Possible head gasket problem or not?

[Peter B]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this forum and own a 9-3 Aero convertible 2004, 2.0t.

I'm no stranger to Saabs, I have had 7 and had a 70 mph frontal crash in one and 'walked' away - so I love their safety!!

Anyway, I've had to fix a few Saab problems in my time but this one is strange. I bought the Saab a few days ago and have noticed that the coolant bubbles (which is usually indicative of a leaking head gasket) and expels coolant through the overflow pipe.

OK, so sounds like a cut and dried case BUT, when I put on the AC - no leak, no bubbles. I've already done 130 miles with no coolant loss and/or overheating getting the car home.

The temp gauge never goes above just below the middle, the engine doesn't run any hotter than what I've been used to, the car has only 72k miles. Furthermore, the coolant has no scum, rust, or discoloration. The dip stick shows no white oil/water mix and the cap has no white residue or gunk either.

I'm thinking that the head bolts may have stretched and need replacing/retightened but am not entirely sure. What seems to be happening is that whatever air is in the system seems to absorbed when the AC is on possibly because it is going through the cooler matrix.

I'm wondering if anyone has had this problem (or potential problem).

The climate control is on 70 F - so in Winter another 10 degrees shouldn't cause any problems.

It's a new puzzle for me and I don't want to nip the head off unnecessarily!

Your input would be much appreciated,

Many thanks

Peter

[Digger]

As small as this sounds, if it is a leak, you don't absolutely need to pull the head and what you choose to do will be a coin toss and yes, torqueing with new head bolts could fix it and if it doesn't you will be buying another set of head bolts when you do the job again.

This could also be residual air pocket from a drain and fill. 72K miles and the gasket should be good if nothing bad happened to the car over the past 13 years. Before you go off to buy new valve cover gaskets and bolts, use this to find out if you need to plug or replace a head gasket https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lisle-COM...&wl13=&veh=sem Then decide if you want to engine seal, do a lift and slip or pull the head for a complete deck check and replacement.

[Peter B]

Thank you Digger for your response. I'll check out that tester. I've nothing to lose as the saying goes!

[Digger]

$30 for piece of mind isn't a loss if it saves you an unnecessary head gasket job. Had a guy here a couple weeks ago with almost the same symptoms after a water pump replacement, but he knew the car had never been overheated and he knew this wasn't happening before the water pump was replaced so I started him with instructions on how to burb the system. He hasn't been back with more questions so I figure that worked for him. That might be all you need and you could certainly try it before you test for gasses in the coolant, but you got the car with this problem and who knows how long it's been going on.

[Peter B]

Hi Digger

Just an update. I solved the problem. It was a cracked coolant cap. It's replaced and no more 'bubbling' problems.

Thanks for your help and suggestions