Classic 900 problems
Discussion
I've just bought a classic 900SE L reg 93' after wanting one for years, thankfully it's only done 88,000 so I'm hoping to not have to do too much work to get it mint, but there are a few problems I need help with if anyone has the time to talk.
Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC dosen't work, no drop in revs so i'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC dosen't work, no drop in revs so i'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
aidymitton said:
I've just bought a classic 900SE L reg 93' after wanting one for years, thankfully it's only done 88,000 so I'm hoping to not have to do too much work to get it mint, but there are a few problems I need help with if anyone has the time to talk.
Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC doesnt work, no drop in revs so I'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
You shouldn't have to press the pedal hard at all. Try this. Without the engine running pump the brake pedal fast continuously until you feel it go hard. When it goes hard keep your foot on it firmly. Start engine. Pedal should sink steadily. It's just a quick test to see if the ABS pump is evacuating then pressuring up again. If you don't find it as I described, it could be that you're driving without ABS assistance!Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC doesnt work, no drop in revs so I'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
If you can't turn the sunroof motor with the handle try this without too much effort. Whilst trying to crank the handle get someone to carefully but firmly thump the sunroof panel (without denting it). If it isn't just stuck undo the two 10mm head bolts holding the motor and drop it off the panel. Undo the cable clamp on the motor, then check if the motor will turn now it's not attached to the cables. If it does you still have a stuck sunroof panel or a ceased cable.
As for aircon, I'd be surprised if it works unless the car has a blinding service history including re gas every so often. See the Schrader type valve on the back of the compressor pump? Well, take the valve cap off and look for the centre pin. Press it in with a pointy tool. Does gas come out under some pressure? If it does there's a chance you might be able to get the aircon working inexpensively. If it doesn't, does any gas come out at all? Even a little, not offering much pressure, could indicate a gas tight system that's not been used for sometime. In which case, still fixable. If no gas is evident at all, my best guess would be a leaking condenser and secondly, a leaking compressor pump seal. Condensers have been impossible to find good used for years. New will cost you over £200. Pump seal will see you finding another pump in the hope it won't leak, and will work. I've seen pumps on Ebay for £5, and I know where there were some new old stock ones for a few hundred quid.
Where in NY are you? I'm Saab Workshop in Hull.
Rocket Pepper said:
aidymitton said:
I've just bought a classic 900SE L reg 93' after wanting one for years, thankfully it's only done 88,000 so I'm hoping to not have to do too much work to get it mint, but there are a few problems I need help with if anyone has the time to talk.
Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC doesnt work, no drop in revs so I'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
You shouldn't have to press the pedal hard at all. Try this. Without the engine running pump the brake pedal fast continuously until you feel it go hard. When it goes hard keep your foot on it firmly. Start engine. Pedal should sink steadily. It's just a quick test to see if the ABS pump is evacuating then pressuring up again. If you don't find it as I described, it could be that you're driving without ABS assistance!Firstly the brakes seem a bit poor, you have to press the pedal pretty hard to get it to stop, it has ABS.
Second the sunroof is jammed solid, the motor won't turn with the little handle, will I have to remove the roof lining to work on it?
And lastly the AC doesnt work, no drop in revs so I'm guessing the clutch is'nt kicking in, but the fuse is alright could it be the relay?
Any 900 zen masters out there?
If you can't turn the sunroof motor with the handle try this without too much effort. Whilst trying to crank the handle get someone to carefully but firmly thump the sunroof panel (without denting it). If it isn't just stuck undo the two 10mm head bolts holding the motor and drop it off the panel. Undo the cable clamp on the motor, then check if the motor will turn now it's not attached to the cables. If it does you still have a stuck sunroof panel or a ceased cable.
As for aircon, I'd be surprised if it works unless the car has a blinding service history including re gas every so often. See the Schrader type valve on the back of the compressor pump? Well, take the valve cap off and look for the centre pin. Press it in with a pointy tool. Does gas come out under some pressure? If it does there's a chance you might be able to get the aircon working inexpensively. If it doesn't, does any gas come out at all? Even a little, not offering much pressure, could indicate a gas tight system that's not been used for sometime. In which case, still fixable. If no gas is evident at all, my best guess would be a leaking condenser and secondly, a leaking compressor pump seal. Condensers have been impossible to find good used for years. New will cost you over £200. Pump seal will see you finding another pump in the hope it won't leak, and will work. I've seen pumps on Ebay for £5, and I know where there were some new old stock ones for a few hundred quid.
Where in NY are you? I'm Saab Workshop in Hull.
G
Nice one Rocket thats a great help,
The ac still has some pressure so I might pay for a re-gass, is there a pressure switch in the system thats stopping the clutch clicking in at the moment?
The sunroof I'll work on at the weekend, from what you've said i'm hoping it'll come loose.
The brakes though, are a bit more worrying, I can pump the pedal solid with the ignition off but there is a noticable step till the pressure builds. After turning the power on you can hear the pump start and the pedal sinks pretty smooth but the step is still present about an 40mm down the stroke of the pedal, thinking about it the step is where the brakes start to work but the pedal feels solid from then on and like I said you have to press pretty hard to get joy.
Any ideas?
The ac still has some pressure so I might pay for a re-gass, is there a pressure switch in the system thats stopping the clutch clicking in at the moment?
The sunroof I'll work on at the weekend, from what you've said i'm hoping it'll come loose.
The brakes though, are a bit more worrying, I can pump the pedal solid with the ignition off but there is a noticable step till the pressure builds. After turning the power on you can hear the pump start and the pedal sinks pretty smooth but the step is still present about an 40mm down the stroke of the pedal, thinking about it the step is where the brakes start to work but the pedal feels solid from then on and like I said you have to press pretty hard to get joy.
Any ideas?
Yes there's a pressure switch. Will switch pump on when the pressure is too low or off when too high. If memory serves, on the classic 900 it's a combined pressure switch and thermostat with four wires. Sounds like a re-gas might work though.
Your ABS appears to be good. You can test most everything on the system with a good meter and Robert Bentley's manual. From your description of what's going on it sounds like you've a sticking piston in a front caliper. It's unlikely the caliper won't slide as the pins never cease, but the brake pads can and do often cease in the calipers. Shouldn't take more than an hour to clean the front calipers and pads. They're an absolute doddle.
You didn't say where in North York's you are?
Your ABS appears to be good. You can test most everything on the system with a good meter and Robert Bentley's manual. From your description of what's going on it sounds like you've a sticking piston in a front caliper. It's unlikely the caliper won't slide as the pins never cease, but the brake pads can and do often cease in the calipers. Shouldn't take more than an hour to clean the front calipers and pads. They're an absolute doddle.
You didn't say where in North York's you are?
Late to the party!
I'd also recommend you get the Bentley Saab Workshop Manual, can be had on ebay or from the usual places (partsforsaabs / elkparts).
As far as the air con goes, there's a sight glass on the receiver/drier in the off-side wing, you should be able to see some bubbles if there's gas iirc.
There should be a 2 pin connector on it - pull the connector off and short the connector across with the engine running and the A/C switched on. If the second fan starts up and the compressor kicks in then either the pressure switch is knackered or you have no charge. If that's the case, get an A/C specialist to charge it with dye and see where it's leaking from.
That's about where I am at the moment with mine - turns out the metal pipe that runs from the condensor to the receiver-drier is fractured and needs replacing. It was fine when my car went into a local garage for some work around the o/s driveshaft tunnel
As saabstudent says, the worry is that it takes out both the other components when replaced 
However, I have found this site which seems to be very cheap for aircon bits :
http://www.carairconditioningsupplies.co.uk/carair...
http://www.carairconditioningsupplies.co.uk/carair...
That's a condenser for less than 70 quid and r/d for 24!
As for R12, I asked around and the bottom line is that you cannot get it any more. An R134a conversion is pretty cheap though.
Let's have some pics then!
I'd also recommend you get the Bentley Saab Workshop Manual, can be had on ebay or from the usual places (partsforsaabs / elkparts).
As far as the air con goes, there's a sight glass on the receiver/drier in the off-side wing, you should be able to see some bubbles if there's gas iirc.
There should be a 2 pin connector on it - pull the connector off and short the connector across with the engine running and the A/C switched on. If the second fan starts up and the compressor kicks in then either the pressure switch is knackered or you have no charge. If that's the case, get an A/C specialist to charge it with dye and see where it's leaking from.
That's about where I am at the moment with mine - turns out the metal pipe that runs from the condensor to the receiver-drier is fractured and needs replacing. It was fine when my car went into a local garage for some work around the o/s driveshaft tunnel
As saabstudent says, the worry is that it takes out both the other components when replaced However, I have found this site which seems to be very cheap for aircon bits :http://www.carairconditioningsupplies.co.uk/carair...
http://www.carairconditioningsupplies.co.uk/carair...
That's a condenser for less than 70 quid and r/d for 24!
As for R12, I asked around and the bottom line is that you cannot get it any more. An R134a conversion is pretty cheap though.
Let's have some pics then!
Reet an update on the g00SE,
After having a good look at the front discs, pads and calipers my brakes now work much better. Had to clean off a fair bit of rust and swap the pads around but Rocket was right they are a doddle, and after adding a dab of copper grease they work a treat.
The sunroof was a bit harder, but realised that the DC motor in the boot was seized after getting wet. Thankfully it's a big fat motor that comes in bits easily and after cleaning and greasing I had great pleasure in making a hole in the roof to let the rain in.
Thank god I didn't start taking the roof lining out.
On the AC, I can borrow some gear from work for a vac and re-gas and found a bloke down the pub with a bottle of err "old refrigerant",
but if anyone is after RS24 you can get it off ebay from a company in Kent I think, from the looks of it they don't want to see handling certificate, it's about 150 quid for a 13.5kg bottle. In fact when I started looking it seems you can buy R12 on ebay anyway if you can figure out how to get the gas out of a aerosol can and into your system.
So now I've fixed the main problems, apart from the constant battle with rust all I need are some bits of trim, List as follows;
Front bumper (good nik only)
Drivers side, rear wheel arch protector
One little plastic bit that covers the screw that holds on the hangy on bit above the passenger seat.
If anyones got these lying around let me know.
Oh and thanks for the tip on the manual cos the Haynes I bought is about as much good as a silent fart that dosent smell, considering that I bought it for info on fitting a new windscreen working on the sunroof and fault finding on the AC and it says to take it to a dealer for all these things.
Right so now I've got the car I'm off on a touring holiday will check back in a couple of weeks.
After having a good look at the front discs, pads and calipers my brakes now work much better. Had to clean off a fair bit of rust and swap the pads around but Rocket was right they are a doddle, and after adding a dab of copper grease they work a treat.
The sunroof was a bit harder, but realised that the DC motor in the boot was seized after getting wet. Thankfully it's a big fat motor that comes in bits easily and after cleaning and greasing I had great pleasure in making a hole in the roof to let the rain in.
Thank god I didn't start taking the roof lining out.On the AC, I can borrow some gear from work for a vac and re-gas and found a bloke down the pub with a bottle of err "old refrigerant",
but if anyone is after RS24 you can get it off ebay from a company in Kent I think, from the looks of it they don't want to see handling certificate, it's about 150 quid for a 13.5kg bottle. In fact when I started looking it seems you can buy R12 on ebay anyway if you can figure out how to get the gas out of a aerosol can and into your system.
So now I've fixed the main problems, apart from the constant battle with rust all I need are some bits of trim, List as follows;
Front bumper (good nik only)
Drivers side, rear wheel arch protector
One little plastic bit that covers the screw that holds on the hangy on bit above the passenger seat.
If anyones got these lying around let me know.
Oh and thanks for the tip on the manual cos the Haynes I bought is about as much good as a silent fart that dosent smell, considering that I bought it for info on fitting a new windscreen working on the sunroof and fault finding on the AC and it says to take it to a dealer for all these things.
Right so now I've got the car I'm off on a touring holiday will check back in a couple of weeks.
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