[bramftm]

Well a few months ago the engine on my Viggen went bang...new engine required...went through all the stuff with saab about there recall on these engines but there was one service missed on the car when the car was only about 2 years old so they wouldnt honour the warrenty...

So anyway i have got the money together to replace the engine but i am constantly reading about the Viggen engine (B235R I think) is quite prone to blowing (big ends in my case) ...

So i was wondering is there another saab engine that would drop into my car with all the bits off my car added that would be more reliable and less prone to going tits up.....also i dont want to lose any of the power that the Viggen has cos it just wouldnt be a Viggen then......any ideas would be appreciated before i go out and spend £2000+ on getting the car back on the road

 

[stromer]

I'm certainly not an expert on this subject, but I thought that with good maintenance and keeping the Viggen at stock levels the engine was okay. And that it was only when you started tuing it heavily that problems would arise. Isn't it the pistons that go? Or whatever goes on yours, just get that part upgraded this time around, if you can. You are definatly right about not being able to put anything less than a Viggen engine in, that just isn't right.

 

[NCviggen]

i'm curious to know what exactly happened to your old engine?? there has been a lot of discussion on other saab boards that i've been on for a while about why these engines fail... stromer's right on about the pistons, but that seems to be a symptom and not the cause. still nothing definitive, but some have suggested that the MAF goes off spec, which leads to detonation in cylinder #1 and then failure. another theory is about the PCV and oil getting in to the cylinder and leaning it out causing knock and failure. i don't think they're any more prone to blowing up than regular 9-3 engines, it's just that most of the people who HAVE blown their engines are on these boards!
bottom line is that they're USUALLY fine as long as they're taken care of. personally i'd stick with a viggen engine. i don't know much of anything about engine swaps, but i think it would be tough. i'm sure you'll get more input on that. but really... would you want to drive a viggen that wasn't a viggen?? :nono;

 

[bramftm]

Hi well according to the mechanic its the crank that has gone bottom end of engine ...its the engine that was covered in the recall by saab....somthing to do with the oil blockage in the crank case....someone else will be able to shed some more light on this as i am no expert on engines in fact i know very little about them,,,,,....basically the car starts up and idles no problem but as soon as you apply any revs there is the most horrible knocking from the bottom end of the car.....


appently this is a known fault with this engine something about oil pressure or oil blockage to the crank case

here is the apprent reason
http://www.mitt-eget.com/saab/information_ccv_en.shtml

 

[NCviggen]

yup that is the PCV thing i was talking about. thanks for the link, that's a lot of good info. for everyone else, saab just put out a new updated "fix" (if you can call it that) for this problem...
so your engine still runs? is there any chance of rebuilding it? cheaper to do that?

 

[bramftm]

no been told off 3 different mechanics that a rebuild would not be worth it as the labour cost would be ridiculous......so has anyone got an ideas about if it has to be a b235r enginethat goes into the car

 

[Shaft]

Wow thats some crazy info! I suspect that GM stuck in their nose too much and screwed things up with the Saab masterpiece!

My question is, does this apply at all to the 94-98 900's B204L?

 

[bramftm]

I know why did GM have to mess about with what was almost a bullet proof engine well capable of doing 250k miles and more....

 

[stromer]

....somthing to do with the oil blockage in the crank case....

Wouldn't this be a sluge issue? There is a lot of talk of this problem lately. You might be able to get more compensation if this is the problem.

To blame GM for this problem is a stretch.... :nono;

 

[bramftm]

dunno if this is a sludge problem.......has anyone got any ideas on my original question

 

[stromer]

Really the only engine that is comperable would be a 9000 Aero engine from a 5 speed car. But then that engine is a t5 wheres the Vig is a t7. You could go with a t7 2.0 from a 2000+ 9-3 SE HOT. With an ecu and a few hardware mods yuo'd be up to Viggen power easily, but it still wouldn't be the same.

 

[Fast_Ed]

I think the B234r engine from teh 9000 aero is quite similar to the Viggen engine. The B234r apparently has stronger pistons, while the b235r had lighter ones.

This thread goes into the deal VERY heavily:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38373&page=1&pp=20&highlight=forged+viggen+pistons

Viggen Piston Failure is, according to this thread, mostly caused by excessive engine bay temperatures. You dont hear a lot about stock 9-5 aeros with almost the exact same setup eating pistons: More room in engine bay ~= lower temperatures ~= less stress on engine.

 

[bramftm]

would that engine from a 9000 aero fit into a viggen and would there be any power loss......i dont want to sacrifice the power because there would be no point having a viggen then

 

[Fast_Ed]

would that engine from a 9000 aero fit into a viggen and would there be any power loss......i dont want to sacrifice the power because there would be no point having a viggen then

I think you should stick with the Viggen engine, too.

However, the B234r is a stronger engine with very similar if not the same dimensions. If you crank up the boost on a Viggen engine, you are much more likely to crack a piston than you would have on the B234r.

Sounds like you want stock power levels and reliability. Go with the standard setup. My inept dealerships have had enough trouble just maintaining that.

Unless you build a custom engine, there are no other engines than b235r or b234r that belong in your car.

 

[stromer]

A 9000 Aero engine from a manual trans car would be very comperable power. I think they were rated at 225 whereas the Vig is 230. So 5 hp difference, but we all know Vig numbers vary greatly. But again, I would say to go with the Vig engine. I'm curious if a complete 9000 Aero engine would even be much less than a Vig engine to buy? It would probably be harder to install being the older t5 ecu.

 

[Fast_Ed]

Yeah, I dont know if you'd save much on the Aero engine. It does have more potential, in theory. I would imagine the best way to do it would be to get the block and add the Viggen heads (you didnt kill those right??) along with all of the t7 stuff.

If only the block is destroyed, I dont think it'd be too complicated to replace it with the 234 block and keep everything else from the Vig.

 

[bramftm]

Yeah, I dont know if you'd save much on the Aero engine. It does have more potential, in theory. I would imagine the best way to do it would be to get the block and add the Viggen heads (you didnt kill those right??) along with all of the t7 stuff.

If only the block is destroyed, I dont think it'd be too complicated to replace it with the 234 block and keep everything else from the Vig.

As far as i know its only the block that i need thats what i have been told i need to get so all the other viggen stuff is intact a B235R short engine is what i was told i need ...so i assume that is just the bottom end block..also this is a 1999 viggen so it was 225bhp stock

 

[Spoolin900SE]

Yeah definatley stick with the Viggen engine if you are going to have the dealer install it, because then it should come with some type of warrenty. It would proably be cheaper in the long run to have a new viggen short block (block with chank and pistons, but no head) than to try and install another type of egine.
Usually the people that do engine swaps want to put in a viggen engine, not take it out, and they are the type that are willing to deal with the hassel to make the car faster.

 

[jperk]

If possible, I'd try to get a hold of a B235R motor out of a 2004+ 9-5 Aero. This block has the port for the new/improved PVC.