Saab 9000 aero speedo stopped working

[Markiration]

Hi

The speedo has stopped working on my 9000 aero, Is this likely to just be a speedo cable or the clocks them selves? and how hard is either of these things to replace? if its the clocks them selves if i pick up a set of used clocks on ebay isit a straight swap or do they need to be married back to the car like a 9-5 áero?

[Superaero]

Instrument cluster or speedo drive in the transmission. No cable in later 9000. Mine was both which foxed the mechanic at the time.

[chengny]

No cable, just a close-coupled gear driven sensor. It's a magnetic pick-up unit that screws onto the transmission with a short pigtail that connects to the harness:



Check for good electrical connection.

Unscrew the coupler and check the geardrive for mesh - the driven gear is nylon and can get stripped. Insert a small screwdriver into the square output hole, twist back and forth. There should be only a limited degree of rotation. If it spins freely, the gear is stripped.
See the middle assembly:

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Markiration

Hi

The speedo has stopped working on my 9000 aero, Is this likely to just be a speedo cable or the clocks them selves? and how hard is either of these things to replace? if its the clocks them selves if i pick up a set of used clocks on ebay isit a straight swap or do they need to be married back to the car like a 9-5 áero?

If you're lucky, it's only the removable speedo gear. They are about $20 from many online sources.

If you're unlucky, it's the internal speedo gear. Those are only $2, but you have to almost rebuild the entire transaxle just to replace that part.

[Superaero]

Or, a very skilled SAAB mechanic who has fished these out before, in the dark with his eyes closed, may get the old broken bits out. Inserting the new speedo drive is fairly easy, trying to fish the old broken bits out and failing means removal and stripping of the box. Take it to a reputable experienced SAAB mechanic.

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Superaero

Or, a very skilled SAAB mechanic who has fished these out before, in the dark with his eyes closed, may get the old broken bits out. Inserting the new speedo drive is fairly easy, trying to fish the old broken bits out and failing means removal and stripping of the box. Take it to a reputable experienced SAAB mechanic.

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. The external speedo transducer is made from plastic so if it got crunched, the trans would easily chew up the pieces. Typically the external speedo transducers stop working due to the electrical connection and not from breaking.

It's the internal plastic gear that breaks that's a concern. It won't negatively affect the transaxle, but it will stop functioning. From what I understand, to install one of those, you lightly heat them up and then press them onto a shaft inside the transaxle. If done improperly, they are prone to breaking.

[Superaero]

The problem is fishing out the old broken bits. The nylon gears won't hurt the tranny if they break up but you can't get the new one in unless you can fish the old broken bits out. I know, this happened to me. My mechanic is a genius and the tranny stayed put. Don't try this at home.

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Superaero

but you can't get the new one in unless you can fish the old broken bits out.

Good point; I acknowledge defeat