Ebay bargain

[StormCrow]

1989 Saab 900S Automatic, N/A 16v

Bought on Ebay for the sum of £100!

MOT was booked in for today

Pictures will follow once its road legal!

Here it begins:



26/06/2007

They didn't have time to MOT it today, so it had a pre-mot check instead!

Emissions were miles below the maximum.. :)
Front ARB bushes were worn but not a fail
Steering knuckle from rack to column is rusted and needs replacing
Rear bushes to exhaust were perishing but not a fail
Rear flexi-lines were rusting but not a fail
Front wheel bearing MAY be failing but might be ARB bushes, not a fail
Brake pads are worn but couldn't brake test today, I expect them to fail!

All in all not bad for a G reg car! Bits will be on order once it has had its MOT tomorrow morning.

Headlining needs replacing completely as the P/O removed the bubble with a knife!
Central locking only unlocks one door - suspect faulty locking module

[Si]

So what have you got planned for the ole grannywagon then:D ?

[StormCrow]

Well I've already got a fairly modified 97 900SE (see my sig!) so I think I'm going to restore her back to her former glory and keep her fairly standard for Insurance purposes (only 22!), basically replace any worn and broken bits, retrim the headlining, tune her up and give her a FULL service, of course there will be an audio installation involved as well... :cheesy:

[Si]

If your going to restore her i think you should get as much chrome as possible, you can get chrome door handles, all the window surrounds, wheel arches etc etc etc, it would look the bee's knee's:D

[StormCrow]

I've already got interior chrome handles I think, personally I think the chrome arches (I assume you mean the ones on Ebay) would look cheap - have you got a picture of them fitted to a C900?

I was toying with the idea of colour coding some bits, like the grille as it's lost all its chrome and they don't seem to be too cheap to buy...

[StormCrow]

For some reason this was moved out of the project forum - what does it have to have to be classified as a project?!

Anyway: minor update

Received the replacement steering knuckle today, ordered from a well known breakers (Salvo Group).
Will be fitting it Monday if all goes to plan - am ordering the brakes etc as well so with a little luck she should have her next MOT Tuesday and be road legal from there!

Have been looking at headlining material - looks like it's going to cost a whopping £12 for the material and £9 for the spray glue! Will get that ordered once she's on the road and serviced.

[TooMany2cvs]

Have been looking at headlining material - looks like it's going to cost a whopping £12 for the material and £9 for the spray glue! Will get that ordered once she's on the road and serviced.

But... but... but... that's OVER TWENTY QUID! How dare they! Robbers! Theives! Vagabonds!

(just out of interest, like... where was that from so I know where to avoid like the plague when I do the headlining in mine in the very near future...)

[StormCrow]

Well in comparison PFS was £80 for the same kit :o

04/07/07

Took the car into the garage last night for some TLC to get it ready for the MOT.

Had to replace all four brake discs and pads - nice and easy once I'd worked out how to retract the rear caliper piston!
Replaced the air filter
Replaced the spark plugs
Replaced the dizzy cap and rotor arm

The head gasket has almost certainly gone - the coolant is a lovely brown colour but the whole kit will be about £45 all in, fitting won't be a problem.

Was impressed with the brakes - almost feel better than the ones in my '97 900 which were a lot more expensive!

Most shocked that all the nuts and bolts came off with no problems - no rounding, seizing or snapping which was nice!

Also managed to get the radio working - a bit of percussive maintanance while sat in the car park and it fired up!

-----


So how do I get this into the projects section then? It was originally in there but got moved?

[Matthew]

For some reason this was moved out of the project forum - what does it have to have to be classified as a project?!
That was me, sorry. I moved it based on the thread title! The thread title misled me to think it wasn't a project. Anyway, it's back in the Projects forum now :D

[TooMany2cvs]

Well in comparison PFS was £80 for the same kit

<whispers>
I think I may have forgotten the irony tags...

Feel free to PM me as to where you got the headlining stuff from - I've been having a look at Woollies (specialist car trim people, not the high st cheap pick'n'mix people) - nice range of materials to choose from, but not cheap.

[StormCrow]

Matthew - no worries, I can see why you removed it! I hadn't decided on a name for the car by that point - I'm thinking of Victor after a certain Mr Meldrew :cheesy:

http://www.youthblog.org/archives/victor_meldrew220.jpg

TooMany2CVs - so did I :lol:
The material is on the 'Bay somewhere - if you really need the seller let me know and I'll try and dig it out although I vaguely remember that it's on a thread somewhere in this cavernous forum! :lol:

[TooMany2cvs]

The material is on the 'Bay somewhere - if you really need the seller let me know and I'll try and dig it out although I vaguely remember that it's on a thread somewhere in this cavernous forum!

Don't worry 'bout it. I'll rummage...

[StormCrow]

Oh, also noticed last night that it badly needs the front drop links replacing - banging and clattering when going over bumps like you wouldn't believe! :lol:

First need to source a decent battery - the one in there has died a death and refuses to be awoken!

[StormCrow]

Passed the MOT today - after fitting the brakes last Thursday they just needed tweaking for the handbrake adjustment. :cheesy:

Was most impressed that all the nuts came off easily, no rounded nuts, seized or snapped either - which was a definate bonus! Also changed the spark plugs, dizzy cap and rotor arm as well as the air filter.

Just taken it for its first run - definately some issues need sorting:

Headgasket has gone (coolant is brown and oily!) so the car is VERY low on power - although once running its not too bad.
Kickdown cable is slack as you like - need to put my foot through the floor to get it to kick down - needs adjusting.
What I thought was the drop links MAY be the worn exhaust rubbers letting the exhaust clatter against the underside.
Second hand battery is in - car now starts although is very sluggish to start (battery still needs a good charge but I suspect that the HG isn't helping!)
Car idles very low - just off the point of stalling although again I suspect that the HG is the cause of this.
Headgasket kit, head bolts and a new thermostat are on order (in fact should probably arrive tomorrow) so that will be done fairly soon. I'm not going to drive him around much until the HG is fixed as I've no idea how long its been gone for! There doesnt seem to be coolant in the oil, just oil in the coolant so hopefully it shouldn't be too bad.

When the HG is done, I will be changing the oil, oil filter and fuel filter (which I've pre-soaked in penentrant fluid as the bolts are very rusty!) as well as the front ARB bushes. I will also investigate the banging and probably replace the exhaust rubbers underneath - might have to use some cable ties as temporary replacments depending on whether I've got any spares at the garage!

Car is now insured, taxed and MOTd :cheesy:

[Hawkeye Autos]

Hi Peter Nice to see this coming on so well and Glad to see the Car back on the road with a MOT as I said it was given to me as a part-payment for some welding on the last Owners car but was too good to play around with nice to see someone like yourself looking after it as we where going to use this one for Banger Racing but found a old Mondeo to bash up LOL

[StormCrow]

Hi David, thanks for checking up on it!

Yep - it's going well so far. I managed to shoehorn some 13cm speakers into the front today so it's sounding a little better - stereo is going in soon as I get a chance!

Unfortunately I don't have a huge amount of free time at the moment with work, so I can't spend as much time as I want to with the car but that's life I guess!

Pete

[Hawkeye Autos]

HIi I dont do much of this forum thing but you must put some photos up of your car Pete !! (when you get the time mate) Also liked your 1997 Saab 900 SE. We picked up a 9-3 2.0i s in black this week very nice to drive. I'll keep my eye on this tread to see how you are doing.

[StormCrow]

Right then, time for an update:

17/07/2007

I have changed some of the interior lights, as only a few of them were working... Have replaced the dash cluster lights with red LEDs, although some blue ones are on order as the red doesn't cut it...

Replaced the front speakers with 13cm Pioneer coaxials and the stereo with a Kenwood MP3 jobbie.

Central locking problem has been narrowed down to one motor - put a fuse in and all but the rear driver side door worked. Removed the motor and took it to bits, the actual motor inside has seized. Am bidding on a set of four on the 'Bay on the theory that if one has gone the rest can't be far behind!

Took the head off last night to start the HG replacement. Radiator is knackered, am pricing up a new one. Managed to collect a bucket full of brown mayonnaise - nice!

Started re-furbing the head today, degreased it all and removed the camshafts in order to replace the valve seals.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/Headbefore.jpg

On a side note - whoever invented collets should have been shot - what a pain in the ****!

Have replaced 8 of the 16 valve seals - have had to manage with a pair of pliers, screwdriver and hammer to remove the old seals (use the flat screwdriver as a chisel and cut the old seal off completely...) and then a socket with extension bar to press the new one into place. (Tool is on order now!!)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/Valvecompression.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/Cleaninghead.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/Allclean.jpg
Have replaced the thermostat - used an 82 degree stat as a replacement.

Re-sprayed the exhaust manifolds with VHT silver - also painted the thermostat housing.

[philjohnhb]

Head work in the lounge - nice. If the thought even crossed my mind i'd be shot.

[StormCrow]

Suprisingly I got away with it - not too sure how though!!

[StormCrow]

Changed the HG Thursday two weeks ago.

Ran fine for a few days, then the radiator went on the Sunday!

Changed the radiator for a shiney new Nissens one last night - drove 15 miles home and to work this morning and it's holding out lovely!

Victor is up and running again!

Also got four central locking motors, mainly to replace the dead one in the driver's side rear door but three spares can't be bad! :lol:

Still have to flush the remaining oil/coolant mix out of the system - two flushes last night hasn't cleared all of it, although it is starting to thin out a lot now!

[VikingSpirit]

Pictures!!! Still not seen the entire car yet (only the head) :lol:

[StormCrow]

I know I know, I've been silly busy at the moment (work at a holiday park so it's hell at the minute!)

I am planning on washing the car tomorrow (still waiting on my Porter Cable polisher to arrive before I polish / correct the paintwork) and will get some photos then... :cheesy:

Today I have:

Fixed (read 'replaced') the driver side rear locking motor - now all the doors lock and unlock without blowing fuses!
Replaced the rear numberplate lights - following the car home from the garage last night I noticed that you could barely see the lights (they were black as hell when I removed them and both ends of both bulbs fell off!)
Sorted out the low/stumbling idle - increased the idle speed a notch to ~900rpm and blew out (what I think is!) the IAC - idles lovely now!

[StormCrow]

Now that the car is running - I've come to the conclusion that I might well need to replace the timing belt and sprockets etc... (See THIS (http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107788) thread)

Problem is - I don't really have the cash or the time to do it - anyone in Dorset fancy a beer-motivated favour?! (Preferably someone WITH an engine crane!)

This car WILL survive - I will change the timing chain if necessary although I've gotta refit the tensioner to make sure it's not just me being a fool as the noise only started AFTER the head gasket change and there doesn't seem to be too much movement in the chain regarding the sprockets...

And no... I haven't actually had time to get any photos - been working 2-7pm, 8pm-2am shifts this week which sucks...

[StormCrow]

Finally got around to cleaning Victor today with my new Porter Cable polisher.

Quite impressed with the results - no before pictures but believe me, it was pink in comparison!

56k look away!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0935.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0934.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0928.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0930.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0933.jpg

[TooMany2cvs]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/101_0928.jpg


Looks like she wants a word with you about what you've just spent all day doing, when you could have been... <insert domestic chores>

[StormCrow]

Actually she's pretty good about it (plus she wants me to do HER car!)

[StormCrow]

Also sprayed and fitted the new grille - the old one was worn away.

New one is satin black - matches the bumpers nicely (at the moment!).

Unfortunately I've decided to take Victor off the road until I can change the timing chain - he's still roadworthy and good to go but I'm going to use my NG for a while (don't want him to die now!)

[StormCrow]

Received my timing chain & sprocket set from PFS today - only it had only ONE camshaft sprocket in the set but two rubber upper rocker cover bits!

Have to put it on hold again I guess :lol:

[TheRedBaron]

Unfortunately I've decided to take Victor off the road until I can change the timing chain - he's still roadworthy and good to go but I'm going to use my NG for a while (don't want him to die now!)So, do you secretly think about victor when you drive the NG yet? :lol:

The car looks great.

[StormCrow]

Update: 12/10/2007

Victor is still off the road awaiting the timing chain change - hopefully I should be towing him to my mechanic today and starting work tonight but it depends on what Dan can do this weekend...

Anyway - to keep the car happy I've just fitted a set of Buffalo Grey leather seats - what a pain those rear circlips are on the back seat! :o

Have also bought a dashboard (not the whole thing, just the speedo and surround) in order to replace the cracked plastic of the speedo cluster - will do this at some point but I'm moving house soon as well - the bonus being that the new house has a garage :cheesy:

[StormCrow]

Ok, started work today.

What a mission! After removing almost everything bar the timing chain cover with the engine in, we decided to drop the engine out after all that as it was going to be much easier...

WHY oh WHY is the suspension design like that!? Putting the chocks in to hold the top arm up is a pain both in the **** and also in Victor's ageing metalwork (which started to bend under the pressure)...

Anyway - engine is out and sat on a trolley, will be returning on Monday to clean up the engine and engine bay as there is an inch of grease everywhere - any excuse :lol:

Am also aiming to install the timing bits on Monday as well - hopefully will put the engine back together and have it ready for maybe Tuesday for reinstallation - we'll see how it goes I guess :o

Luckily everything came apart fairly easily - considering how old some of those nuts were I think it was lucky anyway!

I've got the crankshaft oil seal and oil pump seal to fit as well - should hopefully stop the grease re-accumulating so quickly.

Any tips or things to check in the days ahead? :confused:


Cheers

[VikingSpirit]

Yes, whatever you do, don't start thinking to yourself that having the engine out might be a good opportunity to fit a turbo engine / repaint the engine bay, otherwise before you know you're 8 months deep into a full rebuild! :roll:

Edit: Oh yeah, don't dislodge the nice, chassis-preserving grease! Or if you must, substitute it for a layer of waxoyl or stone chip shield etc. But don't be fussy about making it look pretty, it will only get dirty again, and it will rust! (ask me how I know!)

[StormCrow]

Went back tonight:

Reinstalled new timing chain & sprockets
Pressure washed and 'jizer'ed the engine
Same for engine bay

Managed to break the CAM SPROCKET :o when turning the engine over - was shocked how easily it gave up the ghost to be honest... maybe too much Mr Muscle ;oops:

The engine is ready to be put back in - going to head back next week and finish cleaning the engine bay and engine (still got some greasy corners!) and kurust the rusty bits - also will waxoyl the engine bay to protect it of course...

[StormCrow]

Went back today.

Kurusted the engine bay
Coated the engine bay with 'spray rubber' - sort of like a stoneguard
Reinstalled engine
Drained and changed fluids

VICTOR LIVES AGAIN! Sounds lovely - smooth gearchanges after changing the ATF and diff fluid. Drove it home, was nice and quiet (in fact my girlfriend's Civic behind me was louder!)

Got to check the vitals tomorrow and get the tracking set (gotta be at least 10mm out!) and make sure that the head isn't still leaking after the gasket change but all seems well :cheesy:

[Hawkeye Autos]

Looking very nice Peter !!!! see you have done loads to the chugerluger Aaliyahs name for her the 3 year old that cryed when you drove off in her number one car she thought you where going to bring it back the next day !! We have been keeping an eye on the progress and all the hard work that you have been putting into the car and very much looking forward to next years summer and coming down your way to drink some of that cider seeing we have had such a good year for the apples...

David

[StormCrow]

Looking very nice Peter !!!! see you have done loads to the chugerluger Aaliyahs name for her the 3 year old that cryed when you drove off in her number one car she thought you where going to bring it back the next day !! We have been keeping an eye on the progress and all the hard work that you have been putting into the car and very much looking forward to next years summer and coming down your way to drink some of that cider seeing we have had such a good year for the apples...

David

Hi David, thanks for the nice comments! I didn't realise that I was seperating her from her first love - you should have said! :lol:

Looks like we may have an early Saab enthusiast then! :cheesy:

[Hawkeye Autos]

Aaliyah is car mad that one and all my wrenches have tape in different colors on them a great help when you are under a car, I just shout give me the red one and away we go and come back with the 13mm brill sorry to say she is Land Rover Mad at the moment as that is what I trade in most of the time apart from a few Saabs that I come across at auctions for re-sell

[StormCrow]

That's not a bad idea - maybe I'll do the same so the missus can help me :lol:

No - I joke, she's almost as good at identifying tools as I am - in fact she bought the socket set I use! :cheesy:

As a side note:

Victor went in for tracking today as he's been dragging a wheel behind him on sharp turns - the track rod end is knackered (no real suprise there!).

Anyone know if I need a short or long T.R.E?

[StormCrow]

Ok track rod end is changed, tracking is now Ok.

Unfortunately he is still swallowing oil and it is ending up in the coolant. I've flushed it out two or three times now hoping it was remaining crud still in the system but it doesn't seem to be.

Upon refilling the coolant, a small (i.e. a few drops) of mayonnaise appears on the top of the header tank, after bleeding the system and running it down the road, the header tank is once again full of crud.

I'm thinking the head gasket needs doing again, and the head crack tested and pressure tested as well as being skimmed. Unfortunately I'm starting to lose interest (only slightly) as I simply haven't been able to drive the car since I bought it, I know that C900s are 'quirky' but this is silly.... :evil:

[Matthew]

Good work on the head gasket and timing chain etc. I really look forward to seeing this car :D

Are you sure the head gasket's leaking? Oil in the cooling system never really disappears, especially from radiators. Even though you changed the rad, the new one will now be contaminated with oily coolant.

Is the car actually losing any oil from the sump?

It's possible to pressure-test the oil system. Most garages have the gear to do it.

One of the things I'd do is re-torque the head bolts.

Don't give up :D

[StormCrow]

Good work on the head gasket and timing chain etc. I really look forward to seeing this car :D

Thanks Matthew :cheesy:


Are you sure the head gasket's leaking? Oil in the cooling system never really disappears, especially from radiators. Even though you changed the rad, the new one will now be contaminated with oily coolant.


I'm pretty sure something is amiss - I have flushed it all out quite a lot now but it seems to just come back again. I'm going to take it to my mate / mechanic and give it one last really really GOOD flush out and see what happens...


Is the car actually losing any oil from the sump?

I'm not sure. As I say, as I don't drive it too often (for obvious reasons!) it's hard to judge, but I'll try and keep a closer eye on it.


It's possible to pressure-test the oil system. Most garages have the gear to do it.

Definately an option!


One of the things I'd do is re-torque the head bolts.

To do that, I guess I loosen them off then re-tighten to spec then move onto the next bolt, correct?


Don't give up :D

Thanks :)

[Matthew]

Did the engine overheat when the head gasket went?

To do that, I guess I loosen them off then re-tighten to spec then move onto the next bolt, correct?
I checked a few threads on here and yes, the procedure is: slacken off one bolt and go through the complete torquing procedure, then move onto the next. Follow the usual sequence.

[StormCrow]

The engine did overheat when the gasket went (or more precisely, AFTER it went and before the radiator was changed!!)

I'm thinking it might be a warped head - stupidly (and I'm now kicking myself!) I didn't get it skimmed, just checked it with a flat.

In Jan I'm going to R&R the whole lot again, strip the head off and get it crack tested and skimmed and basically try it all again properly!

[TooMany2cvs]

Unfortunately I'm starting to lose interest (only slightly) as I simply haven't been able to drive the car since I bought it, I know that C900s are 'quirky' but this is silly.... :evil:

<looks at thread title...>

[StormCrow]

<looks at thread title...>

I know, irony is a wonderful thing isn't it?! :lol:

[TooMany2cvs]

I know, irony is a wonderful thing isn't it?! :lol:

As long as it doesn't all turn into irony oxidey.

[StormCrow]

Retorqued the head bolts today, followed procedure in Haynes.

For the record:

Loosen bolt
Torque to 60nm
Torque to 80nm
Add further 90 degrees


Lets see how it goes! :roll:

[THE ANORAK]

Did you post the source of your headlining kit? Woolies dont have any more than 2 metre lengths in the colour (cheapest) wanted by me.
Good luck with your work your car looks superb !!

[StormCrow]

Thanks :cheesy:

I got a swatch from a company on the net somewhere, but can't for the life of me remember who they are!

The headlining has taken a bit of a backseat since this all cropped up :lol:

[TooMany2cvs]

Did you post the source of your headlining kit? Woolies dont have any more than 2 metre lengths in the colour (cheapest) wanted by me.
Good luck with your work your car looks superb !!

Odd... I got a roll of 7m (enough for two cars, mine and a mate's) from Woollies no problem at all.

[THE ANORAK]

Odd... I got a roll of 7m (enough for two cars, mine and a mate's) from Woollies no problem at all.

Looking for Empire Grey and info on site tells me no more than 2m lengths available, although spendind too much time indoors with SWMBO and youngest daughter I feel like it should be Henpecked Grey !!

[TooMany2cvs]

Looking for Empire Grey and info on site tells me no more than 2m lengths available

<has a look>
http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-93-brushed-nylon.aspx

Yep, that's the same stuff I got - mind you, that does make it sound like a temporary stock problem.

[StormCrow]

<has a look>
http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-93-brushed-nylon.aspx

Yep, that's the same stuff I got - mind you, that does make it sound like a temporary stock problem.

And THAT'S the site where I got the swatches from!

[StormCrow]

Car is still depressing me, every time I look in the coolant reservoir!

Bought a hand syphon pump today, hopefully I might be able to remove some of the scum on the top!

Anyone got any tips on flushing the system without draining all the crud all over the floor? I want to have another crack, but can't justify draining all this oil away down the drain - the planet is screwed enough as it is (and the drain doesn't work anyway :lol: )

[TooMany2cvs]

Anyone got any tips on flushing the system without draining all the crud all over the floor? I want to have another crack, but can't justify draining all this oil away down the drain - the planet is screwed enough as it is (and the drain doesn't work anyway :lol: )

Length of hose pipe on the rad drain...?

[Matthew]

I've used an old cooling system hose on the rad drain and it worked. Hose pipe would also be fine. You may still spill some.

To be thorough, you'd need to drain and flush the block too (instructions in the Workshop). I have never been able to drain the block without coolant going everywhere.

I'd flush the engine, block, heater and rad circuits separately.

[StormCrow]

Long time no update

Had changed the transmission oil cooler, but no real improvement...

Victor has been with a friend of mine for the last few months as he wrote off his Volvo (heh) and therefore Victor has stepped in as the 'fleet car' :lol:

It helps that my friend is the mechanic, so I know he's in good hands! He's been treated to a new battery while there as well as general TLC when Dan's got the time so all is well - better than sitting outside my house neglected ;oops:

Just last Monday he passed his MOT with flying colours, just the front ARB bushes and a wheel bearing to sort out - no other labour involved!

Unfortunately, the head gasket is almost certainly dead. The car had a 200 mile round trip the other day to pick up a new car, and while he performed "flawlessly" (not my words!) all the way there and back, he had lost around a litre of oil, and the header tank which Dan had skimmed off before he left was mayonnaise again. There is an oil leak from the oil filter bracket (correct term?!) which needs fixing, but it's not THAT bad!

Ah well. I know of a local place that skim heads for not a lot, and I've now got the tools and more importantly, the experience and knowledge to change it myself this time (and I'm a lot more exacting about things when I've got the time to do it myself in my drive!) so as soon as I get him back he's off the road AGAIN to have a new head gasket fitted, cooling system flush etc. I reckon on two days driveway time, with messing about etc...

After that, I guess I'll fit the carpet that I've got to replace the nasty brown stuff thats in there at the moment, and probably sort out the headlining and pillars - will redo the parcel shelf at the same time...

Anyone want pics of the progress, or shouldn't I bother? I guess you've all seen the insides of heads, pistons etc before :lol:

[Matthew]

Pics you say? Yes please! :D

[StormCrow]

Pics you say? Yes please! :D

Lol - as I wrote it I was thinking "this is a silly question"!

Ok - just for you Matthew I will get some photos of the work in progress when I get it back...

[StormCrow]

Ok - started work today.

Have thoroughly flushed the cooling system out - used a bit of dishwashing liquid inside the pipes and then let it flush until it was clear, then a bit more!

Have removed the exhaust manifold (mainly to get to the block drain!), loosened the inlet manifold, removed the rocker cover, set the engine to TDC according to the 0 mark on the flywheel and the cam sprockets etc all line up fine.

To quote the old addage - rain stopped play. I have been working in a light drizzle all day, but it seemed fitting to stop at the point where I can remove the head tomorrow.

My only regret - I've only taken photos of the connectors etc for my reference so far - my posh camera isn't too good in the rain I shouldn't think!

Quick question - I have removed the two 'hidden bolts' underneath the head holding it up vertically - as well as the two bolts that bolt it to the engine mount. Is there anything else (bar the head bolts obviously) that secures it to the block? Obviously the power steering bracket has been loosened as well...

[StormCrow]

Got the old head off today.

Swapped the cams, dizzy etc over and made sure the new head was good to go.

Had an extra water port on the new head near the thermostat housing - assume it was for the Turbo water feed or something. Luckily, one of the large 19mm nuts that sit on the inlet manifold fits the hole perfectly. (Bolt was from my 'spare' manifold).

Picked up the new head gasket as well.

Currently the car has two heads sat in the boot, all the spares and bits n pieces as well as some other junk - the space in the boot is fantastic!

Hopefully tomorrow I can start refitting the new head - got to check that the cams are in the right places first as obviously they've both been swapped.

[StormCrow]

Ok - Victor is running again (as of Friday last week!)

Put everything back together after removing and stripping the old head, swapping cams and cam carriers over, blocking excess water ports etc.

Ignition timing feels a hair out but will address that soon (stutters slightly over 4000rpm).

Have driven about 20 miles since the change, checked the coolant tank and all seems ok so far - a little sludge on the top but it seems to be excess from the change...

[StormCrow]

Timing is set now - was 2 degrees out at the dizzy so it runs lovely now!

Header tank has some more scum in the top, but it is to be expected as it will be EVERYWHERE in the cooling system despite the flush! Will flush out again soon.

Did some bits today...

Replaced the aerial which wouldn't retract properly with a new mast from the bay of E. Had to strip it all apart as the new mast wouldn't just 'slide' into the carrier as it says it should!

Fitted a Momo steering wheel also sourced from the bay today - its originally from a 99 so it looks the part, has a Saab centre horn push.

Had a new rear box fitted this morning as well - the old one fell off!

Finally fixed the headlight switch in place - the tabs had broken off meaning that it turned 35 degrees or so every time you used it! Quick bit of superglue and it's nice and fixed into place now.

[StormCrow]

Started the headlining replacement at last today.

Bought 4m of material from woolies trim and two cans of spray adhesive. I might need a third to finish the pillars but should have enough to do the main bulk of it...

Removal wasn't too bad, had to remove all the handles and mirror etc. Car has a sunroof, so removed the sunroof surround as well.

Have stripped the old foam off with a wire brush, only took about 15 minutes. Have now glued the weak spots that had broken with the papier mache method, hopefully that'll hold ok.

Wish me luck! I think I'll need it - oily bits I can do, but upholstery might be a bit beyond me!

[StormCrow]

Headlining is done - just need to put it back in the car.

Followed the writeups that are dotted around the site, wasn't too hard once I realised that the glue needs to be applied to the 'biscuit' AND the foam backing to get it to stick properly!

Job isn't 100% - a few creases here and there but it's 1000x better than it used to be - if it needs redoing in a while I don't think I'll be too fussed...

Anyway - pictures :cheesy:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/DSCF4649.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/DSCF4650.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/DSCF4648.jpg

[Matthew]

Nice work :D

Even a non-saggy headliner would benefit from re-upholstering. After twenty years they have become quite dirty and you notice the difference only when the new fabric's in place.

I think headliner replacement is one of those "feel good" maintenance jobs. The huge improvement is something you can appreciate every day :D

[c900]

That looks great. I'm guessing that the sunroof-version headshells are more complex to re-cover because they have a lot more changes of direction compared to
the cars without sunroofs.

Craig.

[Tomarse]

Job isn't 100% - a few creases here and there but it's 1000x better than it used to be - if it needs redoing in a while I don't think I'll be too fussed...


well done - though every little crease is gonna piss you off every time you get in the car and see it! ;)

I didnt put enough glue right in the front corners on mine and the material has pulled off and i cant help but see it all the time"!

[Matthew]

Another reason the fabric often pulls away from the corners is stretching. It's difficult (although not impossible) to get the fabric into the corners and then onto the flat without stretching or introducing creases.

[StormCrow]

Thanks guys

Yeah, the creases will annoy me a little, but it's SUCH an improvement on what was there I will live with it at least for a while.

Fitted it tonight (no pictures yet as I was already late for work!) and it looks 100% better.

I'm not looking forward to doing the C pillars - it's a 5 door so they are apparently stitched together... I don't do sewing! Tommy_the _Saint from here and UKS has said he knows someone who might do it for me on the cheap so it might be worth me going down that road - £30 or so would be much better than swearing and sweating over something for ages!

I think headliner replacement is one of those "feel good" maintenance jobs. The huge improvement is something you can appreciate every day :D

Not so much in this case. The previous owner had cut away the big bubble that was at the rear of the car so all I had was some scraggy foam with big scratches in it, and a huge bit hanging down around the rear interior light. That was made worse when I lent Victor to a friend of mine, who has small children who thought it would be great fun to pull it down even further!

Anyone got any tips on re-covering the sunroof material? I pulled it all off as it was rubbing on my head whenever I got in...

[StormCrow]

Not much of an update - Victor has been standing in for my NG while I take it off the road for some bodywork.

Fitted a set of clear front indicators and clear side repeators today - cleans and modernises the front end a lot. :cheesy:

[StormCrow]

Just picked up a good set of 3 spoke wheels today - £100 collected was a good price IMO.

Will be fitting them tomorrow, and will give Victor a well deserved bath / polish and get some updated photos!

[StormCrow]

Ok so I fitted the wheels today and sprayed all the crap out of my wheel arches, but didn't get a chance to get any pictures before the hammering rain and gale force winds set in... :o

Wheels look good - front two needed a bit of persuading onto the hub, I had to tighten the bolts in opposites to get the wheels to 'pull' down onto the hub. All is tight, I'm just slightly curious as to why this was the case...

Service kit is arriving tomorrow so he'll be ready for winter when I've waxoiled him...

[TooMany2cvs]

Wheels look good - front two needed a bit of persuading onto the hub, I had to tighten the bolts in opposites to get the wheels to 'pull' down onto the hub. All is tight, I'm just slightly curious as to why this was the case...

A bit too much corrosion/paint/whatever building up on the hub/centre hole, meaning it's a fairly tight fit. Nothing serious.

[StormCrow]

Have tracked down and fitted a rear window louvre - just cos I like it!

Been searching for the cause of idling problems in the morning and stalling when cold - have replaced the vacuum bushings in the inlet manifold and rocker cover alongside new vacuum hoses, reasealed the EGR waxstat and replaced the NTC sensor with a spare (unknown quantity though!)

[Matthew]

You could just dump the EGR system. It'll be so gummed up that it won't be doing any good. You can get a kit from Saab to plug the ports that are left open after removing the EGR stuff.

Did you read the variable idling guide in the FAQ?

[StormCrow]

I will think about it, but I think it might be sorted now. Didn't stall or idle rough this morning, have stuck the battery on charge as that seems low (and indeed was) but that is mainly due to lack of use...

[StormCrow]

Right then - spent the day swearing and bleeding all over the place...

Today I decided it was time to do the interior illumination (or lack of it!)...

Removed the stereo (after a lot of persuasion - that was in tight!) and delved my hands down into the dashboard for the first of many times...

Found the bulbs - all three that light the heater controls were dead. Changed them over, testing as I went. All fine so far.

Decided to replace the bulb on the LHS of the cluster. Popped out the speaker vent and removed the bulb... along with a load of burnt copper circuit. Yep - the circuit board on the back of the cluster was burnt to pieces.

Delved into the garage and retrieved the spare cluster I'd bought a while ago. Unfortunately the mileage was 10k over, so I took the cluster apart and adjusted the mileage to suit (well, only the 10k digit - the rest can stay!).

Removed the dash (what a PITA for the first time!) and cluster, swapped and tested and replaced etc etc. Typical problem with the long screws - all of the clips that they screw into have snapped. Will engineer something, probably self tappers into the sides and bottom of the dash surround... later!

Came upon a problem when testing the heater direction controls. Only the demister was blowing. Plenty of research (and a redundant post in the workshop section!) and I was back in business - seems I had not reconnected the relevant vacuum hose to the inlet manifold when I did the HG - whether it was the first HG or second I don't honestly know! Replaced the hose in the right place (and consequently moved the EGR hose to the CORRECT place!) and all is well.

Tomorrow I need to rewire the stereo (pulled a wire out and it's cold outside now!) and might well fit some bass to the car while I'm in there!

Need to track down working (lit) switches for the headlight aiming function and lightswitch...

Noticed that while the mirror switches had holes for bulbs, none were around... is this common? Do I need to delve deeper or is it just an oversight by Saab?

[Alex]

Don't think the mirror switches have ever been illuminated. Certainly none of my 900s have.

[StormCrow]

That clears that one up - thanks! Makes me wonder why they bothered to engineer the hole in the switch if it wasn't going to be used!

Might try getting some glow in the dark paint and sorting out those switches - wonder if it'll work...

EDIT: We'll see - I've ordered some paint and will brush it on fine - might work, might not...

[StormCrow]

Rewired the stereo today and fitted a small amp and sub. Just enough bass to accentuate the music without rattling anything!

Car drove lovely tonight, can see everything on the dashboard for the first time, the heating works. Great!

A side note. I'm not entirely convinced that my speedo is reading correctly now. 30mph doesn't seem like 30mph - I will test it tomorrow with a GPS unit and see.

When I removed the speedo, I removed the needle to take off the black facing. When I replaced the needle, I had to 'preload' the small clock spring behind the needle slightly so that the speedo would 'bounce' back to the stop without hanging... Might I have disturbed something there?

[StormCrow]

Installed the variable intermittent relay today - very worthwhile mod for a few quid...

Have ordered some more 'ICE' for Victor:

7 band equaliser (with amp - for front speakers)
Vibe 6x9s (for rear shelf now that you can't see due to the louvre)
Also picked up an old VDO Dayton GPS (hardwire) unit for free
Also blagged a free CD changer - wires in via the radio aerial

So some big wiring coming up (when it stops raining / snowing)!

[StormCrow]

Bit of an update - haven't kept this thread live!

Have fitted a rear window louvre and also a sunroof deflector.

Car has passed it's MOT with no advisories.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/stormcrow667/DSCF5479.jpg