Bang! Grrriiiiinnnd! Now ominous rattle.... :(

[This is MaDness]

G'day all!

I had hoped I would never need to make a post like this, but the Saab has had what sounds like some major trauma. Thought I'd ask for opinions on what the problem might be before I get it towed to the mechanic on Tuesday.

Righto. I recently bought an 89 900i manual. It's done a few tricks recently - ECU failed, clutch feed line burst.

I took it out for a spirited drive (ie quick, but nowhere near redline in any gears) for about 20 minutes yesterday morning. It behaved beautifully all the way until 200m before home. It's up hill so I shifted from 2nd to 3rd at about 4000rpm.

The moment I pressed the clutch, there was a loud bang and a 'shearing' noise - sort of like the teeth being stripped off something. After the initial noise, a rattling/grinding noise continued, but the car ran (apparently) normally and gear shifts worked properly without fussing or baulking.

I got it back to the car park and let it idle for 30 seconds while I poked under the bonnet. The noise continued - sounded like a bolt on a vibrating table, if you can imagine that. Approximate location of the sound is just under the inlet manifold. What the heck could this be?

The car re-starts and runs normally, but the noise is present both in-gear and neutral. I'm avoiding starting it again in case I'm causing damage.

Any suggestions on the possible problem would be fantastic! I will try and answer your questions as best I can.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

[92-Vert]

I'm not too sure about the Saab, I hope that it is not too serious. But I did like your mp3 very much.

"Saabs Ride On" 8)

[This is MaDness]

LOL! Thanks mate! You may not have helped the Saab, but you sure know how to cheer me up

[tandino]

We realy need more clues on this one - ie does the noise go away when the clutch is depressed - if so then its either the clutch or the actual gearbox becuase depressing the clutch will stop the box from turning - in neutral the shafts still drive as this is still a gear.
You say the noise is coming from down beneath the inlet manifold - have a good look at the belts and pulleys as these are in this region - perhaps a tensioner has come lose.

Pete.

[gerryp]

You've probably already looked under the car but I once picked up a tangle of baling wire. It tucked up behind the engine with one end dragging along the ground. Sounded like the end of the world, clatter, clang, griiiind.

[92-Vert]

Have you checked to see if your cat is O K :wink:

[This is MaDness]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. :wink:

I'll have a closer look underneath, look for foreign objects and do some clutch pumping to see if I can narrow it down.

[walawala]

something like that happened to me wheni just got my car from my mechanic. 2nd gear uphill...*BANG* then car died. Started the car, i couldn't engage any gear. After a few trieds, managed to engange first gear...but...the car wouldn't move and didn't die! I was on 1st gear, pressing the accelerator and it didn't move. Put it on neutral and it wouldn't roll down the hill!

My gearbox housing was broken or something. Got it fixed for free

Des

[This is MaDness]

OK, had a poke around for 20 minutes and mustered up the courage to start it again for 30 seconds.

Belts, tensioners etc seem fine. Nothing caught up under the body or in the engine bay. Exhaust etc still in one piece.

This time, the noise happened while I cranked the starter, disappeared and returned after about 10 seconds. It seems to be around the starter motor area. I assume the cylinder sitting on top of the clutch/flywheel area is the starter?

The noise remains whether the clutch is in or out in neutral. Selecting other gears with the clutch in makes no difference either.

My guess from this is that the problem lies somewhere around the clutch or flywheel. This is, of course, based on my rather limited mechanical knowledge. If you folks have any further ideas based on what I've said, I'd truly appreciate it.

Thanks for the help so far! :wink:

[This is MaDness]

EDIT: sorry, double post.

[heavy_t]

Have you checked the engine mounts? My 99 did a similar trick once, one of the mounts had snapped and the engine was vibrating against the chassis.

[cdaly]

There's a plastic cover over the clutch held on by about three bolts. Take that off and have a look around. Look at teeth on flywheel and starter (disconnect the coil and have someone crank the starter). Have a look for any debris in the bottom of the clutch casing. Inspect the pressure plate springs for breaks.

[yfs87]

none of you have brought up this possibility yet...this might not explain the bang, but certiantly would explain the noise...you could have had a CV joint seize and sheared the splines off the axle. everytime i let off the clutch in any gear, i would get a jingling grinding sound. this happened a few months ago. just a thought :idea good luck fixin this dude 8)

[gerryp]

Could the cover for the inspection hatch have fallen into the clutch cover?

[This is MaDness]

The SAAB was towed this morning. ops:

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I tried pretty much everything you said, but it's time to hand over to my mechanic since I have an exam tomorrow to study for.

I'll let you know what the mechanic finds. Many thanks again :wink:

[ProfZ]

See my post today, titled, "Loose ring gear--bizarre problem fixed." Might be what happened to your car!

[This is MaDness]

Case closed!

ProfZ was pretty much on the money with his post. I knew as soon as he said 'bolts in a tin can' for the sound, that my problem was similar to his. The flywheel had indeed loosened itself and was flailing about the place trying to get out of the engine.

Turns out my clutch was replaced just before I bought the car. It looks like a rush job, since my clutch feed hose broke after a week (probably weakened by previous mechanic) and my flywheel was not securely bolted in.

I had my specialist do most of the work, since I don't have the time or tools to carry out those kind of jobs. It's gonna be expensive, but I got him to tidy up a few other little things while he was in there. At least nothing major broke and needed replacing.

I've had 3 failures in a month of owning this car. Let's hope it gets better from here.... :wink:

Thanks one and all for your help!