1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Peter -
No, I'm not near GA, though I flew down there in August to purchase and drive back home (to CT) my '93 900TC I "stole" from the used-car guy. Beautiful example of how people do not know what they have, and how one person's loss is someone else's gain. My wife and I, as well as my 2 under-5 yr old sons, LOVE that car!!!!!
Chris -
I forget when the bracket was used on the oem dp/cat. It might have been when they went from the separate dp and cat (pre '94) to the integrated style ('94 and up). Understand that the way the dp looks now will not be the case when you install the JT. The JT is like the older style system, meaning pre '94. You will be mounting the cat under the cabin as opposed to being integrated into the dp and being mounted under the engine. Not a problem since every year 9000 has the brackets there for the cat to be mounted under the cabin. What you will need will be 2 rubber hangers now to attach to the cat to those brackets. I found that I could only use 1 oem Saab rubber hanger, and then needed an aftermarket one that was much longer (that I also needed to cut the holes in to enlargen them) to reach the other bracket. You will see what I mean when you're under there.
As for the cutting of the pipe, go a little at a time. You can always take more off, but you can't put it back on! I used a Zawsaw (or reciprocating saw) with metal blade to cut the pipe. I didn't cut the pipe that I told you about (one going over the rear axle, though I will be doing that this spring). I (as well as you) had to cut the extra pipe supplied that attaches the outlet of the cat to the long pipe. This one comes in one length and is there to accomodate the different lengths of all the cat's out there (mine is a CarSound).
The sealing of the connections is wise advice. No need to weld them; just use the stuff I told you about. I got mine at a local NAPA store. It looks like wheel-bearing grease, just that it's sticky (kind of like tar) and comes in a tube. Slap that stuff all around both ends of the connections, and then tighten up the c-clamps on them. I also used anti-seize lubricant on the threads of the c-clamp bolts for easier future removal. The c-clamp also "molds" itself around the connection, further sealing it.
Another use of the ant-seize lubricant is for the turbo-to-dp connection. People have spoken about using copper grease, which is just as good, but I found it harder to find. The stuff I used is made by Permatex and is called anti-seize lubricant. It is made of silver (as opposed to copper) and withstands higher heat than copper. What you do is put gobs of that stuff all around the end of the dp where it attaches to the turbo. This will create a "gasket" at that point. Then when everything is tightened up and you run the car, the lubricating solvents will be burned off (you'll see and smell a lot of smoke), and what is left will be a ring of silver helping to seal that connection. Mine has never leaked, except for now which I assume is related to the weight of the exhaust pulling down at the turbo end.
Another thing to do witll be to continually check all connections once a week for a month or so. Actually, I re-check the turbo-to-dp connection at every oil change (5K miles). It always needs a little tightening.
As for tightening that turbo/dp connection, I use a long-handled 13mm box wrench (closed-end wrench), a small-handled one, and a 1/4"-drive socket with knuckle. Each of these tools work perfectly to gain access to all three studs on that connection.
Another note is to make sure you have 3 new turbo-to-dp studs at hand. They sometimes break when removing, or they are permamently welded (from heat) to one of the ends. They're not cheap ($20 each), and are only available from the dealer. They're a special design (sort of triangular shaped) to keep them from loosening up over time. I bought mine and then returned them since I didn't need them when all was said and done. They are not available anywhere else. Do not use regular studs!!!
Also, if you're car is a CSE or Aero (vs. a CD/CDE/CS), the rear muffler is mounted so that the straight end is the inlet, and the curved end is the outlet. For the other models, I think it is the opposite. This caused me major grief because I was trying to install it incorrectly.
There's not much else to it, other than save your old parts and try to sell them on eBay if in decent shape, especially the dp/cat. I wish I had thought of this (I threw mine out). If your car has the cat bracket, save the bracket coming out of the engine, the bolt going into the cat, and try to cut/remove the bracket on top of the cat where that bolt attaches to. You can re-use these parts to fashion a bracket to the top of the JT when that time comes.
Good luck!
Joe
posted by 12.111.48...
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