If it's not one thing....

It is, of course, another. In the never ending Saab Story.. when last I worked on the car, I finally got it started after going through the original starter, a rebuilt starter, and a used one before getting a remanufactored starter that gets the engine going like there is no tomarrow.

Having gotten it running at the end of a long and hot day, I decided to leave the underhood squeal until later. Today was later.. when I was under the car rehooking up the exhaust, I noticed the serpentine belt laying in a shredded heap in the passengerside wheel well. Investigations led me to a siezed alternator.

Yes.. not a dead alternator.. a completely siezed one. While I am there I might as well replace the waterpump and thermostat... so by the time I get this car back on the road the following will be new or rebuilt.

Transmission Clutch/pressure plate/ Throwout bearing (viggen spec) Starter Alternator Waterpump Thermostat ALL hoses Battery Battery Cables rear brakes

at that point, as the turbo was rebuilt before I got the car... that will not leave much to go wrong (crosses fingers). All I can say, I have NEVER owned a car that fought me as much as this one does.. and I have owned half a dozen italian cars and one english.

Sounds like you're on the receiving end of deferred maintenance.

Once you get it on the road and do a couple of cheap mods to it it will bring a smile to your face as it tries to rip the steering wheel out of your hands in 2nd gear. Hang in there.

it's just odd.. I bought both cars from fresh out of college students. I admit both the BMW and Saab had not had easy lives before I got them.. but the Ti is as reliable as gravity.. the saab seems as fragile as glass.

next time I will buy from older people...

Sounds like my car. To get it drivable after initial purchase; Alternator, P/S pump, wheel bearings, catalitic converter, tie rod nuts, brake fluid flush.

With in the first year; 2nd Alt, 3 ps/ac belts, cam end seals, transaxle, clutch, front pads, cat-back exhaust.

Year 2; Fuel pump fuses, rear pads, tie rod ends, lower ball joints, front brake lines, sway bar bushing, heli-coil/caliper bolt, O2 sensor, T/B gasket, lugnuts, reverse light switch.

And as soon as I have the money, new rear struts.

There was a reason I had sworn off neons after my first one...

If it's not one thing...

mad_machine wrote:

It is, of course, another.

My new way of looking at things is "If it's not one thing, it's everything else!!!"

What kind of Saab?

Sounds like my old '99 9-3. What a pita that car was, so glad it's gone now. Love the 9000 Aero that replaced it :D

it's a 94 900 SE turbo.. the first of the NG/GM models..(to judge by the build date.. one of the VERY first)

I wonder how much that plays into the issues you have been having? I picked up my 99 9-3 with 75K on it from a guy who did some kind of medical sales out of it. We just gave it to my brother with @195K on it and it was one of the most reliable cars my wife and I have owned. A fuel pump, an AC comp and an ABS computer (thankfully from a PnP car) and that is it.

I recall hearing during my Saab days that the 9-3s had a lot of small but significant improvements over the NG900s.