saablog

Here’s a quick update on my progress with the 900… Last weekend I

changed the oil. The filter is located on the side of the block near the

top, which caused me to spill oil all down the side of the engine. Now

I’ve learned where to put some sort of oil catcher when I remove the

filter! Other than that, it went just fine. Even for that 1992 car, Saab

recommends synthetic oil, so I used Mobil 1. The oil that came out of

the car was very black. I also put in a new air filter.

On Sunday I did more troubleshooting of the power windows. I rebuilt the

switch pack and determined that it is actually working. So I dug into

the driver’s door and discovered that the drive shaft of the electric

motor for the window has seized, it’s all rusty and I could hear the

motor hum when I actuated the switch, but the window didn’t budge. New

motors are $156/each from an online discount parts place, but I found

used ones with a warranty from a Saab dismantler in NY online for $50

each that I ordered today.

Yesterday I called about getting the transmission fluid changed. I’d

need a special tool to drain the oil myself, so I was curious how much a

shop would charge. Knowing that the synchro has failed, I didn’t want

metal synchro shavings in the gearbox oil, which would risk causing

further damage to the transmission. The Saab specialty shop in N.

Seattle quoted me a price of $56 plus supplies and tax, and said I could

come in that day and they’d look at it to ensure there aren’t further

transmission problems. So I took the car in, and they opened up the

transmission case, drained out the old fluid and cleaned the internal

filter, finding very few metal shavings/parts. Their transmission

technician looked at it and said that other than the synchro, the

transmission is in good shape. He said that f I can keep it from

grinding when I shift, the transmission should last for a long time. If

I grind it, I’ll damage the spline gear that engages 1st and 2nd, which

will eventually prevent me from engaging 1st gear. Since I can

double-clutch shift and avoid grinding, I’d say I’m in good shape. The

total bill for that fluid change including high performance gearbox oil

was just $76, which seems pretty reasonable for the warm fuzzy feeling I

got from the transmission tech. It seems like my $800 car should keep

going for a while… though with parts and registration it’s now like a

$1200 car. Still, a good deal in my opinion.