Compatible (year) transmissions for Saab '89 900 Turbo manual transmission

[shannon]

I need to replace the transmission in my car and am looking to see if there is a year range of compatible transmissions for my '89 900 Turbo(manual)

[euromobile900]

No doubt a moderator will be along to move this thread to the c900 forum shortly, but I can help you out right here for now. Your 900 can take any transmission from any 900, '79-'93 and 94 convertible (that's right!) but there are some considerations to take into account. If you have a transmission from a 900 before '86, you will likely have to replace the inner drivers (the cups that come out of the transmission that hold onto the axles). Some have three ridges on them and some have two. Your '89 needs drivers that have two. They were introduced as a running change in the '85 turbos and '86 N/A models. You can grab these off your old transmission and swap them out. That's the easiest way.

Also, if you get a transmission from before '86, you will need to grab the centering mechanism from the center console. This is because early transmissions had an external shifter centering mechanism and late ones had an internal centering mechanism. This was introduced as a running change in '86 as well.

If you take care of the above two concerns, you can make any transmission work in any car.

I would stay away from '81, '82, and early '83 transmissions. These have a lot of die-cast parts, including the most failure-prone part in the transmission, the pinion bearing housing. The '80 transmissions are fine, if you can find one, but parts are scarce.

I would recommend a transmission from '86, '87, or '88. These have a high ring-and-pinion gear ratio and little quirkiness.

'89-and-up transmissions have a stronger pinion bearing, but lower gears. In '90, they replaced the synchros with thinner ones, so they wear out more quickly, but the gears are wider and therefore stronger. You just have to be careful shifting.

Bottom line: Any transmission will fit, with minor modifications. Late '86 and up will fit without any modifications. The strongest transmissions are '89 and up. The highest gears are in pre '89. When picking between '89+ transmissions, you can decide whether you want durable synchros or stronger gears (depends on your driving style).

Another thing to note: If you want high gears (I think everybody should, because the low gears are ridiculous in this age of 70mph freeways), do NOT get a transmission with the number 6 in the third position of the transmission number (visible on the top of the primary case, near the clutch). For example, if the transmission number is GM45602, it will have very low primary gear ratio. If it is a GM45702, it will have a higher one. #8 in the third position is the highest, but very rare in the USA.

[shannon]

Thank you very much for the quick response, and great info. Hope to be able to post some pics on this project as it gets underway. This is my second Saab, first being a "94 Sport, which I loved and brought me to get my "89 convertible. I am sure I will be back with more questions