell or Chilton auto repair manual will have diagrams showing steering rack replacement.  The manuals also give step-by-step instructions. Click here to find out more

Question:  1987 Saab 4 cyl 900 turbo mileage: 90,000.  When the engine gets warm, the clutch will not engage.  Thanks for your time.

Answer: To answer your question we need more information in order to understand what is going on.

Question:  1987 Saab 9000 Turbo 2 litre mileage: 105,000.  This is an intermittent problem.  When slowing down and generally making a hard left turn (sometimes if I slow suddenly on a straight stretch) the car stalls.  I have no problem re starting the car.  But, this is becoming annoying. It 's been like this for about 4 years and happened very little at the beginning but is happening more often now.  The car is turbo charged and is a 5 speed. New platinum plugs, distributor, and cap installed along with new fuel filter!  Your help is much appreciated.

Answer:   Check the fuel pump.  It may be failing.

Question:  1984 Saab 900 turbo 2000, mileage: 160,000. I have owned the Saab for 18 months now and recently, over the last 2 months I have lost acceleration at low revs. I have recently serviced the vehicle to manufacturers specification including rotor arm, distributor cap, air filter, oil filter, oil (10-40 fully synthetic), spark plugs and silicone high tension leads. The timing was set to 20 degrees at 2000 revs but the fuel mixture was not touched. When I first bought the vehicle, it accelerated well from any revs and speed but has now dropped off. Incidentally, I have tested the compression and all four cylinders have 190 lbs. I hope I have given you enough information to make a diagnosis and perhaps a remedy.

Answer:  First, check for boost from the turbo. We cannot remember if your car is equipped with a "boost" gauge on the dash. If not, a temporary will work. While driving the car under acceleration, you should have approximately 5 lbs of boost. If no boost is present, you have turbo problems. Other things to check or replace are fuel filter, oxygen sensor, coolant temperature sensor, or air flow meter.

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