1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hey all,
I find myself once again needing to bend the ear of SAAB gurus on this bulletin board.
The problem: My Mom's 1990 16V base 900 3-door (5 spd., 65,000 miles) left her stranded (almost) on the way to work. She stopped at the bank first, and when she got in the car to start it up, it wouldn't start. The battery has given no problem previously and the car has always cranked nicely.
A couple good Samaritans helped her by giving her a push so she could "roll it off" to start it, it being a standard shift (thank goodness)!
When she got it home, I took a look at it. It runs fine, but starter only make one click per turn of the key to Start. The dash lights dim and the last few times we tried the key, a puff of smoke and a tiny flame came from the starter. That scared us, so we quit trying to start it!
She drove an old standby vehicle to work, by the way.
Any ideas? Could the starter and/or solenoid die at that "young" mileage? Perhaps it has seen too much starts and stops in its 65K miles (meaning short trip miles).
How hard is it/how expensive is it to replace the starter if I were to tackle the job myself? will a 1986 16V starter fit this '90 900? A local junkyard has an '86S 16V.
(My starter experience only includes one such job, non-SAAB: a 1976 Chevy K-10 4X4 w/350 V-8 motor). I have the Bentley (both 8V & 16V), and enough tools to attack it, I'm sure, but I'm only a shadetree mechanic.
I also know that I CANNOT put the starter on her '90 from my '84 8V parts car...alas.
Micah in NC
'84 900S, 214K mi.
'90 900 base, 65K mi. (Mom's, w/smoking starter)
'84 900S, 267K mi., RIP
posted by 216.77.233...
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