New Saab Owner here..Things to watch out for?

[Robert Shafer]

Hello Everyone..I a new owner to a 99 Saab 9-5 SE 4 cylinder Turbo(Automatic)..So far so Good ..Im enjoying the Smooth Ride and the Get up and go if need be on the highway when merging,Ect..Ive had it for 2 days now and put close to 400 miles on it..It's got 147,000 Miles on it..Looks like it was Taken good car of,Its a pretty Clean car..As of Now,No issues with the Car..Gonna be doing a Tune-up possibly today if i get to it..Oil Change,Plugs,Air Filter.. By the way im new to the Direct Ignition system..Do this have Wires along with the PLugs or only plugs?..My main Question is whats a common problem with these cars..Im hearing transmission..but what are so other things that i should watch out for..By the way I paid 2100$ for it..Seemed fair i talked him down.he wanted 2500$ but i thought i got a good deal.Tires and all are really good..all 4 Saab rims..Sorry if it seems like im rambling lol...Hope to talk to yous all again soon,Ill be here Browsing the forums

[walawala]

Hi There. Congrats on your purchase.

You may find the buyers guide helpful.

http://saabworld.net/f9/saab-9-5-buyers-guide-693/

[nordwulf]

The Direct Ignition Cassette is the black thing on top of the engine. There are no wires to the spark plugs as it is all in one unit.

The 4-cylinder engines up to MY03 have black sludge issues. If the sump has never been dropped, that should be your first thing to check. http://saabworld.net/f29/saab-9-5-oi...heck-sludge-7/

The automatic transmission is usually pretty reliable but make sure to change the ATF if it has never been done before.

The cabin air filter is often overlooked and get pretty dirty. That's easy to replace yourself. Make sure to use the right NGK plugs for your car. The 9-5 doesn't seem to like other brands. Synthetic oil should be used, preferably the good quality like Mobil 1 0W-40 or Castrol Syntec 5W-40.

Look around on on the site and see what helpful information you can find. This is always a good place to start: Index to Tutorials - Saab 9-5

Congrats with getting a good deal on your Saab and welcome to the site!

[Robert Shafer]

Hey Thanks guys for Responding..And yes Frank After Doing my post I pretty much Been browsing the Site and Found most of my Answers That i posted about it....But since my post i have changed plugs..With some new NGK's...The air Filter i went and changed..I have seen that Post about the Sump..I haven't gotten to that yet but that deff seems like something I might as well do this weekend when i change the oil ill just drop the pain..But thanks guys..Im Glad to be part of the Saab Community

[Robert Shafer]

Also One more thing.... When Driving at times..Hitting like normal Pennsylvania's Bumpy ass rides..When hitting bumps in the Road,The Rear of the car seems to Roll/pull/Sway.(However you like to call it)..Like as in body Roll?...Are these cars Known for body roll like that,Or could i possibly be seeing shocks in my future?

[nordwulf]

The rear springs and shocks on the 9-5 do wear out and the rear tends to sag over time, especially the wagon. The standard Sachs shocks are not the best and many replace them with new shocks from Bilstein and Koni. If yours have never been replaced, this may be a good place to start after 147K miles. My 9-5 has 52K miles and is also showing signs of a sagging rear. Many seem to like the Koni FSD shocks and I am seriously considering getting those.

Replacing the rear shocks and springs is surprisingly easy to do. http://saabworld.net/f29/shock-absor...tutorial-2172/

[Robert Shafer]

The rear springs and shocks on the 9-5 do wear out and the rear tends to sag over time, especially the wagon. The standard Sachs shocks are not the best and many replace them with new shocks from Bilstein and Koni. If yours have never been replaced, this may be a good place to start after 147K miles. My 9-5 has 52K miles and is also showing signs of a sagging rear. Many seem to like the Koni FSD shocks and I am seriously considering getting those.

Replacing the rear shocks and springs is surprisingly easy to do. http://saabworld.net/f29/shock-absor...tutorial-2172/

Thank you Frank..This is something I may have to look into doing next weekend When i return from my vacation!..Also..when changing the Rear..Shouldnt it be needed to change front and rear at the same time?

[Mike Brennan]

" ill just drop the pain" I assume you mean the pan. Well, it is not something you can do while changing your oil. It is actually a pretty big deal to do. There are tutorials on how to do it but if you are not all that good with tools and jack lifts and sub frames you better take it a pro. It is abut a 250.00 job. And when you do that make sure you have the PCV # 6 Installed.

[saab95er]

I dropped my pan at home easily. If you open the rocker cover and look at chains and gears for timing and see lots of deep brown or black crusty sludge you have a tedious task on your hands. If the rocker cover is removed and you flip it over there is a box inside with rivets. You should drill out the rivets also remove box and clean out all material. Then use Black RTV silicone sealant to reseal the box and tap the holes for screws. This area gets completely clogged over time. The pan is easy to do...I supported the motor at trans with block of wood, then removed trans flywheel cover and unbolt top motor mount ONLY. Jack at trans until slight tension is achieved...SLIGHT tension. Bolts by crank in corners are hardest to get so do those first with a wrench...because nothing else will fit. Remove downpipe completely and then remove bolts in criss cross pattern stops pan warpage when cold. It took me 2.5 hrs once I saw chains and gears were fine...will take longer if timing cover needs to be removed since slidge will form on it as well. I used acetone to saturate pain and I let it brake down sludge...2 thorough cleanings. I cleaned cross over tube to oil filter housing, sump screen and pan with brakekleen after the acetone treatment. DO NOT RE-USE old orings...you can have pressure loss and wear down the oilpump gear in timing cover. Finally install #6 update PROPERLY. In an unrelated note also check the oneway check valve from airpump as this could fail filling the brake booster with oil causing brake system failure.

[Mike Brennan]

Yeah, like I said. Easy.