My new to me Aero likes a drink.. of oil :(

[Andy_sx]

Afternoon All

Recently bought a 95 Aero estate (02) and while it is a superb car, I appear to have a bit of an issue.

It likes a drink of oil. I noticed Thursday evening the engine was ratteling a little, and then the oil light would come on when entering a corner with a bit of pace (nothing out of the ordinary, roundabouts where clear etc, slower more apparent turns rather than sweeping corners on an A road for example). Bought some oil Friday and topped it up, rattle died off and the light stopped coming on, but by Saturday evening, it was back again. Have since topped up again and the same happened this morning.

I have not had a chance to properly look under the bonnet to see if there is any obvious slick, and there is no smoke when driving.

I have emailed a local specialist to see what they suggest, but wondering what you guys will suggest? I will keep supplies of oil with me and keep an eye on it obviously to avoid any major issues as best as possible in the mean time

[boolay]

My 03 Aero drank lots of oil, would do a minimum of 1 lite per month (600 miles), however yours does sound even more excessive. Always be weary of the oil usage as if it hasn't been run on fully synth, the sump can become full of sludge. Worth having it dropped and checked.

http://saabworld.net/f29/saab-9-5-oil-pan-sump-dro...

[Allblackdup]

Really sorry to hear about this Andy, I've just dropped you a mail.

(Car had the sump dropped earlier in the year which was all clear and has been run on fully synthetic)

[P2BS]

There is a known history of bad designs of the crankcase ventilation kits with the 9-5's - and a history of oil starvation due to sludging. The sludge issue allegedly only affects non-Aero 9-5's, whereby semi-synthetic oil congeals when constantly baked through a turbocharger, the oil sump pick-up strainer clogs, and you get oil starvation. The Aero's are supposed to have used fully synthetic oil from day 1, minimising the chances of sludging.
If the sump was dropped & you got the all-clear, this points to either a non-functioning crankcase ventilation kit (look it up - Saab 9-5 PCV), cylinder bore wear, or a blown turbo - or a good old fashioned oil leak.
Is there any telltake smoke / sticky residue on the back of the car from the exhaust, or oil smeared all over the bottom of the car? Lots of 9-5's undergo a preventative sump-drop to make sure all is well - but the PCV issue is more common than sludging on an Aero.

Either way, driving a 9-5 with any oil pressure issues is suicidal - whether oil can't get to the engine because the strainer is blocked, or because the oil level is too low, it'll ruin the crankshaft bearings in a very short space of time. Daily oil level checks are a must as there is no oil level sensor on a 9-5 - it's up to you as a driver to check it.