I am not trying to be a post whore. I feel that somehow my B204 rebuild thread is kind of being ignored and I think it's important to the common good that everyone sees these images and reads a little bit about what's going on in my engine.
First of all, let me give you the factors. This is a B204 from a 1995 900SE vert. The car has 149k miles and since I've owned it, it gets synthetic oil every 2500 - 3k miles.
I am not trying to scare anyone, but I want you to realize what's going on in your engine. These things literally are rock solid but one needs to understand and see visuals to truly comprehend what's happening in there.
I pulled my engine out thinking it was time for a timing chain - the plunger on the chain tensioner read 15.5mm and Saab's spec for a warn chain is 15. This can be replaced through the valve cover but I also noticed that my chain guides were looking a little rough.
The engine was pulled. Tranny looks ok, clutch looks ok, output shafts need new seals.
Yesterday we pulled off the oil pan and I want everyone to see this.
![Image]()
This is the oil pick up tube screen that filters all of the oil that's giving pressure to my engine. All of the debris you see on this screen is METAL. We knew approximately where the sound was coming from within a couple of inches, but I didn't know if it was a timing chain or balance shaft chain. When the timing chain cover came off, I found the upper guide for the balance shaft chain had snapped into two pieces. I did NOT drive the car more than two miles with this noise going. Anyway, since this broke, there was little / no tension on the balance shaft chain. One of the sprockets for this apparatus is practically missing all of its teeth. They don't magically disappear. All of this metal is sitting in the bottom of my oil pan. It's also not just from this incident - 150k of wear is a lot of strain on an engine. I've been religious about taking care of this vehicle and I've probably done a better job than any of its previous owners. If you have a car with some miles, this is what's going on in your engine.
![Image]()
This is a little hard to explain if you've never dropped an oil pan but let me do my best. What that long rod is is a magnetic pickup tool. You can see in the corner there's some build up of stuff. This is NOT sludge. The engine is in no way mixing coolant and oil. There's a little bit of seepage around the driver's side of the head gasket but not enough that I ever need to add oil. All of the sediment you see in the bottom of this oil pan is METAL. It's metal from the years and years of this car performing and performing well. It does what it's supposed to do. However, with a screen the way it was, I know that all of that metal was running through my engine. It's been everywhere. I can visually see this on the oil pump gears. They need to be replaced. You can see where every microscopic piece of metal ran through the oil pump. Oil pan is now completely cleaned. Hypothesis is that I was running at 60-65% of regular oil pressure. Never saw a light. If this oil pump failed or the screen became too blocked up, would've been game over. No oil pressure = bye bye engine.
![Image]()
Another shot of the screen for oil pickup tube.
![Image]()
Some metal pulled out of the pan.
The pan has since been cleaned. All the rest of the engine looks great - this was caught at a great time and I doubt I'll have problems if I don't kick the shit out of the engine all the time. I just want you to see this - if you're pulling up to red line and boosting at full capacity all of the time, I merely want to tell you that the engine simply won't take it forever. Avoid having to spend several thousands of dollars on a new engine or having to do a pricey rebuild - I don't have the money to go to a machine shop and have the block honed or have new rings installed on pistons. The bearings on the crank seem ok. I am sure there's some other wear from the afore mentioned factors, but I trust in my father's judgment. Just please consider what that poor little engine is doing under your hood. It's not a big engine. It's TINY. You just don't realize how astounding it is that something so small can pull a car 3000 pounds around so quickly. It's really mind-boggling to me.
Now, discuss. Any questions you may have I'd be happy to answer.
Here's the link to the B204 rebuild thread.
http://www.saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13386
First of all, let me give you the factors. This is a B204 from a 1995 900SE vert. The car has 149k miles and since I've owned it, it gets synthetic oil every 2500 - 3k miles.
I am not trying to scare anyone, but I want you to realize what's going on in your engine. These things literally are rock solid but one needs to understand and see visuals to truly comprehend what's happening in there.
I pulled my engine out thinking it was time for a timing chain - the plunger on the chain tensioner read 15.5mm and Saab's spec for a warn chain is 15. This can be replaced through the valve cover but I also noticed that my chain guides were looking a little rough.
The engine was pulled. Tranny looks ok, clutch looks ok, output shafts need new seals.
Yesterday we pulled off the oil pan and I want everyone to see this.
This is the oil pick up tube screen that filters all of the oil that's giving pressure to my engine. All of the debris you see on this screen is METAL. We knew approximately where the sound was coming from within a couple of inches, but I didn't know if it was a timing chain or balance shaft chain. When the timing chain cover came off, I found the upper guide for the balance shaft chain had snapped into two pieces. I did NOT drive the car more than two miles with this noise going. Anyway, since this broke, there was little / no tension on the balance shaft chain. One of the sprockets for this apparatus is practically missing all of its teeth. They don't magically disappear. All of this metal is sitting in the bottom of my oil pan. It's also not just from this incident - 150k of wear is a lot of strain on an engine. I've been religious about taking care of this vehicle and I've probably done a better job than any of its previous owners. If you have a car with some miles, this is what's going on in your engine.
This is a little hard to explain if you've never dropped an oil pan but let me do my best. What that long rod is is a magnetic pickup tool. You can see in the corner there's some build up of stuff. This is NOT sludge. The engine is in no way mixing coolant and oil. There's a little bit of seepage around the driver's side of the head gasket but not enough that I ever need to add oil. All of the sediment you see in the bottom of this oil pan is METAL. It's metal from the years and years of this car performing and performing well. It does what it's supposed to do. However, with a screen the way it was, I know that all of that metal was running through my engine. It's been everywhere. I can visually see this on the oil pump gears. They need to be replaced. You can see where every microscopic piece of metal ran through the oil pump. Oil pan is now completely cleaned. Hypothesis is that I was running at 60-65% of regular oil pressure. Never saw a light. If this oil pump failed or the screen became too blocked up, would've been game over. No oil pressure = bye bye engine.
Another shot of the screen for oil pickup tube.
Some metal pulled out of the pan.
The pan has since been cleaned. All the rest of the engine looks great - this was caught at a great time and I doubt I'll have problems if I don't kick the shit out of the engine all the time. I just want you to see this - if you're pulling up to red line and boosting at full capacity all of the time, I merely want to tell you that the engine simply won't take it forever. Avoid having to spend several thousands of dollars on a new engine or having to do a pricey rebuild - I don't have the money to go to a machine shop and have the block honed or have new rings installed on pistons. The bearings on the crank seem ok. I am sure there's some other wear from the afore mentioned factors, but I trust in my father's judgment. Just please consider what that poor little engine is doing under your hood. It's not a big engine. It's TINY. You just don't realize how astounding it is that something so small can pull a car 3000 pounds around so quickly. It's really mind-boggling to me.
Now, discuss. Any questions you may have I'd be happy to answer.
Here's the link to the B204 rebuild thread.
http://www.saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13386
Thanks for the tip. Let's cross our fingers and hope everything goes well. I think she should be solid for many years to come.
