My 2001 9-5 2.3t wagon $1200 rescue

[jonnet97030]

My old Mercedes had been front ended and I wanted another European car, and was happy to find a 2001 9-5 2.3t 4-speed automatic wagon a guy who had moved to Portland from Montana had left in the elements for a couple of years. He did not know anything about taking care of a car and the only thing he knew about a Saab was "turbo makes it go fast".

I got all the mold and moss off of it, and had it inspected, and thankfully it has minimal sludging, and a slight leak from one of the engine block gaskets. It starts and runs, and has no major defects. Not bad for less than half what I paid for my Benz!

I'm getting used to the design and need to identify some stuff, and I already know some basic maintenance I have to do.

Maintenance:

• Replace DIC and spark plugs
• replace starter
• replace crankshaft position sensor
• replace oil pressure switch
• install PCV upgrade kit
• replace head gasket, valve cover gasket, timing chain tensioner seals, and valve stem gaskets, and remove sludge while I'm in there
• replace transmission fluid, flush motor oil
• figure out why the p-brake isn't engaging
• replace miscellaneous dash lights and the SID LCD screen
• figure out why the headlight switch isn't switching from headlights to park lights to running lights
• fix the dreaded 1-08 AC problem
• clean rust off of brake parts
• replace rear tires
• get new donut
• add stopper to rear driver side seat belt so seat doesn't stick in downward position
• replace battery and terminals
• bolt slide-out armrest in place, I have a bad hip and need it to lean on
• polish, buff with cereum oxide, or replace windshield - it got so pockmarked on the way here it looks eternally dirty

Other stuff I want to do

• identify random stuff in the wheel well and hatch
• replace comm center with double DIN, add a backup camera
• clean up or bondo over numerous scratches and dents in chassis
• replace worn down emblems
• maybe do some ecomodding like transmission timing and ECU alterations
• install remote starter and/or push-button starter if such things exist for it

If y'all want to help, that'd be cool. This will be a good place to keep notes of my progress. Please pardon the terrible pictures, my phone is trying to die without my permission.

[nordwulf]

Hello and welcome, great first post! Your thread was in the moderation queue but is visible now. It sound like you got a good deal and have some work ahead of you. I am sure we'll able to assist with any questions you may have.

[GeoffR]

Saab do NOT recommend flushing the oil system, if you want to do anything, drain the oil and refill with fully synthetic of the correct specification, run for 1,000 miles and repeat. Flushing oil has a detrimental effect on little end bearings etc.
Change the oil pressure switch while you have the starter removed, they are a known cause of oil leaks.
Drop the sump (oil pan) and clean it and the pick-up strainer this is where the sludge collects and eventually blocks the strainer.
Always use fully synthetic oil, this is part of preventing further sludge, along with the PCV upgrade.

The build spec is

Model : 9-5 (9600), code=E	Model Year : 2001, code=1
Model Series : Series IV, code=D	Market : United States, code=US
Body Type : 5-door, code=5D	Body Color : Steel Grey, code= 279
Exterior : Roof, with sunroof, code= S	Interior Color : Sand, Classic Leather & leather door inserts, code= L10
Doors : 4 side doors, 1 rear door, code=5	Steering : Left-hand steering, code=L
Gear Box : 4-speed automatic, code=A	Engine : B235E 4-inline, Turbo, code=B235E
VIN Plate :	Chassi to Vin Data Row 2 :

Feature	Detail	Code
Brake Disc	15 Brake Disc	051-030
Door Insert, Material	Door Insert Material, Leather	331-040
Driver Seat, Manoeuvering	El. Manoeuvered Driver Seat With Memory	307-030
Interior Trim Colour	Interior Trim Colour, Beige	303-080
Navigation System	Without Navigation	811-010
Outer Rear View Mirrors	Outer Rear View Mirrors With Memory	401-060
Parking Assistance	Without Parking Assistance	539-030
Passenger Seat, Manoeuvering	Electrically Manoeuvered Passenger Seat	309-020
Rain Sensor	Without Rain Sensor	165-010
Seats, Material	Seats, Leather, Classic	305-020
Speedometer	Speedometer, Mph	451-060

Aero Shields	Without Aero Shields	209-020
Airbag	Driver And Passenger Airbag	799-040
Antenna	Diversity Antenna	503-080
Armrest	Adjustable Drivers Armrest	379-050
Ashtray	Without Ashtray	391-010
Battery Size	Battery, 70ah	551-030
Body Color	Stalgra	601-650
Brake Pad	Brake Lining Pa638	053-020
Cargo Net, Textile Vertical	Without Load Net	787-010
Car Status	Technical Status, M01	997-070
Cd-player	Preparation Cd-changer	513-040
Chassi Design/performance	Standard Chassis (comfort)	097-010
Child Seat	Without Childseats	323-030
Climate Zone	Warm Climate Zone	769-020
Combination Lamp, Front	Side Marker Lamp	435-060
Country Packages	Without Country Adaptation	911-010
Emblem Baklucka,modellserie	Without Emblem For Model Series	199-220
Emission, Diagnostic System	Obdii Diagnostic System	761-040
Engine Output	Low Output	265-040
Engine Volume	2.3 Liter Engine Volume	227-020
Evaporator Control System	With Evaporator Control System	247-040
Exhaust Emission System	Without Secondary Air Injection	233-050
Extra Floor Mats	With Textile Mats	357-050
Farthallningssystem	With Cruise Control System	531-030
Floor Illumination	Without Floor Illumination	773-010
Front Foglights	Front Foglights	753-070
Front Foglights, Activation Condition	Hl Switch Not In Pos 0 And Not High Beam	763-020
Fuel Type	Petrol	221-010
Gearbox, Type	Automatic Gearbox	251-020
Gearbox, Type Designation	Vaxellada Fa47	253-370
Gearknob	Leather Knob	291-020
Glass Breaksensor	With Glass Brakesensor	721-020
Headlamp, Light Symmetry	Headlamp, Symmetric Light	431-060
Heated Seats	Heated Front & Rear Seats	413-050
Inner Rear View Mirror, Dimming	Inner Rear View Mirror, Manual Dimming	475-010
Key Warning	Key Warning	527-020
Klimatsystem	Acc-anlaggning	581-030
Kylarflakt	Kylflakt 480w (vid 12.0 Volt)	283-110
Lambda Sonde	Lambda Sonde Standard	767-010
License Plate Holder	Nummerskylthallare 2, (us-utf)	177-020
Ljudsystem	Radiosystem 3	511-050
Load Anchoring Straps	Without Load Anchoring Straps	795-010
Luggage Floor Net	Load Net	789-020
Luggage Net, Side	Without Luggage Net, Trunk Compartment	783-010
Market Performance	Usa Specification	003-080
Miljoklassning	Grundversion	821-010
Number Of Doors	Five Doors	009-010
On Board Refuling Vapor Recovery	With Orvr	791-020
Panel Plate, Decor	Trapanel	367-070
Product Line	Saab 9-5	001-060
Radio	Us-radio	515-050
Rear Foglights	Rear Foglight, Left Side	751-030
Rear Headrests	Rear Seat With Neckrest	325-040
Remote Control, Frequency	Remote Control 315 Mhz Long Distance	533-030
Roof, Design	Sunroof	007-020
Running Light, Function	0=low, 1=park & Low, 2=low & High Beam	529-030
Seat Ventilation	Without Seat Ventilation	313-010
Shock Absorber Setting	Shock Absorber, Std	023-010
Sidobackljus	With Side+reverse Light	449-030
Spare Wheel, Size	Spare Wheel, 4.0 Inch	075-070
Special Products	Standard Vehicle	899-010
Spring Force Front	Chassis Spring, Front, 4540 Newton	021-980
Spring Force Rear	Chassis Spring, Rear, 2800 Newton	025-780
Steering Wheel Position	Left-hand Drive	011-010
Stering Wheel Model	Steering Wheel Model 4-spoken Leather	117-040
Stralkastartorkare	Stralkastartorkare	479-030
Sun Visor, Front	Dubbel Sun Visor	393-040
Telephone	Telephone Preparation, Handsfree	777-040
Theft Alarm	Theft Alarm	535-040
Tilt Sensor	Without Tilt Sensor	723-010
Tire / Size / Speed Type	Tire, 215/55, Vr<240 Km/h	063-220
Tire,type	Tire, Michelin Mxv4	073-040
Traction-control	Traction Control	105-030
Trip Information	Trip Computer	525-100
Warning Triangle	Warning Triangle	445-030
Wheel Design	Alu Rim, 10-spoke, 2:a Gen.	039-400

Enter the VIN into http://www.thesaabsite.com/ to get a copy you can edit. Sorry about the words in Swedish that is the way the information is supplied. If it helps I still don't know what some of the features on mine are either.

[jonnet97030]

I'm digging the random Swedish. I also thought the fill, run 1k miles, fill again was a flush, that's what I was going to do. I only use Mobil 1 0W-40, will drop the pan when I get the rest of the parts and have the cylinder head soaking in an ultrasonic bath. I'll order the oil pressure switch.

I did find the cause of some oil leaking - whoever did the first cleanup after the sludge and some misfiring, they replaced the head gasket upside down and used Permatex on it! They also sealed the cylinder head with Right Stuff and didn't get around the bolt holes.

I'm amazed it only suffers from a rough idle, slow crank, and leaking a quart every 600-ish miles.

[GeoffR]

I also thought the fill, run 1k miles, fill again was a flush, that's what I was going to do.

Technically a flush is when you use flushing oil, which contains solvents and is generally very thin, to clean out the remnants of old oil. This is what Saab don't recommend, what you were planning is fine.

How do you fit a head gasket upside down?

[jonnet97030]

How do you fit a head gasket upside down?

By buying the cheapest aftermarket gasket one can. It was symmetrical and had no top and bottom markers and got flipped. Had four mount holes. usually you can tell because the side with all of the cylinder rings touching goes on the block and the side that separate goes on the cylinder head. But if someone's cousin in BFE Montana is paid 30 bucks to do a head gasket change, one can only expect so much.

[jonnet97030]

Technically a flush is when you use flushing oil, which contains solvents and is generally very thin, to clean out the remnants of old oil.

That's why my stepdad used to pour diesel fuel in his motor when doing an oil change on his old '75 Ford. TIL.

Got all my Dexron VI ATF, the SID replacement LCD and ribbon cable, my trailer hitch, and my starter. Soon my wife will be complaining that once again one of my cars is in 30 pieces in the driveway. I added replacing the crankshaft position sensor since it was throwing CELs and the inspector told me the crankshaft was fine, and added replacing the oil pressure switch as per GeoffR's recommendation.

[jonnet97030]

Got all my parts, but I've run out of time working on a room in the house the squirrels have destroyed roof joists in. Today I learned what six years of squirrel pee festering in blown in fiberglass smells like. I'm going to have to take it into a shop to have the more time-intensive stuff done. I replaced the DIC, spark plugs, valve cover gasket, and the cabin and car air filters. The car filter was so nasty I see cleaning out the turbo in the near future. I didn't notice any improvement, but I only drove it around the block, and that starter that can barely crank is still on there. We'll see what kind of additional fuel economy I get from these. The old plugs were those Bosch platinums with the four side electrodes, which explains at least a bit.

I burned off a liter of coolant in a month, and there's no leaks, and thankfully there's no history of overheating so no cylinder head warping, so we definitely know now that there's a hole between the coolant line and cylinder 1. The valve cover gasket was made out of regular Permatex black, not even ultra black (I know how they each smell so I can tell), so that's why even an LPT blew out the gasket. The bulk of the sludge is gone, but it's starting to build up again.

I also got the rear tires changed - it took three men and a sledgehammer to get the wheels off after the bolts due to the corrosion. Three hours and a $400 resurfacing bill later, the tires are at least fixed.

I've decided I'm going to get a double DIN, gut the OnStar system, and use its mic for my head unit. I'll probably hand-make a right-hand bucket storage to replace the OnStar well.