new Saab owner

[SalemSaab]

Hello SaabLink!

9-year-Volkswagener here; just sold my modified '01 GTi
I have long admired 900s and 9^3s, but never planned to own one .. but could not pass up this cool little coupe (1979 GL)

I am no mechanic, but have a friend with some experience in her '81 900 turbo .. unfortunately parked long ago due to intermittent electrical gnomes.
I will probably seek an engine inspection from a Professional soon, as I currently will use the 99 to drive to/from my employment

Exterior looks good. Hard to tell if there is rust due to newer paint job, but no real dents or missing parts.
Interior needs carpets & lights but has good seats & new headliner.
mile-counter still rolling (says 123,800) but tach just bounces around. The fuel gauge is jumpy also but works. Temp gauge/odometer/dash/exterior lights all work fine.

a very minor problem I am hoping to fix is a faint green light that remains lit on the dash (between the turnsignal arrows) which prior owner says will drain the battery (he had to buy a new bat & alternator).
Pulling the fuse at night relieves this worry .. but the hood/bonnett-release cable is broken, so it is a chore to open (already broke the grille )

Could this be the "directional indicator flasher unit" or "control relay" mentioned on pg 145 of Haynes manual?
Or is there a way to easily eliminate that unecessary light to bypass the problem?
(edit - fixed - just removed the bulb)


looking forward to learning on rainy days & scouring Oregon junkyards for parts
I have no home computer so please forgive not sharing more pictures.

Cheers

[SPGreg]

Afraid I can't help with your questions since I don't know much about 99s but I saw the ad for this one on CL. Nice pick up! Best of luck with it.

Oh, and welcome!

[jk88]

Welcome!

It's a bit of a hike for you, but Atomic Auto in Portland is a great Saab shop. The previous owner of my '90 had the car serviced there and they took damn nice care of it.

[Tweek's Turbos]

This is definately a good thread for PaulH or Delorean.

If nobody here can help, SaabRally.com will.

[SalemSaab]

Originally Posted by SPGreg

Afraid I can't help with your questions since I don't know much about 99s but I saw the ad for this one on CL. Nice pick up! Best of luck with it.

Oh, and welcome!

thanks!
Wow you look International for cars eh
Nothing else much pops up for parts/cars here in Oregon unfortunately ..

Originally Posted by jk88

Welcome!

It's a bit of a hike for you, but Atomic Auto in Portland is a great Saab shop. The previous owner of my '90 had the car serviced there and they took damn nice care of it.

Saw they are highly recommended on Saabnet. I go to PDX occasionally, have a reference or 2 closer to home though also

Originally Posted by Tweek's Turbos

If nobody here can help, SaabRally.com will.

Was having some starting issues last couple days (took a bit to fire up; wanted to stall at initial idle ) but has been fine now; maybe just had to clear out the gas / cold start issue.

Pulled the turn-sig bulb out of my dash so I don't have to worry about that.

Lovely PNW November weather this weekend, but hopefully I'll have a moment to poke around a bit more under the hood, replace fuses, etc.

learning a lot in the meantime and liking my Saab so far

[Talladega900]

Welcome aboard! My first car ever (1981!) was a '74 99LE, and I've been driving 'em ever since. Now on my 9th, 10th, and 11th Saab (I tend to keep them a LOOOONGG time).

Enjoy the ride!

[SalemSaab]

The Parts Pile is growing ...

currently have some Lesjofors springs, Bilstein HD Shocks, and ball joints; waiting on a few other things, then I'll install + add new tires. Hopefully that'll sort out the suspension well enough.
Also got a new Valve Cover gasket; hopefully will slow my oil leak. need to adjust timing chain at same point (so SAAB doesn't sound like a diesel)

Still having an issue that in VWs would indicate a Vacuum Leak, but my main Saab mechanic isn't so sure. Seems to be a fueling issue.
Car will fire up, and idle OK, but once I tap the gas a bit, will then idle low / die out (unless you wait until engine temp warms a bit). runs like a Swedish sewing machine once I'm on the road tho.
Was told it was possibly the warmup-regulator / cold start valve (both sold out everywhere :P )
Got my radiator fan-switch de-bypassed at least, so it warms up a bit quicker.

Next on the list = clutch rebuild, new muffler; maybe refinish the wheels .. and replace whatever else is missing/broken under the hood (which now opens thanks to a new hood-latch wire), present & future

[94CSE]

I had a bad warmup regulator on my 77 99GL (when I was 16 in '89) and it was a pain when cold. I had to fiddle with the mixture screw to get it started, then let it idle for a long time, then adjust the mixture screw again. No idea how I managed it now that I think about it. Car was a ball to drive though.

Oh if I knew then what I know now.

[Saab99Super]

The faint light is a ground issue. I've chased mine for quite a while now. Cleaning all the grounds and cleaning all of the fueses has helped mine before.

I've had it for so long now I don't even notice it. Both my 78 Turbo and 79 GL have the issue. The 78 I got around by swapping out with a flasher relay out of a 900. But then the indicator will never come on.

As for the warm-up regulator I heard a rumor that some VW rebuilding guys have re done them. I've been lucky and found good used ones in junk yards. I have no clue what company even to look at. Would be worth calling around with the Bosch number off it and see if they can do it.

[midnightsonett]

i have taken the warm up regulator apart in the past and reset the pin/pressure.look at the top of the regulator and you will see the top of the pin , looks like a lead plug.you can tap it in but you need to open the valve up to drive it out.this will adjust the pressure.you need the gauge to do this though.
This ebay dealer has the same gauge i have ,JGM.Mine came with the three way valve and an assortment of fittings and fuel lines.I paid 300 dollars for my kit so this is a steal.
4" Pressure Gauge 0-10bar,1/4" NPT LM | eBay
Its very precise so dont let the price fool you.
the braided fuel lines listed are the same ones i have with the kit so it will fit your Saab and the gauge.Plus lots of fittings and other parts for cis injection you may need .he may have the three way valve, ask.JGM made fuel injection tools and looks like they are selling there overstock.not sure. good deals though.
I found an ebay dealer in Germany a few weeks ago that has an adjustable replacement pin,it has a threaded end so you can turn the pin in or out without taking the valve apart,15 bucks plus shipping[ill see if i can find that again].
You can get this book :Bosch Fuel Injection @Fuel Management by Charles O.Probst
He explains cis injection real well and has some performance tips for cis[I have a few] and great photos of racing SAAB engines too.Mine is beyond dog eared,evidence of its usefulness.Its a great book and covers other types of injection as well as performance.

[SalemSaab]

Thanks for the advice everyone!
Still having intermittent issues, tho since driving 100+ miles this weekend (for the PNW Save Saab event) it is running/starting better

New springs & shocks installed .. rears were original and beyond shot!
Probably picked the wrong time of year to lower my car, though .. neighborhood is flooding as I type!

[jk88]

Wow, what a beauty.

[jimbosaab]

Originally Posted by jk88

Wow, what a beauty.

x2
but holy water-logged street !!

[SPGreg]

Very nice. How's the interior & engine look? (More pix!).

[tuner4life]

Wow! Beautiful car!

[BuHuSPG]

Gawd. That looks great.

[SalemSaab]

Originally Posted by SPGreg

Very nice. How's the interior & engine look? (More pix!).

Interior could use some love. Seats aren't ripped, but along with the half-pulled carpet, are very faded original GL equipment.
Gauges work but not much else inside (not that Grande Luxe was much of either).
The 70s HVAC does things but I'm not quite sure how
Good speakers & ipod-jacked stereo at least

Engine is still running strong & daily for me. Needs some minor maintenace & attention; hoping for sunny spring days shortly for that.

Lost most of my rear lights last month. Finally got that sorted out, was fuses/contacts more than wiring (thankfully).
wiring up front is a bit dodgy tho .. accompanied by random electrical glitches, like my stereo powering off & losing all settings/clock .. I'm a master at reprogramming it one-handed while driving now
or driving home from the job this week, hit a bump on a curve and my always-dead horn came alive, permanently, had to pull over in the rain & pull the fuse

Today had Dr. John the Saabologist rebuild/replace the rest of neccesities in my front suspension. Needs new tires & alignment to hopefully finish the road gear for now.

I need to learn more about this car; Winter makes me lazy but as long as it runs I'll keep dumping $$ into it

[saabfan9]

nice car..have you pulled the battery tray out and cleaned up all the grounds attached to it?...talk to the guys on saabrally.com they are very good and know thier 99's they have been alot of help to me....keep us updated with some more pics

[SalemSaab]

Originally Posted by saabfan9

nice car..have you pulled the battery tray out and cleaned up all the grounds attached to it?...talk to the guys on saabrally.com they are very good and know thier 99's they have been alot of help to me....keep us updated with some more pics

Partially .. wish I had dry weather or a garage but I never have either
& SaabRally is a great site .. better for 99s than here
I'm over there same name.
*********


crossed the mountains twice in all weather this weekend .. the 99 is cruisin' smooth with fresh tread & alignment.

Had fun in the snow a bit today, thankful for those 6 mudflaps

[Boosted Shoe]

#Jealous