any Saab owners?

[Jay]

My son is looking at a 99 9-5SE 4 cyclinder with a turbo. It has 155K on the clock and has had good service. How long do these cars run before they need major a overhaul? I am totally Saab illiterate. Jay

[thorsen]

You are looking at a Saab after GM bought them, so a better question is 'How long do GM cars last?'

I believe the 9-5 had sludge issues, I suggest a trip to the 9-5 forum on Saabnet.com.

[jas2wa]

The 98-00 Saabs did have an oil sludge problem, in the 4 cyl. turbo engines. I had a 00 9-5 2.3 turbo 5 spd, bought it at 45k and my ex is still driving it now with just over 100k. Never exhbited the sounds that indicated oil starvation from sludge. Has been a great car, now needs a turbo (bearing seals are leaking, it has been doing that since I bought it but now it is a smoke-puffing affair every start-up) and probably a gasket of some sort for an oil leak. Aside from that at 100k, it has been nothing but 4k oil changes (synthetic) and 30k major services. A battery last week, that is about it. Car gets a solid 34 mpg on the highway.

[davestlouis]

I have found that SAAB fanatics tend to look down on post-GM cars as being less-than-real SAAB's. I have a 1990 900s hatchback that is full of weird engineering, so from that angle it's interesting. Locally, SAAB's all depreciate terribly and there are very few tech's who can work on them successfully...I play on saabcentral too, there are all sorts of forums there.

[davestlouis]

I think that there is a lot of Opel DNA hiding under the skin of 9-5's, whether that is a good thing or not is open to discussion.

[2k2s430]

Well I know of a little saying in regard to the Opel Calibra. It was known as the opel that was already rusting in the catalogue!

[Hatterasguy]

My cousin has a 2005 or 06 9-5. Its a nice car, kind of GM but not in a really offensive way. I know nothing about how reliable they are.

Our next door neighbors have been beating on a late 90's convertable since it was new, still looks good. The transmission makes a wicked whine, I can hear it coming up the street.

[davestlouis]

I had a thought, the Cadillac "Caterrible" had lots of Opel guts too. I really am a fan of SAAB's cars, even the post-GM ones, I think they have style. Don't have a clue as to whether the new(er) ones run reliably. GM has filtered out most of the weirdness, but the issue I have is that I just don't care for 4 cylinder turbo set-ups...just more to go wrong when it gets old. My preferred engine is an inline six, lots of torque, easy to work on, decent gas mileage.

[TheDon]

I almost traded my 300D for a SAAB with a member here. I still would lol

[Jay]

Thanks guys. I got more help here then on the Saab fourm I joined. Someone mentioned the slug problem. What is the fix for slug? Jay

[thorsen]

Jay,
It's sludge, not slug, but a motor full of either is bad news!

The sludge issue was caused by several factors, but IMO using conventional oil and not changing it often enough was the main reason. If I was buying one, I would remove the valve cover and take a look at the cams.

I had a 1991 900 that was probably one of the best cars I ever owned. It could get 35 mpg, had great styling, and was a hoot to drive. The headgasket was the weak spot on those cars, but it only cost me around $200 to repair. I sold it to a friend of mine last month for what I paid for it, but I could have easily sold it for 2x that.

[OMEGAMAN]

Originally Posted by jas2wa

The 98-00 Saabs did have an oil sludge problem, in the 4 cyl. turbo engines. I had a 00 9-5 2.3 turbo 5 spd, bought it at 45k and my ex is still driving it now with just over 100k. Never exhbited the sounds that indicated oil starvation from sludge. Has been a great car, now needs a turbo (bearing seals are leaking, it has been doing that since I bought it but now it is a smoke-puffing affair every start-up) and probably a gasket of some sort for an oil leak. Aside from that at 100k, it has been nothing but 4k oil changes (synthetic) and 30k major services. A battery last week, that is about it. Car gets a solid 34 mpg on the highway.

That sound more like valve seals to me> I think turbo seals would be a more constant smoking. With an air compressor and and a valve spring remover you can do that job yourself

[The Swede]

My Dad had an '86 9000 and I owned an '86 and '91 900.

Went to the Minneapolis Autoshow to kick some tires. Checked out some Saabs and they don't seem as solid as the pre GM days. Even my buddy remarked on how tinny they were.

Info on sludge: As of June 3, 2005 Saab has announced that they will be replacing customers engines under a "special policy" that have been damaged by excessive oil sludge.

Vehicles covered on this policy are as follows:

9-5 models w/4 cylinder 1999-2003
9-3 models for years 2000-2003
9-3 convertibles years 2000-2003
9-3 viggens Years 1999-2002

If you have one of these cars I would suggest that you do all recommenced maintenance and keep all records. Just because your car does not fall under the policy I am still warning you about oil sludge and the need to change oil on a regular basis. This oil sludge problem can happen to any car.

Saab states they will only honor this policy of engine repair if oil change service records are complete. Saab states things that make the problem worse are short driving trips of 5 to 10 minutes, stop and go driving, dusty driving conditions and low grade oil.

Saab is making good on customers that have had this problem in the past as well. You still must document all services and apply to Saab for this "special policy". This special policy covers engine components up to 8 years after the in service date with unlimited mileage. ( The day it was first sold) If you have a problem with this, Saab can be contacted at 1-800-955-9007.

Signs that the sludge is in advanced stages include Engine noise and oil pressure warning light coming on. If you have one of these cars with the oil sludge problem you can check it by removing the valve cover. If your car has the problem you will see a large amount of dark brown jell like sludge. If you find this I suggest you contact your local dealers service department and let them know.

If you have one of these cars I suggest changing the oil every 3K miles. If you have found the beginnings of sludge build up you can try and aggressive oil change schedule that may clean out your engine. If you follow my advice on this I can't guarantee Saab will honor it's special policy so check with Saab before you attempt any maintenance changes.

Once your car starts the sludge build up it is hard to completely clean out, but it is worth it to try this to keep things from getting worse. I suggest changing the oil and filter every 200 miles and check under the valve cover to see if things are clanging up. Depending on the severity you will have varied results. Once the engine has cleaned up you can start to add 1/4 of a quart Dextron ATF to the oil. Auto transmission fluid is very high detergent and will aid in keeping your engine clean. The issue is if you get too much detergent too quickly you will break up oil sludge sending it throughout your engine. This may cause damage as well, and is up to the on hands mechanic to determine. I have run ATF mixed in my engine oil changes for years and have kept my engines spotless. Like I stated above if you follow my advice on this I can't guarantee Saab will honor it's special policy so check with Saab before you attempt any maintenance changes.
Source: http://www.swedishwrench.com/oil_sludge_saab.htm

[Hatterasguy]

Toyota had a bad problem with sludge in the late 90's. Turned out that whoever designed the breather system screwed up. I remember back when I had a Toyota and visited the Toyota forums hearing about Camry's blowing up at 30k miles. The owners were pissed most changed their oil every 3k and this did not help. But Toyota fixed this long ago.

[Jay]

Thanks for the advice. Jay