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Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 16:09:43 -0400
From: J Dexter <stillcompletelylamenopsamspamtrick.org>
Subject: Re: What makes a Saab Engine so durable ?


Salutations: I was swapping frost pugs right up to my mid 80's b series - they fit fine.. And - if you pulled off all the Leyland wiring and replaced it with delco pieces - the Stag engine would last forever.. Very tough unit.. If I remember right - the big tricky bit was the remaking a Buick CID unit for the distrib.. The head - and everything else except the basic block was SAAB starting at the A series 8 valve - but the iron block remained pretty much the same all along.. I was happy to see the internal water pump on the top disappear myself - it was a HUGE pain to replace or repair.. I'm not sure what the differences are between the 9000 and the B series 900 other than one is facing correctly north/south and the other isn't.. I no longer have a garage in the back to play with mine and my mechanic of a couple of decades (who used to let me play around in the corner of his shop) has retired to Zamboni work.. "More interesting contraptions" as he says.. I think it's a safe bet that the block in the 9-3 is something new.. I know no-one who is happy with the V6.. J Dexter - webmaster - http://www.dexterdyne.org/ All tunes no cookies no ads no news no weather no phone in All the Time.. C Sutherland wrote: > > In article <3E00E7A6.8C71F530nopsamspamtrick.org>, J Dexter <stillcomplet > elylamenopsamspamtrick.org> writes > > > >The original 4 cylinder A series engines were designed by Triumph and apparently > >share mains, casts, block plugs and several other minor internals with a Stag > >engine.. A V8.. Which - as long as you could keep the wiring from grounding out > >- was a very tough little engine.. > > The original engine in the 99 for an initial short period only was > Triumph's 1850 slant 4 overhead cam unit. I think it was bought ready > built from British Leyland and it even had the 'Triumph' casting left on > the cam cover when in the 99. If this seems strange remember Saab's > previous engine was the Ford V4 in the 96. > The Triumph V8, used in the Stag, which goes down in UK automotive > history as one of the most notoriously unreliable, underdeveloped > engines ever was conceptually 2 of those engines in a V8 hence sharing > some components. > > This 1850 engine was used in the Triumph Dolomite, a small and quite > boring saloon of the period. In this guise the engine did not have any > reputation for longevity. It took SAAB's considerable reworking and in- > house manufacturing and materials quality to develop the design out of > all recognition into the near indestructible 200bhp capable motor we > know and love today. > > To their credit however, Triumph developed a single cam 16valve head for > their engine well ahead of most of the rest of the market and put it in > the Dolomite Sprint which was one of the fastest European compact > saloons of the day and would see off a BMW 2002 until BM came up with > their turbo. Triumph's engine did not outlive the Dolomite. SAAB of > course took the turbo route before developing 16V and the rest is > history. > > Am I right in thinking that this Saab slant 4 which can trace it's > ancestry back to Triumph has finally ended with the outgoing 9-3? > It's been a long production run anyway. > > Chas > > -- > C Sutherland

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