[leonfowler]

Hi everyone.

My name is Leon and I have recently bought a 1983 Saab 8v turbo for 600 dollars (aus). Which is quite cheap for they usually go for over a thousand dollars. The interior is a bit shabby with the roof lining sagging;oops: . but the exterior is in great nick. I noticed the car has no power and found out the turbo is worn, i have been looking around for other turbos but it seems none bolt on apart from the stock one. My mechanic also said the boost is on maximum for that turbo.

My problems are: the PCV valve at the top of the rocker cover is spitting oil over my engine usually when i go for a decent drive. Is there suppose to be a pipe or catchcan returning this oil back to the engine or is it not suppose to be spitting oil in the first place. One mechanic told me to remove the rocker cover and check a filter within it.

The car usually idles at 1000 rpms when driving and 1500 when in park or neutral. Is this much higher than normal?

I apparently have blocked injectors. what is the best way to clean them and can i do it myself or do i need a specialist. I tried putting the injector cleaner through my petrol tank, that doesnt work.

I have a few more problems with the car but I wont trouble you guys with them. I appreciate any help given to me as i am on a tight budget and would really like to enjoy my car without worrying about the engine falling to pieces.

Thanks from a troubled Saab commuter.:roll:

Oh I forgot another thing is that the engine has its cooling fan always on and the temp gauge runs on the 75% mark. Somehow i think a few of these problems are related!?

 

[Jezzadee]

Nice lot of things going on there. I'll leave the specific stuff for one of the 8 valve mob on here in case I give you the wrong information, but basically:

sounds like the PCV valve is knackered. They don't cost much.

Idle should be about 900 rpm. Have a look at the idle guide here .

I'd probably get the injectors professionally cleaned, or at least assessed by a specialist. If tehy are the original 1984 ones they are getting on a bit - although they may be fine after a clean.

Saggy headliner fix in the tech help section.

I'd like to know how your mechanic reckons that you are currently running the maximum possible boost for that turbo given all these problems. That Garrett will go up to at least 1.3 bar. The turbo is usually fine in these cases, although check it for play/wear.

High running temp is probably not related. A new thermostat, full cooling system service and radiator flush/clean should sort it. Again, if the rad is original it might be worth replacing it. Check for visible damage to the fins down at the bottom, and feel for cold spots, but mind your fingers if teh fan comes on. temp gauge should sit around 1/3 to 1/2, rising in traffic until the fan comes in to bring it down.

You'll be able to find a lot of this stuff by doing a search of teh C900 workshop. Don't worry about asking questions - someone will usually know the answer, but a lot of stuff has been done before so narrow down teh question by trying a search first.

Welcome to Saab Central

 

[jefspg]

I'd really take a close look at this engine before laying down $600.

First, most of the problems sounds like a cover up for something much more serious.

Why does he thing the injectors need cleaning? Does the car run rough?
Why is the fan always on and the temp needle sitting around 75%?
Did the car overheat and this was the solution?

If I were to look past the symptoms I might say it has a bad headgasket or the head has cracked from overheating. This is causing it to run rough.
The temperature problem can be fixed, but it won't be worth it if the head was damaged.

 

[leonfowler]

thanks guys for your speedy advice.
i know for a fact it did have a new alternator, new belts, new fuel pump and new radiator!!!! i checked the coolant which looks pretty green to me so i'd say it dont have a cooling issue directly. i have no reason to think the temp gauge is faulty as it seems to be cold when its cold and warm when its warm etc. One thing i did notice was that the rocker cover is a pain to take off and someone has put some sort of cement to make it even tougher. i dont know much about mechanics but it seems all suss to me.

the head gasket seems to be my worst nightmare, does anyone else think this might be the case? but the ride is very smooth (its an auto as well) it just seems underpowered for a 2 liter turbo.

one mechanic told me that there was petrol leaking from the fuel injectors, i just got a quote from another mechanic saying that they arent leaking but they are definetely blocked, as always every mechanic says a different story.

another question, i bought a new power steering belt and want to replace it, does anyone know how or have the link for me?

 

[Jezzadee]

It's a valid point about the head gasket - that could cause overheating, rough running and spewing various things around the engine bay. Check for oil in coolant or vice versa, any white smoke from exhaust, coolant loss etc. The way to know for sure is to get a compression test done.