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, Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:11:38
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I was told the same thing last spring after a 60k service on a 2001 9-3 base (B205L engine). It was a slight intermittent rattle that was barely audible at startup, but became more noticeable after putting the auto trans in gear. It was not loud by any means, although it got even more obvious while driving next to a concrete barrier with the windows open. The shop said to shorten up the oil change interval and bring it back in 2500 miles to see if there was any difference. They ended up feeling that it was getting worse, so the tentative next step was to schedule an engine flush and have them remove the oil pan to check for debris.
By this point I was not surprised when they called and said not only was the oil pickup screen clogged, but that there was also a lot of metal and plastic debris from the balance shaft drive components. Since they already had the pan off, they quoted me a total of around $1400 to replace the chain/sprockets/guides using a method that did not require engine removal. They were also willing to cut and remove the chain, but strongly encouraged a proper fix since the car was otherwise pretty much flawless. Considering some of the other prices you may read about, this isn't all that bad, and if I had planned ahead, I could have saved a few hundred in parts by ordering from site sponsors like Genuine Saab.
Now, the good news is that I was very satisfied with the results of the job. The engine was incredibly quiet and smooth over its entire speed range, and that intermittent rattling was gone. The bad news is that four months later, on a snowy/rainy/icy December night, I skidded headlong into a guardrail after deciding I didn't feel like spending a couple hundred bucks on used snow tires. Insurance totaled it, so the money I spent on the repair went down the drain. My replacement 9-3 may have other issues, but I made sure it did not rattle!
The moral of the story is that while you will surely be satisfied with the results of getting your rattle fixed, it's quite a financial commitment to the car. I had planned to keep that car for several years and wanted it to still have decent resale value, so I figured the investment would pay off, but I'll never be seeing that money again. Most people would probably just cut the chain if they're already planning to run the car into the ground.
Oh, by the way...although I never noticed any effect on performance, the loose chain will tend to wear away at the inside of the timing cover. Mine wasn't bad enough to require replacement, but they did insist on adding metal-filled epoxy in the groove that the chain had cut. You can choose whether to have it fixed or cut, but simply letting it continue could very easily cause more damage.
posted by 216.37.1...
, Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:11:38, Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:35:21
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