Also I like the fact that he shows troubleshooting dead ends and mistakes. It’s all part of the process and refreshing. It’s easy to edit it so it appears all problems are remedied on the first try. M539 shows it warts and all as well. Makes for a much more rewarding watch.
Yay for correcting the thermostat gasket! Super that it now appears to run nicely. Always neat to see a SAAB of this era running. Even here in California I NEVER see a 90/900, only a smattering of the last gasp rebodied OPEL/Subaru/Chevy pretending to be SAABs. I look forward to seeing it get through inspection.
Your videos are great! Makes we want to rebuild one! I applaud your troubleshooting skills. I’m a proud Saab 900 owner and repair my own. You’re an inspiration!
Luckily 900 clutches probably the easiest to replace. There is a saab tool specifically for the clutch but I found a piece of thick swa cable works. Compress clutch and it all slides out as one assembly. It may be worth checking your clutch pedal as the clevis pin between master cylinder and pedal assy can cause the interface to "oval" and that 1mm wear makes the clutch pedal a little bit sloppy. Worth doing 100% whilst you have access to the pedals.. Loving the series too.
Years ago, the Ford Pinto had a common issue with clutch chatter, I have 3 with the same issues.. What happened was the rear main seal would leak oil into the clutch assembly creating the same issue as you are having with the Saab. Remove the clutch, check and clean the pressure plate, throw-out bearing, and clutch plate, Replace parts as needed.
Yup it runs like it should. I am an old Swedish Saab mechanic so I have done service and repairs on a few of these cars. You got oil leaking out over to the clutch from the flywheel side or an engine mount is broken.
Your video's never disappoint, always full of practical and theory content, I really like this series as its not just the normal car you find on RU-vid
Broken bolts like that brake booster bolt is the reason I drench all the bolts in copper paste grease (and also soak them in rust remover several days before unbolting). It's cheap and does work in my personal experience, project farm tested both with positive results.
Check your throttle cable, the nuts should be either side of the bracket, that's how it locks in place and gives you adjustment if required Brilliant video though 👏
When you have a rusty stud that is as tight as the one you had break on you. Before attempting a removal, spray lots of penetrating oil, then work the stud in and out. You will find it gets easier as you clear more and more of the threads.
I would take a look at the tripod bearings for the axle shafts, and feel for wear in the cups if you pull them out. You could rotate the wheels and watch there for excessive play, without having to take it apart. If you do have to pull any front suspension apart, the upper control arm has to be supported, the spacer tool to do this is easily found cheaply. I'd really even suggest getting one preemptively.
Have a look at your exhaust mounting brackets it sounds like the exhaust is knocking on the under body you might be able to see it on your ramp with the engine on tick over
I haven’t heard the term “Akimbo” used in years, probably since the early 2010s during the golden age of my COD days 😂 Great video as always, great to see you making headway on the Saab 🤙🏻
Clutch judder……… if I may give a additional input. Did the car sit for many years? If I remember from your videos it had sat for years… the Symptoms are super similar to ( bmw flywheel glasing ) that makes the hole rear diff and Driveshaft jump and shake when ingage the I 1. Gear To clean the flywheel from rust, and old clutch material, try using 2. Gear for a while if it’s possible 🤗 Thank you for great video content, Mattsson Dk
Hello, the jiggle pin on the thermostat should be aligned with the bleeder valve in order to completely purge all of the air out of the system. Yours is towards the bottom.
On the shudder I would look at the axles. The inner trunion bearing that plug into the inner axle drivers can break and also the drivers get worn. If you put this up in the air with the suspension spacers in and grab the axle and try to move it back and forth you should not see excess play. But you may have to remove the axle assembly for a closer inspection.
Fantastic to see how well the engine runs. Looking at it, it makes sense about the direction of rotation. It is the only car I have seen where the engine is backwards in the car. With the distributor on the 'front' of the engine, but is really the back of the cam, it does make sense. Amazing how the Triumph engine works in the Saab. Solid engine, though. Can't wait to see much more. With the engine mounts, the Saab is the same as Greta. If one is bad, do them all. The new ones can be ruined when the change in position causes the remaining mount(s) to let go. You do such thorough work, it is a treat to see. Very well done indeed. This car is going to be a real gem when it is all finished.
Good progress. I suppose, that the surface of the clutch is corroded. Maybe some use will cure the surface and regain the original friction coefficient. Otherwise a new clutch will help.
Excellent vid. Ive been around cars for a long while1965 through to 2022. Ive seen them all from Magneto with a starting handle to electronic ignition to stop go technologies. Thing is i had to learn how they worked. The early technologies were "agricultural". That is relatively early tech.you have there. takes a bit of learning. Don't be so hard on yerself everybody has to start somewhere. Saab were one of the better Scandi brands but they took a bit of getting yer head round. (maintaining). Good luck on yer journey. Remember with "vintage" cars every day is a school Day.👍
New subscriber! I find your videos compelling viewing. Watched for a couple of months now and it's very easy to follow what you're talking the viewers through. Looking forward to seeing more on the Saab, as a follow classic 900 owner myself it feels like I could learn a thing or two from you :)
I don't know if it's already been pointed out, but the symptoms you're experiencing might as well be due to an oily clutch disc. Interesting to follow this series, these Saabs are proper well built!💪
well done the engine sounds great the thermostat is right now on with the rest ,I'd say it needs a clutch kit and then all will be fine keep going I am loving these videos
I would recommend that you go ahead and replace the transmission mount as well. Even though it’s not bad yet I promise you that it will only be a matter of time before it does go bad now that you’ve already gone ahead and replaced the other 2 motor mounts. Once one of the components is solid then the next weakest link will break, which in this case is the transmission mount. Also another thing to keep in mind is that motor and transmission mounts on manual transmission cars take a much bigger beating compared to automatics and that is because of the shifting everything tends to move around a lot so I always advise people to be aware of that if they have a stick shift car
think I head a little bit of a 'weeee' on one of the engine starts. Might be a good idea to check the tension on the drive belts for the alternator. They'll squeal if they're too loose but also if they're too tight they will put pressure on all the bearings in the various anciliries and that's no good either. About 10mm deflection is about right. i.e. you can press down about 10mm on the belts.
You can try get the stud out of the brake booster by welding a nut to it and untightening with an impact gun. Add some wd40 to the stud every few hours for a day or two before you untighten the stud to help the stud loosen up.
Great videos !, nice presentation. The clutch judder could be caused by hydraulic fluid that has leaked from the clutch slave cylinder ?. If not that, then I suppose it’s either a distorted and worn friction plate or uneven pressure plate due to the diaphragm springs failing. I’m not sure if the flywheels on those old Saabs had a thrust bearing in the flywheel ?. A very worn bearing would give some judder but probably not as much as you have there. Keep the videos coming, they’re great 👍.
Yep, clutch definitely needs a looksie. But nice and easy, and once it's done you'll have one of the nicest clutches on any car thanks to that concentric slave piston. While you're there, maybe replace the pilot bearing in the flywheel, even if it seems fine, it can improve disengagement and hence shifts having an absolutely perfect one. ETA >> should add, I used to have an '85 900i (mechanical injection / 8 valve) 2-door, one of the best cars I've ever owned (had to do the clutch on it).
Since you have the inside of the car ripped out take the time to check the hole in the side of the clutch pedal for the pin that ataches it to the maincylinder. On older cars this hole has become worn out and become to wide so it might feel like the clutch is worn out cause of the extra play.
Nice result broo, btw the way I had the same vibration problem, it was from the bearing and plate insede the clutch if I am not mistaken bro ( well.. I have no technical experience like you do, but my vibration problem was fixed by mechanic with changing my clutch set bro ) Cheers😊
The stud on the booster probably won’t undo as it will be welded inside as it needs to stay fixed because it utilises a nut on it to hold the master cylinder.
Have in mind also that the climate control uses vacuum from the engine to open every outlet in the car. Then you don’t have the control nob there you have a vacuum leak! The vacuum tank for the climate control are placed behind the rear front wheel inside the fender.
Had a clutch that grabbed like that...turned out that the rivets that hold the lining onto the plate had been stretched and were quite loose causing the clutch to violently grab....
I love that you're doing such a thorough job and show a desire to give this old gem the love it deserves. Although considering the rust, it would seem more logical to put your energy into your spares car XD. Anyhow, best of luck, I've decided to subscribe to see how things move along.
Sounds like the spleens around the pressure plate for the clutch. My car started doing that at one point so maybe that might be the issue. I can't confirm that though man but if you're opening the clutch up there is no harm in checking :)
Memphis, it looks like the clutch friction plate could be contaminated, possibly with oil, as there was quite a lot of it under the car, possibly from a previous leak??? I'm loving this cars progress by the way👍👍👍
