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Parts to replace after 200,000 miles..

2K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Bockscar93 
#1 ·
I'm aiming for this to be a slightly ambitious thread.. I'm looking for help with a list of parts that should be replaced after 200,000 of miles on my 93 900 S.. This is assuming the owner has gone about the bare minimum requirements in keeping the car running such as regular oil changes, air filter changes, tire rotations, stuff like that.

I'm asking this because my poor old Saab had 2 owners but, the second owner owned the car and put about 90% on the miles and he bought the car as sort of a mid-life crisis sort of deal and basically took it to a slightly shady dealership it's whole life. Lately, I have been replacing parts but as soon as I replace one thing, another thing breaks so, I'm trying to find out what is going to break next so I can eventually restore the car to it's former beauty :cool:

List of things I've replaced.. Alternator mount bracket and bushings, Ignition Coil, Vacuum hoses, PCV Valve, Thermostat, Temperature Sensor, Speedo Cable, Shift Linkage, ELCD valve.

I ran some tests on the ignition system because I have been having trouble starting the car up when it's cold outside and the Ignition Amp failed a test so, I will be replacing that soon too. Any other ideas?
 
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#3 ·
Basic rule of thumb , if it aint broke you dont fix it . Monitor and maintain .
Preventative maintenance versus chucking money at parts because they are old . If we swapped bits based on age and milaage alone , we couldnt afford C900's .

Having said that , listen to what your car tells you , Inspect the obvious , like Belts , hoses , oil leaks , monitor your fuel performance and fluid usage , be conscious of *changes * do this well and you will usually avoid being caught roadside . Some of the items that may break after 200k miles are just as likely to go another 200 .

Check timing chain wear if this an unknown .. See FAQS for tensioner checking .
 
#5 ·
That's all true but, I scoff at the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage because I would prefer to fix something before it breaks, rather than having it break at a very inconvenient time. And also, there are many things that are impossible to detect until they fail such as my situation with the ignition amp and coil. The manual doesn't say those items need replacing and the only way I found out the coil needed replacing was because it failed and I couldn't make it to work. I look at it as being proactive and the fact that most of the components on the car are 16 years old and nothing lasts forever.
 
#6 ·
Scoff all you like , its basic commonsense.


Proactive would be having a known good spare of items that can possibly leave you roadside , Belts , Coil , hoses ,
Replacing something purely on age would be illogical .
If your mindset is to do that I would suggest buying a new car every few years , it will save you a fortune , just as possible it will leave you roadside , but it will have a warranty ,


You are right , nothing last forever . but a coil or an ignition amp ( as per your sample ) is just as likely to fail after 5 years as it is 10 .. or 15 ... or 20 ..
What logic will you use in 7 years time ? its due again using your logic ...

Expensive exercise to replace working items based purely on age .
 
#9 ·
I dunno, I consider driving down the road and having my car all of the sudden die, pulling over and popping the hood in the rain or other bad weather, doing some quick electrical tests and discovering that the ignition coil or CPS has failed seems illogical or even dangerous. Let me tell you, having your car die because of a fail component while you are stuck in traffic downtown in a large city with no where to pull your car over is one of the worst experiences you could ever have.

But in the "common sence" defense, yes it is indeed foolish to replace components at yearly intervals when the components could infact be fine. I suppose it would be like replacing break pads that are only 2/3 worn down because they've been on the car long enough or that sort of idea.

My thought was, most of the parts on the car are orignial, put on the car when it was build in a Swedish(or Finnish) factory back in 1993. The parts are old and worn out at this point and are just waiting for the worst time to fail. I kind of have the same mind set of what crwchf01 has. If I don't know the pedigree of the part in question, replace it! Yes it can be expensive but, try having your car die down town in traffic because you assumed the ignition coil was working properly, in spite of it being 16 years old.. Maybe I'm a little bias against old engine parts ;)http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/member.php?u=34352
 
#8 ·
With the age of the car, evidence of a related item going bad would be an indication to replace all of the type. I am referring to rubber (suspension) parts and fuel system hoses. If you don't know the pedigree, assume it is original and may need replacing. I carry the show stoppers (spare distributor, belts, and a group of the light bulbs other than the headlights that will get me pulled over for a burned out one). I would suggest a squeeze check on all vacuum lines ( if they crumble or crunch, replace), and approach this with the idea that preventitive maintenance is to identify problem areas and remedy as a group rather than piecemeal. The one hose or line you don't replace when the others are bad will most like;y be the next one to fail.
 
#10 ·
After 200,000 miles I'd say you're in for a new water pump. While you're doing that you may as well do the oil pump seal and O ring. Check the voltage regulator in the alternator, as that fails too. Any hoses that feel hard or appear to be cracking up should be replaced.

It depends how much you want to spend ultimately. I've got the engine out of a convertible at the moment. It's done 170,000k and I'm wondering whether I should do the head gasket while it's easier to do than if it were in the car. I probably should do the timing chain and guides then, and the oil seals, even the frost plugs, and while the motor's out is a good time to do the suspension bushings, and so it goes. I'll probably just end up doing the things I mentioned in the first paragraph, and leave it at that, rather than making a rod for my back.

When a part finally fails, I guess it means you've extracted the full value of its life, instead of having a lot of half-good parts lying around that you've replaced before they died. I'm talking about things like drive belts and hoses etc. I do applaud your desire to do pro-active preventative maintenance though, as it does eliminate future potential breakdowns. It makes sense, and in my case if the wife's Saab breaks down on her it means a whole lot of grief for me as I'm held accountable, so I have to keep things up to a reasonable standard.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I would inspect all your suspension parts in the front end. If the motor is being lifted for any reason, I'd throw in the drivers side A arm bushings just from convenience. And the motor mount. It all depends on how long you intend on keeping the car. And a totally over looked item is the steering rack bushings- they are at the lowest part of the car (drip wise) and would get brake fluid, power steering fluid or oil on them. It could also tighten up some slop in your steering if you have any. These forums are a good place to look. Check out what the general opinion is on most common failures and use that as your guide. I'm kinda prejudiced towards old soft parts because I used to deal with it a lot in the field, versus my getting brand new equipment now to inspect and ready for use. It's also the one that is cheapest (belts, hoses and bushings are cheaper than pumps, alternators, etc.) in the long run. Don't forget all the vacuum seals for the injection system and the vacuum ports in the intake manifold. Oh, don't forget to inspect your ground points for corrosion, and maybe use a silicone insulator/weatherseal after you clean them. Boat shops should have that.
 
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