I just found a local 2000 Saab 9-3 turbo that looks as if it has some potential. 130k miles, recently replaced turbo, needs radiator and muffler. What do I need to know?
I just found a local 2000 Saab 9-3 turbo that looks as if it has some potential. 130k miles, recently replaced turbo, needs radiator and muffler. What do I need to know?
Keep a spare DI Cassette on hand.
Enjoy the boost. (Make it make more.)
the old gen 9-3 had a bit of a flexable chassis.. the convertable were were quite the flexy flyers.. but they were better than the GM900s
Make sure it's had the oil changed with full synthetic on a very regular basis. 00-03 are the 9-3's years of sludge. If you buy it you'll want to do the #6 PCV update right away and possibly drop the pan to clear the sludge.
Otherwise they are great little cars and can really be built to hustle. There are aftermarket fixes for the floppy chassis if you feel the need.
HB or sedan body style? (I think 2000 was still HB?) I don't know if the engine oil sludging problem was solved by then or not. That would be the biggest problem. Manual trans, I presume? The automatics in those aren't fragile like in older SAABs, but they aren't bullet proof either. I'm not fond of the GM era SAABs, but those engines can make a ton of power, mostly just through hacking the OEM T5 ecm.
Thats all I've got, I've worked on a few, but never owned one.
Swank Force One wrote: Keep a spare DI Cassette on hand. Enjoy the boost. (Make it make more.)
You forgot to add only use the exact oem NGK spark plugs.( true for all DI equiped SAABs).
If it's a 4dr turbo with a stick, it should be an "H.O" which means it's damn near making Viggen power.
Much fun. I want.
Eeuroparts is cheap, local, and the free shipping is insanely fast within southwest CT (like 1 day). I replaced the exhaust on our car for cheap, but there are performance parts available.
A GenuineSaab Steering Rack Brace eliminates a lot of torque steer, and an upgraded rear sway bar will also improve handling.
I used Saabnet a lot to research issues. I believe the '00 is the newer version of engine management, and includes a bigger intercooler when compared to the older cars.
I used synthetic oil exclusively in ours and performed oil changes every 3k to avoid the sludge issues.
Robert Motorcars in Woodbury is a good indepedent shop that does a lot of Saab work: http://www.robertmotorcars.com/ It might be worth having them perform a PPI to see if there are any less obvious issues.
They are good cars, the 2000 s/b a T7 ecu program which can be substantially upgraded for power and torque.. Be careful with one that just had a new turbo, they often die becuase of sluge and after replacement the engine goes.
The turbos going are a common problem, the blue smoke under acceleration is a tell-tale sign. Our '00 9-3 had that issue, and the turbo was replaced shortly after we bought it.
No title. I'm out.
This one might then also look interesting,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-Saab-9-3-SE-with-a-B237-rebuilt-engine-and-rebuilt-transmission-/321198853234?ViewItem=&item=321198853234&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&forcev4exp=true
I can attest to the sludge issue. I had an '02 convertible. Really fun car for the 1.5 weeks I owned it. 
Also, the torque steer was insane, only trumped by the chassis flex.
foxtrapper wrote: This one might then also look interesting, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-Saab-9-3-SE-with-a-B237-rebuilt-engine-and-rebuilt-transmission-/321198853234?ViewItem=&item=321198853234&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&forcev4exp=true
Blargh, autotragic.
redhookfern wrote: I can attest to the sludge issue. I had an '02 convertible. Really fun car for the 1.5 weeks I owned it.
my GM900 defined torque steer. Driving it was.. "wait for boost, wait for boost.. OMG! We are going to die! As you held onto the wheel for all it was worth as the car immediatly tried to put you into the nearest kerb, police officer, small child, or tree
mad_machine wrote:redhookfern wrote: I can attest to the sludge issue. I had an '02 convertible. Really fun car for the 1.5 weeks I owned it.my GM900 defined torque steer. Driving it was.. "wait for boost, wait for boost.. OMG! We are going to die! As you held onto the wheel for all it was worth as the car immediatly tried to put you into the nearest kerb, police officer, small child, or tree
My FIL drove my old 99 9-3 SE one time and it scared the crap out of him. He called me later that day and said he thought something was broken it pulled so bad. Good times.
The Genuine Saab steering rack brace made a big difference with torque steer on our 2000 9-3. Ours was an autotragic, which actually wasn't bad at all in the Sport mode. It wasn't a manual, but turbos and automatics can work well from a power delivery perspective.
dj06482 wrote: The Genuine Saab steering rack brace made a big difference with torque steer on our 2000 9-3. Ours was an autotragic, which actually wasn't bad at all in the Sport mode. It wasn't a manual, but turbos and automatics can work well from a power delivery perspective.
They do make a big difference. The way the steering rack is mounted on the NG900/9-3 is just incomprehensible. When you look at it you can understand why it's so floppy.
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