1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
132K miles.
Good news is I discovered the problem today. Turned out the chumps that were aligning the car forgot to tighten the retaining nut on the tie rod to the tie rod end. It was possible to grab the tie rod end, wiggle it (it wasn't tight), and -- VOILA! -- the rattle. Snugged up the nut while holding the tie rod to prevent it from rotating, and no more rattle.
Of course, I discovered this after going back and checking almost every other suspension-related bolt/nut that I'd dealt with recently. I was at a loss and about to throw up my hands (or just throw up), when I decided to see if the tie rod ends were correctly torqued at the spindle.
All this, and the alignment shop couldn't get my wheel to align straight when the wheels were straight. With this discovery today, you can bet I'll demand my money back. That loose tie rod end would have quickly developed into a serious safety hazard.
Actually, I also just did the work you suggest about 2,000 miles ago. Like you, I'm very meticulous, but as someone new to all this wrench-turning, I'm not yet comfortable to automatically trust my own work. You can imagine the amount of second-guessing that cropped up when that clunk developed. Relieved to find it wasn't MY mistake!
Here's the total amount of work I've done myself in the last 2,000 miles. Much of this was proactive, because I'd like to know the car's good to go for a while. Everything MECHANICAL is basically set for another 100K miles; now I can look forward to TCS and ECU issues (okay so far, and about to clean my throttle body).
-- Lower control arm front and rear bushings
-- Ball joints
-- Tie rod ends
-- Front and rear sway bar bushings
-- Front sway bar link bushings
-- New axles
-- New timing and balance shaft chains, guides, tensioners, sprockets (including cam sprockets)
-- New serpentine belt, pulleys and tensioner
-- New oil pump o-ring, main seal, oil sensor o-ring, water pump o-rings
-- New upper and lower motor mounts (did limiter mod on lowers)
-- New fuel injector o-rings
-- New head gasket (also valve cover gasket)
-- New heater core
-- New blower motor
-- New 82-degree thermostat
-- New 82-degree thermofan switch
-- New Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors all 'round with new pads
-- New Bilsteins and front strut bearings
-- New aftermarket stereo
-- Hard-wired V1 (did NOT do the Quasi install -- that's going overboard, in my opinion)
-- New lights all 'round outside
-- New EDU and replaced all instrument panel lights
-- New positive battery cable
-- New passenger seat plastic cable guide
-- New headliner (redid all covered pieces in original-spec material -- hard to find!)
-- New NKGs and DI cassette (done in sequence to solve stuttering)
Previous owner had just done (at SAAB dealer):
-- New transmission and clutch
-- New AC compressor
-- New water pump
-- New TCS valves and hoses/service
-- New mid-muffler
If TCS will leave me alone, I'll be happy. Next purchase will be Mille Miglia 17" wheels. After that, the JT system.
Wow -- sorry this got to be so long. Just reading back through my list of work, I'm starting to realize why I'm burned out on all the SAAB work!
--Peter
posted by 68.211.105...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
