The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 7/1: Members: Log In to See Fewer Ads! | 5/28: SAAB Evolutions/TSN T-Shirts $14
[General | Members | C900 | 9000 | NG900 & OG93 | 93 | 95 | NG95 | 99 | Sonett | Vintage Models | Clubs | Other Cars | FAQs | Gifts | Member Photo Galleries | Member Directory | Classifieds | Manuals | *Buddy Registry | *Mileage Registry | Polls | What's New | Raffle | Photo of the Month | Sponsors]

NG900 & OG93 Bulletin Board
1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest]
(Search Author's Posts: e.g. Keyword:username)*Members Only

[Main NG900 & OG93 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ | Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
9-3 AT Radiator action report
Like This Post: - Subscribe to Daily Digest for this Bulletin Board
Posted by awldune (more from awldune) on Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:16:29 Share Post by Email
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup

Replaced my radiator this weekend. As others have noted, it is really the pits.

1999 9-3 SE Auto

Had a leak in the radiator and the shop wanted $900 (!!) when the parts from Eeuro were only $220. Seems like a no-brainer, right?

I think this is a job that would be a lot easier on a 5-speed NG900S, but on a turbo/auto car it is just awful.

You have to remove pretty much everything. To start, you should remove/detach the following:

Headlights/indicators
Splash shields
Front bumper/foglights
Air intake hose
Turbo bypass valve air hoses
Intercooler, charge air hoses
Turbo heat shield
Boost pressure controller should be detached and tucked out of the way

After taking all that off, you can drain the radiator. I used the drain plug, which is under the battery. Tough to reach and especially annoying when you have attached a hose to it. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't draining, but then realized I had forgot to open the reservoir cap. It really dumped the coolant after that. My drain pan was undersized for the 7L or so of coolant.

At this point you can start taking stuff off the radiator:
Lower/upper radiator hoses
~4 8mm screws which attach the oil cooler and A/C condenser to the radiator
2 screws holding the fan shroud
2 plastic electrical connectors to the fan
An A/C wire is bracketed to the left edge of the radiator, so remove that when you can reach it.

At this point you will need to detach the power steering hose from the PS pump. It's going to spill some fluid. You can bend it up and out of the way. Actually it might be better to remove the hose and the reservoir altogether. I didn't think of it but it would simplify things.

I also loosened the battery to push it over a little and gain 3/8'' wiggle room or so.

The fan shroud can slide out relatively easily at this point.

With the fan out of the way, you should be able to see two hard metal lines attached to the left side of the radiator. These contain ATF, and some of it will spill when you detach the bolts. Be careful not to lose the backside washers on the banjo bolts.

I was forced to manhandle these hard pipes a lot more than I was really comfortable with, but they seem none the worse for wear. I don't think it is possible to remove the radiator without manuevering them up and out of the way.

Now, the radiator is still held by two clips at either edge near the top. They are "W" shaped spring clips which can be removed by compressing the center with pliers.

You will also need to detach the A/C condenser from the radiator. You already removed some 8mm screws at the bottom of the condenser, but it is still hanging from some plastic brackets. Push the condenser up and pull it clear from the brackets. You should hang the condenser from a zip tie or something so it's not just supported by the refrigerant lines.

So now the fun part -- everything should be detached from the radiator at this point and as out of the way as we can manage. The radiator is supported now at the top by a post with a rubber boot on it at each side. By pushing the radiator toward the engine you should be able to get the posts free of their brackets.

At this point it is mainly a matter of wrestling and trying to keep various pipes and hoses out of the way. The A/C pipe under the battery is a BIG problem here. You can detach it from a clip on the subframe to get a tiny bit of extra give. Ultimately I ended up pushing the left corner as far left and forward as possible until I was finally able to get the right foot clear of the A/C pipe and then the other pipe (brake line I think).

Once I got the right foot clear of the main impediments in its way, I was able to shove everything to the right and try to clear some of the crap at the left side. I seem to remember the hoses to the boost pressure controller were one of the obstacles on this side.

Eventually I got it free! Sadly it is not a lot more fun to get the new one in place. At first glance it seems completely impossible to make it fit, but the same general process applies (shove it to left, clear obstacle on the right, shove it to the right, clear obstacle on the left etc etc)

Now reattach all that stuff!

I needed to replace a surprising amount of power steering fluid. Not really sure where it all went. Others have noted this too.

Refilling the coolant, I filled the reservoir and then massaged the upper radiator hose. You can feel and hear it sucking the coolant down. about 3-4 fills seemed to get things full again. Let the engine run for a while and topped up.

I have done a lot of work on this car but this is easily the worst job I have taken on. Probably 6+ hours for me over 2 days.

Hope this will be helpful to someone!

posted by 24.211.248...
Posts in this Thread:
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup

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.

Name: Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
E-Mail: (Optional)
Re-Enter E-Mail: (Confidential & Secure - Not revealed to other users!)
Note: Please check your spam folder for BB responses.

Subject:

Posting rules are simple - No for sale/wanted ads may be posted here - use the site classifieds.
You may not cross-post your message to multiple BBs.
Not permitted: political/religious topics and being disrespectful (personal attacks, insults, etc...).
 Site Members do not see any red text, inline ad links, bottom of page anchor ads, box ads, or anti-spam check.

Message: (please no for sale/wanted classifieds - post those in the Saabnet.com Classifieds)
Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).

Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post above, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).
Optional Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/)
Link Title: (Optional)
Optional Photo/Image Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/img.jpg)
Photo/Image to Upload: (Please be patient while file uploads)



StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP - Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot


Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!