1999 Saab 93 convertible???

[slick8]

Im thinking of buying this car, it has 115000 miles, automatic, looks pretty decent, is there anything really bad about this car that I might not know about??

[boxman]

welcome to saabcentral, unfortunatly the link doesnt work

[pronouncedeyen]

Does the top work? Smoothly? Does it stop anywhere in the middle?

I just finished replacing the convertible top hydraulic pump in my 1999 9-3 and let me tell you it was a bear. The only reason I did it myself is because the dealer wanted $3000 to replace it!

Ask the seller if they've ever replaced any of the hydraulics in the top - either the main pump or one of the hydraulic lifters. If they haven't you might be careful - it's probably due. You can get some idea by putting the top up halfway and looking into the mechanism that lifts the top. It's on the sides of the car to the outside of the rear seat. If you see a lot of oil down there you might not want it. They always leak a little but a lot of oil means that they will stop working soon and you'll be in for an expensive repair. The parts for the convertible top are just ridiculous.

[99_9-3Mike]

Pull the car onto some pavement and put the top up and down or down and up.

Talk to the owner for 10 minutes then look for oil on the pavement, just behind the doors back edge on both sides. That's where the top oil leaks out.

It shouldn't leak that much and if it does, pass.

It still might be leaky but they all are. If it leaks in 10 minutes after 1 cycle, it's got a real leaky problem. Not good.

A '99 it a t5 engine so no real sludge issue. Also, check the air distribution knob on the heater controls. I mean the big knob on the right that directs the air up, down, to vents etc. Those are known to bind up. Rack that around and make sure it moves freely. Cheap to fix yourself but very labor intensive. I took me two long days and $175 to fix it. Lotsa work.

Take your time. They're not a popular car. But they're easy to work on and fun to drive.

[slick8]

the air distribution knob broke, can i just buy a new knob?

[pronouncedeyen]

Look here: http://www.eeuroparts.com/Main/PartD...spx?id=5331665

[99_9-3Mike]

yeah but...from the saab site:

NOTE: Cabin control knob failures are often the result of a binding heater box. You can replace the knob but you may eventually have to do something with the heater box as well. Issues exist with the box which creates the knob problem. Only the right shaft can be replaced. If the other side is messed up as well you must replace 5174685 depending on the car you have NOTE: Knob failures are common but generally indicate that the vent housing is in a bind causing them to fail. The knobs are fairly inexpensive in comparison to replacing the housing so most people choose to replace the knobs.

[slick8]

i tried to put the top down and the rear lid came up about a half an inch and i got a soft top error,,,,,,any ideas??

[slick8]

bump,,,,,

[99_9-3Mike]

Well, the tonna cover has a shear pin in the drive unit. You access it from the trunk.

There's a shaft with a coupling over it and a pin through the coupling. The pin shears or the coupling breaks.

From thesaabsite.com, 93 convertible parts 1998-2003, Part #5 under

CONVERTIBLE TOP DRIVE UNIT SAAB 93 1998-2003.

http://thesaabsite.com/93/93convertibleparts.htm

So you need to get in there and confirm whats broken, bent, or what ever.

[pronouncedeyen]

Slick8: you can check the shear pin by disconnecting the boot cover that the top goes into when it's down. From the trunk disconnect the plastic screws at the top of it and then the 2 screws holding the cover up and you'll see the whole mechanism. The coupling is on the right side connecting the 2 shafts. The shear pin holds the coupling to the shaft.

[ataririder]

Well I dont know about you guys but I made my convertible into a manual. I had enough with the pistons leaking and the weak $1500 motor. I replaced the motor and all 4 pistons and the cover still didnt work right. So all I did was release the hidraulic presure valve on the pump and manually do the procedure myself. All you realy need is the electric motor to control the flaps. As for keeping the tonuea down I use a bungie cord that hooks in the back of the seat. One day I'll post a video on Youtube.

[cra-z1000]

Originally Posted by ataririder

Well I dont know about you guys but I made my convertible into a manual. I had enough with the pistons leaking and the weak $1500 motor. I replaced the motor and all 4 pistons and the cover still didnt work right. So all I did was release the hidraulic presure valve on the pump and manually do the procedure myself. All you realy need is the electric motor to control the flaps. As for keeping the tonuea down I use a bungie cord that hooks in the back of the seat. One day I'll post a video on Youtube.

Have you done this video yet ? I got this car cheap and the top is the only issue so it's not a big deal for me if it stays up but it would be nice to drop it , even manually .