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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