Fuel injectors? or Clucth

[chouston]

Hi everyone!

I was feeling forlorn (having been outbid on ebay for a 1997 talladega 5 speed manual coupe) so I took my wifes 5 speed coupe for a spin.

It began spluttering while upshifting, gearshift started moving around in fifth on the highway, then it almost bunnyhopped when cornering slowly in second.

I checked the dizzy cap and rotor button, they were dodgy but I brushed them.

Cleaned the air filter.

I feel very responsible for this car as it is our only car and I really really really talked my wife into buying it (she wanted a Corolla)

We only got her a few months back and I have not changed the fuel filter.

I am a mature age student and cant afford to maintain this Saab, I just couldn't help myself.
I cant afford to be systematic (I know I must be) but I want to get as close to the problem without spending money on leads and plugs if that's not the issue.

Unsure if it's relevant, but, the fan almost never comes on even when seemingly hot, in the months I have owned her she has only run the fan after switching of the ignition twice, even when obviously quite hot (temp gauge has never gone past 1/2 way)? someone told me this is how 900s are, someone said temp sensor, someone said fan resistor, so I don't no what to think.

I digress.

Someone just tell me a couple of bottles of injector cleaner will do the trick and that it's not a $2000 clutch and I will be very very happy. (please tell me this, just lie if need be).

All suggestions and help are very appreciated.

Thanks saabers.

[nordwulf]

Yes, a bottle of injector cleaner will solve all your problems.

Or not. But at least it is cheap and it won't hurt if it doesn't work. Same thing with the fuel filter and spark plugs. This is all basic preventative maintenance, never try to save money there if you don't have any service records.

Not sure about the heater issue as I don't know much about this model.

I really really really talked my wife into buying it (she wanted a Corolla)

I am a mature age student and cant afford to maintain this Saab, I just couldn't help myself.

This could be a deadly combination but you probably already know that. I hate to say it but perhaps a Corolla would be a better choice financially and for your marriage.

[chouston]

Thanks for the reply Frank.
I managed to convince my wife that the Saab was the responsible and mature purchase because our 5 y/o daughter would be seated safely thanks to the middle position lap sash, and the airbags and ABS and other safety features that a similar priced corolla does not have (the Saab was a real bargain price and in good condition), and I do feel much better with my family travelling in the Saab, but I also enjoy the driving experience of the 5 speed manual Saab.

But I don't want to get off topic, If anyone can give me some direction on the thermal fan issue that would be great, or the shuddering thing, that would be great.

[Oscuro]

The fan issue could be the resistor, yes. The fuse/relay block under the hood has separate relays for low speed and high speed. Pull each relay and jumper the left and right (as opposed to fore and aft) contacts in the relay socket. A short wire with spade terminals crimped on works great for this. The fan should run at low or high speed. If low speed is dead, it is almost certainly the resistor. You could spend $$$ on an official replacement resistor if you can find one, or get a replacement from an ordinary electronics distributor and wire it in yourself.




For the clutch, unless something is seriously wrong, its failure mode will be slippage under heavy acceleration in high gear. RPMs will rise with no corresponding change in vehicle speed. So I don't think the clutch is causing your shuddering issues, but your car is on the other side of the planet from me. This may be a long shot, but check the condition of the vacuum hose attached to the fuel pressure regulator. If it is leaky, you could be getting too much fuel at high vacuum situations (idling, light acceleration, coasting in gear) making the engine generally run like crap.

[chouston]

Big big thanks to you Oscuro.

Seems it was a split in the vacuum hose, the hose is very perished, I patched it with some electrical tape for now, then I tested the relay by jumping it, the fan turned on at low speed for the first time ever, then I switched relays with the high beam, the relay seems o.k. Could it be the temp sensor? which one? I think I know it, on the passenger side (aussie passenger side) of the head above and just back of dizzy?

Having patched the vacuum hose, I confidently went to test drive her, would not start, just turned over and over, what???????
After 20 minutes I follwed the lead from the dizzy to the coil and, yay!, the shroud with the wire clip had broken off one of the connections, more electrical tape and she turned over.

Test drive proved your vacuum hose suggestion cured the issue, and with new spark plugs, which was my first port of call this morning because they were disgraceful (electrode centre point diminished to nothing leaving a gap closer to 2 than 1) the car is purring along and Saabworld community has salvaged my marriage for now.

Thanks everyone. (p.s) don't forget my fan still almost never ever comes on, (I have heard it twice ever for about 10 seconds, and thats during a really hot summer season over here.)

[Oscuro]

Great to hear that it was the vacuum hose and not something worse.

For the temp sensor, it may just be acting normally and you are not running hot enough to warrant the fan after shut off. The temp gauges in these cars have a large "dead zone" where the needle will be halfway up the dial for any temperature in the "normal" range.

If you want to test further, many OBD-2 scanners can read the coolant temperature as reported by the ECU. I have an OBD-2 to bluetooth adapter which then can work with the Torque app on Android devices to get all sorts of real time info from the ECU. USB adapters exist as well. Sometimes the quality can be bad with cheap adapters though, so if you do decide to buy anything, make sure the vendor has a good return policy or go for a reputable brand.

[bobdelaplage]

My 900i convert. 91 fan only actuates with the gauge above horizontal.Seldom as well....sama same