saablog

Yesterday morning Luisa and I washed the 900, then we went to the UPS store to get a package that had arrived from my office. The other thing that had arrived was my package from eeuroparts.com.

You’ll recall I recently ordered new spark plugs and wires from them for the 900. I also ordered new wiper blades for all three of our cars. The two Saabs are getting Bosch Icon blaces, the new “flat blade technology” type. I haven’t yet installed them, so I’ll report on their effectiveness later. I will tell you to AVOID RAIN-X brand wipers. They suck. Two weeks after installing them they were already streaky on the windshield.

After Luisa and I got home, we had a snack, then grabbed Ani and the three of us headed to the Scanwest Autosport Customer Appreciation Barbecue. Scanwest is the independent shop in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood where I have our Saabs serviced. They had invited the Northwest Saab Owners club to come as well, and there were many interesting Saabs in attendance. Luisa really liked Dan Morley’s blue Sonett, Ani really liked a burgundy 99 GLE 3-door which was in stunning condition. We all really liked the blue 9-5 Aero wagon. Luisa also really liked their hot dogs. We got license plate frames for the 900, looked at the cool cars, ate, and left.

When we got home, we put Luisa down for a nap and I got started on the spark plug project. I had chosen the “hard use” spark plugs for the car, which were NGK Iridium IX BCPR5EIX. At $26.90 for the set, they cost 4x as much as the standard plugs, but since the car is used for (a) short trips, (b) stop-and-go traffic, and (c) autocross, I figured that the car actually does see hard use so it would be appropriate to get them. These plug wires were the only ones offered on the eeuroparts site for my car, but they incorporate “Precision Engineered Opti-Layer Mag Wire.” Sounds impressive, if unintelligible.

After reading the maintenance instructions in my service manual, I began by removing the spark plug cover from the engine, then pulling off the wires from the spark plugs and setting them aside.

Then starting with plug number 1, I removed and replaced each plug one at a time. Plug 1 was very difficult to remove. All of the plugs were in pretty ugly shape when I got them out. I used a feeler to ensure that the new plugs were gapped properly, between 0.6 and 0.7 mm. They seemed to be factory set at 0.7 mm, so no adjustment was required. Reinstalling the plugs required applyng a bit of clean moto oil to the threads ( I used some remaining drops of my Pennzoil Platinum 10W-30 from last week’s oil change), hand-starting the plug, and using my torque wrench at it’s lowest calibrated setting. It is rated from 20 ft-lb, and the required torque on the spark plugs is 18-22 ft-lb.

Look how nasty the old spark plug looks…

After that was all done, I replaced the spark plug wires one-at-a-time, to ensure I didn’t incorrectly connect them at the distributor. It wasn’t too easy to install them onto the distributor cap. It turns out I probably should have ordered a new distributor cap and rotor, though mine appear serviceable (though with some black marks on the contacts) It was a bit tougher to replace the cable from the coil to the distributor, but I finally got it done.

With the ugly old parts replaced, it’s off to the garbage bin with them!

With that done, I tested my work by starting the car to ensure that I would run. It did, and it seemed immediately to be idling more smoothly than it had before. Hmm.. maybe those spark plugs and wires do have an effect on how the car runs. Then I reinstalled the spark plug cover and was done with that maintenance.

 Next it was time to put on my new Scanwest Autosport license plate frames. Luisa helped me. First she took my picture (yes, she really took it, my screwdriver is screwing in the front license plate screws on the 900):

Then she got the screwdriver and helped. She was very interested in the bodyside vent and the gas tank, and she kept trying to unscrew them, though her Philips screw driver wasn’t having much luck on the Torx-head screws.

I’ll try to report later this week on driveability and fuel economy.. we’ll see whether the new plugs and wires have an effect on either of those aspects of the car’s performance. Also I’ll keep you posted on the search for a replacement stereo. Scanwest didn’t have one in stock, but they work with a place in California that can get them.

No matter how many vehicles I own, no matter how fancy they are, my 1995 Saab 900 coupe will always stand out as a fondly remembered favorite. That is the vehicle that fit me best, that I was most comfortable in, that I’ve gotten the most enjoyment out of.

I bought my black 1995 900 S coupe in October of 1996, one year old with 30,000 miles on it. The previous August, my parents had purchased their 1995 900 SE coupe, a beautiful black turbo coupe with black leather interior, manual transmission, three-spoke wheels, and every option box checked.  It was my dream car, but when it was time to buy my own I didn’t have quite enough money, so I got the lesser S model, with it’s non-turbocharged motor, cloth seats, manual climate control, and no sunroof. I loved both cars fiercely, in the way that one can love such machines. I was saddened when my parents traded theirs in, and was devastated after I sold mine.

Today Ani, Luisa and I went shopping at the Target store at Northgate. We drove her black 9-5. When we returned to the parking garage, a black 1995 Saab 900 SE turbo coupe was parked next to our 9-5. It was in stunning condition. Shiny paint, rich leather upholstery, few dings, original wheels, spoiler… flawless for a 12 year old car.

As Ani and I struggled to get a fussy Luisa into her seat, I kept glancing at that 900. Ani knows how strongly I feel about the car, especially in a black-on-black combination with three spoke wheels. While we can’t go back in time, we can surely relive memories, and I have been reliving plenty of them today after my encounter with my favorite Saab. I’d love to have a black ‘95 3-door again, preferably an SE turbo coupe just like my parents had. For now, I’ll have to survive with the memories.

A parting shot, showing the subtle spoiler. Images courtesy Saab, via my dog-eared copy of the 1995 900 sales brochure.  Hopefully my parents will grace the Saablog with their comments about their stunning 900 SE.