[jfran2]

I'm no expert, but I'm thinking that 1999-2003 were known as the "sludge years" for Saab. Saab endorsed a 10,000 mile oil change interval, which turned out to be a bad idea. So if your past two owners were following Saab's maintenance schedule to the letter, there could be problems pending. I would definitely drop the pan to check. It may be a pain, but so is a blown engine in the middle of a long trip! And in my opinion, long trips are the Saab's major forte!

John Francis
Rolla, MO

 

[Mort]

Saab endorsed a 10,000 mile oil change interval, which turned out to be a bad idea.

Don't forget there was an extra caveat with that - Urban traffic - start / stop / Pulling Loads or high-altitude driving required a shorter oil change interval - this was at 5000 miles.
I don't know how many owners used that shorter interval.
I change mine on average every 9 - 10 months which equates to about 3 to 5k km.

 

[jvanabra]

Driving habits are everything. A car that's frequently driven short distances and never warms up is going to be very subject to sludge issues. Even not-Saabs. My buddy's bought a Hyundai Tiburon new, and essentially only drove it three miles to work and back every day for years. When that motor failed at low mileage, we took it apart and found the engine was filled with gunk. Never getting hot means moisture accumulates in the pan, and low speeds mean that combustion debris doesn't get sucked out. That's the potential for sludge. Add in a fine oil pickup strainer that prevents goopy, crusty oil from getting to the filter and voila, that **** sits in the pan forever. Slowly increasing in mass & displacing good, liquid oil. Then you toss in long oil change intervals where a person might take more than a year to rack up enough miles to warrant a change and , daaaayum.

I have no proof, but I'm pretty convinced the reason we saw some 9-3s die early deaths and others never have an issue was because of driving habits. That's what I'd be looking at.

 

[Germaniac]

I have no proof, but I'm pretty convinced the reason we saw some 9-3s die early deaths and others never have an issue was because of driving habits. That's what I'd be looking at.

Basically you can kill every engine with short distance driving & not changing oil and filter accordingly to it. That's why I'm immediately on the alert when someone advertises a low mileage car with text like "daddy used it only to get to his doc and back", and I rather put such offers on the backburner.

 

[BobSaabit]

FWIW, the 3000 mile oil change interval was always an American thing. Promoted by oil companies. Europeans have always had longer intervals.

Saab had the same long intervals on the NG900 and those engines never had sludge issues as a pandemic like the T7 motor did. They also both had the same cautions about short trip driving for all the reasons above.

There did not seem to be a pattern of driving habits and problems back when engines were getting sludged wholesale. We Saabers always asked when someone found a bad one and never noticed any consistency of habits.

 

[Germaniac]

FWIW, the 3000 mile oil change interval was always an American thing. Promoted by oil companies. Europeans have always had longer intervals.

Saab had the same long intervals on the NG900 and those engines never had sludge issues as a pandemic like the T7 motor did. They also both had the same cautions about short trip driving for all the reasons above.

There did not seem to be a pattern of driving habits and problems back when engines were getting sludged wholesale. We Saabers always asked when someone found a bad one and never noticed any consistency of habits.

AFAIK the/us Europeans had similar inspection and change intervals with the appropriate cautions about deviating driving habits.
At least in Germany the sludge issue came up prominently with the introduction of emission control systems around the mid-1980s, and it was not restricted to Saab. Strangely it was not a common issue though - some engines of various makes were 'sludges', others not.

 

[Bob12312357]

Strangely it was not a common issue though - some engines of various makes were 'sludges', others not.

Aka: design flaw

 

[jvanabra]

The likely reason the T5 (and Jetronic) motors never had the issue is because the oil pickup strainers were quite large, allowing contaminants that had ended up in the oil to be picked up and held by the filter. The T7 had a fine strainer that left all that stuff to accumulate in the sump.

I would not be surprised to find the electronic throttle actuator might have also added to the problem, because it has a tendency to keep the throttle more open more often than a conventional manual butterfly. I note that the Audi motors that had sludge problems were mechanically similar to the ones that didn't BUT had an ETA.

Obviously we will never know anything for sure, and this problem is largely in the past, but as Germaniac points out "sludged up low miles motor" is a widespread thing predating Saab's issue. My buddy had an XR4TI we picked up from SF (100k at 20 years old) that was pretty sludgy!

 

[Ryan_1909]

Okay, I finally got the chance to get some pictures of my engine. Would someone be able to confirm if I have the PCV #6 update? Thanks.
I'm also currently in the middle of repairing the NSS. Does anyone have any tips or recommendations on how to properly repair it? I have seen a few posts on it but still a little unsure. The switch has already been removed... What a pain in the *** that was...

 

[Saaberachi]

Looks like u have the update, gm hoses too.

 

[Ryan_1909]

Also, I have ordered and received the genuine saab 6-point brace, steering rack brace, and rear anti-roll bar. To be installed in the spring!

 

[Ryan_1909]

Could someone tell me what the replacement part for this is? It must have only been held on by a thread as I barely touched it and it broke off...

 

[pokeyjoe]

There really isn't much to that piece. Just the tube with a little lip to hold it in there. Rockauto calls it a PCV Hose Nipple. $1.31.

 

[Ryan_1909]

There really isn't much to that piece. Just the tube with a little lip to hold it in there. Rockauto calls it a PCV Hose Nipple. $1.31.

View attachment 295271

Thanks! Also, the smaller hose that comes off to the side that goes to the check valve, do you know if that can be replaced with silicone hose?

 

[Mort]

Do88 makes a Silicone version of the PCV hose kit.
They come with the clamps as well I think.
They are expensive, but the build quality is there.

https://www.do88.se/en/artiklar/saab-9-5-98-03-9-3-00-02-crankcase-vent-hoses.html

 

[pokeyjoe]

Have you ever had the cam cover off? I wonder if that little chunk of plastic is in there someplace.

 

[Ryan_1909]

Have you ever had the cam cover off? I wonder if that little chunk of plastic is in there someplace.

Luckily it was just on the inside of the cover. I managed to shine a flashlight in there and get it with a pair of needle nose pliers.

 

[Ryan_1909]

Do88 makes a Silicone version of the PCV hose kit.
They come with the clamps as well I think.
They are expensive, but the build quality is there.

https://www.do88.se/en/artiklar/saab-9-5-98-03-9-3-00-02-crankcase-vent-hoses.html

Thanks! For now I'm just going to replace what's needed. That'll probably be a next year update.

 

[Ryan_1909]

Any recommendation on what type of oil to use? I've seen 5w30, 0w40, 10w40 recommended.. I'm a bit confused on what would be the best to use. I know it has to have the ACEA A3 certification but that does not really narrow down what weight of oil I should use. If it makes a difference I live in Canada in a relatively cold climate but the car is only driven in the warmer months, perhaps as low as 5-10 degrees on the colder spring/fall mornings.

 

[jvanabra]

The oil you use depends on your engine and your climate. For a colder climate, 5w-30 is probably the right oil.