direct ignition cassette

[boosterseat]

well, i am pretty much certain my DIC is shot. so i am trying to find a replacement. a local yard has one for $175 but it seems like ebay is cheaper. is anyone using a T7 DIC on a T5? they seem to be cheaper. also is $175 too much for a used DIC? it seems like too much to me.

[wkndracr]

the black t7 DIC will not work on a T5 car. You must replace it with the same color, unless you find one of those rare "test" ones the dealers use to troubleshoot. I believe the "test" DIC is blue for T5 cars, there was a thread on here a while back about it.

$175 seems a little high for a used one, unless the date code shows it's recently made. I got one with a 1998 date code on ebay for $75, but I bought it as a spare, so I had plenty of time to wait for a cheap one.

[ShaneW]

Theres a guy on ebay with some black 2001 T7 cassettes for Buy It Now of $25+$11 shipping. I bought one of these and have been using it in my T5 car for a few weeks now ever since my Red one bit the dust.

There are alot of old threads about this around, The T7 Cassette will work in a T5 car, but it is not recommended due to the fact that the T7 Cassette doesn't have knock-detection built into the cassette like the T5 one does. However some people have been using the black T7 cassettes in their T5 cars for months/years with no ill effects.

I'm just waiting for a decently priced (and not too old) red unit to come up on ebay and I'll go ahead and buy it, swap it in and keep the black as a spare.

[boosterseat]

can anyone tell me a good reason not to save a ton of money and go with the black DIC?

Here is the auction.

it says it was tested on a 1999 9-5.

should i get it?

[jonnyfgroove]

Shane W gave you a good reason, knock detection.

[boosterseat]

true, i have searched the site and i cant find anyone who has had a problem using a black DIC on a T5 car. so i think i am gonna try it. i just need to make sure my O2 sensor and fuel mixture stay alright. if it kills my car, ill let you know.

[CleveSaab]

Show me one person who has been using a black one on a T-5 car for more then a year.

[boosterseat]

youre right, i havent seen anyone using one for more than a matter of months. but i havent seen any tales of destruction caused by a black DIC. i ordered it this morning but i am gonna be on the lookout for a red one to replace it.

[project13]

My black one has been on the car for well over a year since the P/O put it on, no problems at all

[ShaneW]

Heres a good amount of info in this thread- PMI explains the differences pretty well...
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...ition+knock%5C
I think the black ones are great for temp/backup or short term usage but wouldn't personally want one installed for a long period (more than a month or two)- especially if the car isn't stock.

[boosterseat]

the black DIC should be here tomorrow or saturday. what measures should i take to make sure i keep myself from having problems? i usually use 93 octane and i would like to continue this, but will gas with higher octane give me trouble because of the lack of knock detection? and somebody told me the black DIC uses different plugs. is this true? i havent had the chance to check the plugs to make sure they are good, but they are proper NGKs with only 3k on them.