Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:38:33 GMT From: Paul Halliday <pjghnospamyonder.co.uk> Subject: Re: '88 900S head gasket?
in article 8KlBf.30250$jd5.2037nospamdc02, James Sweet at jamessweetnospamail.com wrote on 24/01/2006 08:40: > The car is an '88 900S 16V, my girlfriend was driving and said it > started to overheat today while sitting in traffic but didn't get up > into the red and went down when the car was moving at a decent speed. > Tonight I checked the coolant and discovered it a bit low, added about a > quart and checked it out, car seemed to be running just fine. Checked > the oil and uh-oh, white milky crap on the dipstick. Am I right to > assume the head gasket has blown or is there anything else on these cars > that's likely to cause that symptom? Are there any tricks or tips I > should know before digging into this? I've done a number of head gaskets > before but never on a Saab. Do I need to replace the head bolts or any > other parts or should I just get a top end gasket set and replace > anything I disturb? Along with a compression test, have the coolant chemically checked for the presence of oil/petrol. If it checks out okay and you have good compression, then I'd start to look at (a) the coolant and (b) the radiator. Do a full coolant change and flush the engine through. There are ways to do half the job, but do the full job :) Feel the radiator when warm (careful not to burn yourself) to see if there are any cool spots. Over the years, all manner of crap builds up in the coolant and has a habit of settling in the radiator. Especially, if you/former keeper has dropped in one of those Radweld products :( Of course, it could be a stuck thermostat ... Still warm? Change the radiator. You'll be amazed at the difference. Good luck, Paul Vart tog vägen vägen? SAAB : Nothing on earth comes close
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