Front End Banging - What Part Has Failed?

FYI- Esaabparts.com is your friend for many of the Saab Specific parts. See below in text for alternatives.

FYI 2 - If you haven't downloaded the WIS & EPC and installed it locally, do it. It will help you tremendously. The EPC has zoomable breakouts and all part #'s. WIS and EPC for Windows - SaabCentral Forums

Parts:

• Strut Mounts
• Mount Bearings
• Upper washer #4646634
• Axle nuts
• Ball joint nuts
• Tie rods or Tie rod end nuts
• New bolts for ABS sensors
• Zinc "Spacer" rings under springs 3 4689378

Check the bellows / bump stop before replacing them . They last a long time. They are also expensive. You might be able to customize a generic bump stop to fit the bellows if the stops are rotted. Bellows is # 4483897 and $80 each. Amazon has some, maybe others.

The 4646634 washers are right on top of the mount.If they are bent (center humped) you can rework them with hammer and anvil. Replacement is a good option but a few bucks.

Axle nuts are one time use. NG900 used the short (standard hex nut appearance) ovealized nuts vs. the OG 9-3 castellated type.

Ball joint nuts are one time use. They are ovalized lock nuts and shorter than standard lock nuts. Best bought as a Saab parts but available in hardware stores with mega-selections of those little bins.

If your tie rod ends haven't been replaced lately, check them out for play and for torn boots. Replace if needed. Or replace just because you're in there and need to do most of the job with the strut. Alignment req'd if you replace them. If you don't replace the ends, then get new nuts. (Replacement ends will come with new nuts.). For those nuts you can use standard Nylock type nuts. However, the ends seem to come in both standard and fine thread variations, so bring one nut with you to the hardware store.

The plates @Saaberachi mentioned are still available for the NG900. Part # 4689378.

The ABS sensors can be a pain. Ideally you'd just unbolt the sensors from the mounts and let them hang. Or unbolt the mounts from the struts and let them hang. Unfortunately, the plastic "locating" pin is usually rusted into the strut (cast iron). So the mount itself doesn't come off easily. Sometimes you have to make a new "locating pin" if it breaks coming out. I replace the bolts that mount to the Strut and thebolts that mount the sensor to the mount with stainless parts from the local hardware store.

One option to avoid dealing with possibly stuck mounts or perhaps mount stuck bolts is to unplug the sensor cables and leave the units on the Struts. That works, but you have to be uber careful with the strut once it's out. The strut is very heavy and one slip will break the mount right off. But it's doable if you're very careful.

Saaberachi said:

Bob that pt number brings up spring spacer for 9-5. Are they same as early ng900? The diagram on esaab looks like the 9-3 until you click on it then goes to a different design spacer

Click to expand...

I'm going by the EPC. But if you look at esaab page, they seem to have reused the same part from the NG900 in the 9-5 for a number of years. The OG 9-3 was definitely a different part.

I haven't been inside an NG900 strut in ten years... so I don't recall the exact part appearance. I'll defer to others.