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Bethany,
Hey, I can't help much with question #1 or #5, but there's a hint or two I can give for the rest:
(I have an '84 900S 2-door hatch 5-speed--I call mine "3-door", personal preference there!)
Anyway, on to the answers...
#2: I would get the car checked out well by a mechanic who knows SAABs (best bet is a SAAB specialist (an "indie" or independent mech.) before taking it 1,500 miles. Look at the recent fluid changes and clutch/brake/engine belts/alternator changes or services. And don't forget the tires! That said, I drive my car a 20-mile commute to work each weekday and frequently on 100-200 mile trips on weekends. It's my daily driver, even at 220,000 miles!!!
#3: If you start/stop a lot, (and you have to sit stationary more than 30 seconds or so), while sitting still just put it in Neutral and let the clutch out. It will save the throwout bearing, I believe they say (but I forget, exactly). That is how to treat the car, though, if idling for long periods of time. And don't "pop" the clutch--use common sense--any harsh movements will decrease the life of clutch pressure plate/bearings/etc.
#4: Well, couple of possibilities there....Does 5th gear "clash" or scrape or grind when you try to go into 5th? (If so, 5th gear synchronizer may be worn=rebuild tranny, worst case. OR does it simply not go into 5th without finessing it? Then perhaps the shift rod coupler is going bad (your gearshift is connected to transmission by a 2-piece metal rod about 3/4" in diameter). If rubber coupler which binds the 2 pieces of the rod together goes bad, sometimes either 5th and Reverse OR 1st and 2nd will be hard to engage OR all four of those gears. Not an expensive thing to fix, I'm told, but no personal experience. Also, if the rod gets out of adjustment, then it can become hard to find gears--but that would probably affect all gears, not just 5th.
#6: SAAB 900s weigh about 2,700 to 3,000 lbs. depending on year, make and model (manual or auto trans., A/C or not, etc.) Probably closest to 2,800 pounds. It's a safe car. It's made to withstand the weight of the car on its roof, if flipped over, I'm told. And it's got side door impact beams!
#6A: Tire pressures should be listed in owner's manual OR in the orange sticker on your driver's side door jamb. Mine says 27/29, front/rear, with normal load or 30/32 full load--meaning 900 lbs. including driver, passengers, and luggage/cargo. Inflate your tires to 27/29 unless you pack the car out with people. (That 44 psi on side of your tires is just the MAXIMUM, not the normal pressure). That's the highest pressure that it's safe to drive with, without risking blowout or literally blowing the tire off the rim due to overinflation.
Hope this helps!
Micah in NC
'84 900S, 220K mi.
posted by 216.77.232...
, Fri, 13 Sep 2002 18:18:32
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