saablog

During the past 21 months of ownership, few things have kept me from driving the 900 around town. Especially after I addressed the most glaring maintenance problems, the car has only been off the road for short periods of time. In recent months I’ve driven the 900 almost exclusively, while the V70R has been enjoying extended rests in the garage.

You read last month about my quest, and success, in finding “new” 1992 audio equipment to make the driver’s environment slightly more enjoyable. The new head unit, $24.99 on eBay, slotted right in and fired right up on FM, and it also plays casettes in both directions. The sound quality is poor when the unit and car are cold, but drastically improves when the car is warm. A big bonus is that it came with the 1992 Saab audio equipment users guide, which explains the CD/EQ functionality.

Last week my CD player arrived. For $50 on eBay, I was very excited to try out the unit which had been pulled from a salvaged vehicle and “may or may not work.” On Wednesday I ripped the dash apart to get at the stereo cage, connected everything up, and as expected I saw the word “COdE” appear on the display. I keyed in my code, and COdE was displayed again. And again. And again. Poop.

Quick research on Swedespeed.com and google showed that the CD players have a coin-cell battery soldered to the circuit board inside. That battery is what the CD player uses to remember whether the code has been entered, and it also remembers your custom audio programs that are saved on the electronic EQ. When the battery ages, its fluid can leak out, leaving the battery dead and the player possibly damaged. I began pulling mine apart, and discovered some missing screws indicating that somebody had been in there before. I removed the top, then the face, then the CD handler/player mechanism. Finally I saw the battery there on the bottom circuit board.

I went to Radio Shack and got another battery. On friday I removed the old battery, and tried to set the new one in place. Without a soldering iron, that didnt’ really work. I reconnected the CD to the head unit, but the battery didnt’ work. COdE was still displayed. The next step is to either borrow or buy a soldering iron to place the new battery.

In any case, I ran out of time for the repair. I had to travel again this week. With a bunch of wires hanging out of the dash, I can’t comfortably drive it, especially since one of the wires has a light bulb hanging on the end of it (the ash tray lamp when in place), making it distracting to try to drive in the dark. So with the CD player in pieces, I pulled the 900 off to the side of the driveway and put its cover on. It’ll sit there for a few weeks until I’m back in town and can get a soldering iron. Pretty sad, really. The optional stereo upgrade has essentially sidelined the car.  I drove the Volvo to the airport today for the first time in months.

I’ve won my second auction in as many days, for the OE CD player for the 900. Crucially, it comes with the mounting cage. The reserve price was $50, and that is the amount I paid.

I’ll post some time next week when all of my 15 year-old audio equipment arrives and I have the chance to hook it up.

This morning I had a new search message from eBay, detailing all of the new items for sale at eBay motors under Saab and Audio. The message had arrived over the weekend but I didn’t see it until this morning. One of the items was an OEM head unit from a 1992 Saab 900s, with removal tools, audio manual, and radio code. Pretty much exactly what I’m looking for.

In any case, when I read the message I discovered that there were only about 30 minutes remaining on the auction, and also that no bids had been made. Acting on the info I gleaned from my friend and fellow eBay newbie Amy, I waited until there was less than 1 minute in the auction, and entered the maximum amount I would be wililng to pay, which was $56.78 (non-even numbers per Amy’s info). I remained the only bidder, and picked up the radio for its opening bid of $24.95. I”m thrilled. I’ll keep you posted on how/whether it works.

I lost the bid for the stereo system in the last 2 minutes of the auction. I need to become a little more eBay savvy, I guess.

It looks like the seller has re-listed only the CD player. Perhaps the person who beat me really only wanted the head unit.

 I’m watching a couple of other auctions right now for similar stuff. One is for WAY too much money. One is in Madison, WI, so I could have my brother get it for me.

 I’m a bit disappointed, but I’m still pursuing the equipment. I’ll keep you posted.