Sludge in 07' 9-5 thing of the past given diligent upkeep?

[sfsaab]

Hi all,

Posted this over at saabnet:

I recently bought an 07' Aero 9-5 w/45k miles and was speaking with my mechanic about engine life. He is recommending pulling catalytic material out of 2nd cat...I.e. The one directly under the sump. Seems reasonable, just to make sure. Any thoughts appreciated.

And got a clear thumbs down on this idea.

Does anyone think the location of the 2nd cat on 07' 9-5 Aero is a problem?

Tia

Steve

[nordwulf]

Is your mechanic a Saab mechanic? I have never heard of doing that before. The sludge problem was pretty much fixed for model year 2004 and later when the latest PCV update was installed from the factory. As long as you use good synthetic oil with a reasonable interval change, there isn't anything to worry about. I definitely wouldn't mess with the catalytic converter.

[sfsaab]

Thanks Wulf. That's the consensus I'm getting. Yes he is Saab mechanic w/years of experience. Says he has seen lots of 2000-2003 4 cylinder 9-5s w/sludge and believes the heat from 2nd cat can cause the oil to boil...especially in warmer climates with lots of idling in traffic.

Found out my 07' cones w/100k powertrain coverage so think I'll leave best alone and just replace Mobile 1 every 4-5k miles driven.

Sure would be nice to find one of those tiny fibre cameras, like doctors use, and drop down the oil dipstick hole to see for myself.

Steve

[nordwulf]

It certainly was a big problem up to MY03. This is from my previous 2001 2.3t with 80K miles.



And a previous 2005 2.3T with 100K miles.



SaabScott owns this car now and he recently dropped the sump. It still looked clean like the picture above and his car has about 180K miles on it now. More pictures in this thread: link

I am not planning to the check the sump of my current 2005 anytime soon.

[sfsaab]

If I ever do drop the sump I think I'll consider changing the wire mesh to 20 from 30 as per: SeriousSAAB procedures archive: remeshing the sump strainer

thanks for sharing those photos of the 05' vs. 01'. What a difference.

s

[nordwulf]

How do you like your 9-5? Any pictures or experiences to share?