At the very least for peace of mind.

If you own a T7 SAAB prior to 2004 (although even then it’s a good idea- see my older post) you should consider dropping the oil pan to inspect and clean. I do this with every SAAB that comes through my possession and recommend it to many who trust me with their SAABs. Here’s a good example of a before and after… although this is just a general picture of how meticulous I get when I put the oil pan back in. The screen on this particular car was so plugged with debris and sludge I was surprised it was running.

Weekend Project: Mesh Grille

Well I thought I’d write a bit about a project I did awhile ago and by no means am I the first to think up such a thing, but wanted to give another example of a small detail that makes your SAAB unique. Attached are some pics of the final product, but basically I purchased some powder-coated aluminum mesh on eBay and pulled the grille apart into two pieces, installed the mesh and put it all back together… this is the result. Enjoy.

SAAB 9-5 Xenon/ Halogen interchangeability FYI

So after my wife cracked up the front end of my 04 Aero with Xenons I had to make a decision. Use some Halogens that I have and not pay a dime or find some used Xenons and pay a crazy amount of money for them.

I went with the cheap route and thought I was going to have to do some specialty wiring to make them work correctly. Well I did nothing… plugged them in and viola they work flawlessly. Low beam and high beam are perfect. Absolutely brilliant.

They do need a buff though… hope this helps someone in the future.

The SAAB 9-3 Hatchback… is there anything it can’t haul?

The Worst Inner CV joint EVER!

Just thought I’d make a post on the worst Inner CV joint failure I’ve ever seen. Look at the pictures and then image that car trying to accelerate… if it stayed like that any longer the car would shake itself apart.

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Oil Pan Drop: 2004 SAAB 9⁵ Aero with 186K miles

For anyone who owns an older 9⁵ (1999-2003) you should know of the threat of sludge. This threat should encourage you to meticulously maintain your oil change intervals and if you haven’t done it already- drop your sump (oil pan). This was caused by a number of factors, but what seems sure is a insufficient crank case ventilation system. SAAB released several updates for the vent system, but none replace a good old fashioned cleaning.

It’s generally understood that 2004 and newer 9⁵s don’t suffer from these same sludge related deaths, but what about an engine with upwards of 185,000 miles? I had to check it out.

What I found was interesting. As I hoped there was definitely less “baked on” sludge all throughout the pan, but what I was really interested in was the oil pick up screen. (Some SAAB owners have swapped this screen with a replacement that had larger holes so oil pressure stays high) The pick up screen was completely blocked. Yikes!

The thrust of this post is we must not hide behind the fact that we own a 2004 and newer 9⁵ which is sludge free. There may not be much sludge in the pan, but the screen could still be blocked. If you own a high mileage SAAB 9⁵ do yourself a favor and drop the sump!

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Restoring Faded and Cloudy Headlights

If you own a 2002 or newer SAAB 9-5 or 2003 and newer SAAB 9-3 you probably know how unattractive your headlights can become. The reason these headlights start looking unattractive is because they are made of plastic and are prone to scratches, fading, and clouding.

The remedy for this problem is using a headlight restoration kit like the one offered by 3M.

The headlight restoration kit is a 4 step process that starts with a P500 grit sanding pad and moves to a P800 for step 2 a finer sanding pad for step 3 and polishing for step 4. If you take a look at the picture progression you’ll see in every step you want a uniform look. You’re actually scratching the lens more while taking off the imperfections and grime. The results are stunning. HINT: Step 1 is the most critical and takes the most time, so take your time and keep the disc moving so as not to melt the plastic.
Here are some photos of my recent work using this kit. Enjoy!

Videos!

Some Interesting and Educational Reading

Learn about the evolution of the SAAB engines from the B201 through the B235.

and

Motor Oil 101 from the oil guy.

and

The craziest SAAB 9-5 ever to be created.

My 2004 SAAB 9-5 Aero Sedan

It’s fixin’ time. Some poor deer up in Amarillo, TX decided it didn’t want to live anymore- really only cosmetic damage as I just drove it back down to Dallas.