07 Saab 9-3 SS Anniversary Project...
Discussion
So....
At Christmas time last year I was driving a 03 Focus TDCi which was brilliant in everyway, smashing out the miles, however come January I had a job offer that I couldn't turn down which would pay lots more - and also came with a company van/car reducing the need for my car.
Already made the decision to get rid of the Focus, I was only using it to pop to the gym and back occasionally and after a while it would soot up and cause me issues - but what to get next? I wanted a project, something that I can learn with and also play around with.
A friend of mine who actually got me this new job, bought a 9-3 a year or so before, however had gripes with the fuel consumption and didn't like the Vauxhall style electronic throttle, but after just having a new clutch and PAS high pressure pipe couldn't justify parting. Until he entered a new relationship with a girl who lived miles away and now needed a diesel himself.
Man maths said that the Saab can't be too expensive to run so a deal was done for a little cash his way, and the 9-3 was now on my drive.
When I got the car I was aware it had a cold start judder/rattle and lumpy idle, the rear arches were scabby and the stereo couldn't be turned up at all for distortion. Heres some pics!
IMG_4928
After a bit of a clean...
IMG_4941
IMG_4945
Turns out the car is a Vector Sport Anniversary which means it comes with later Aero wheels plus every option except heated seats and xenons. Also turns out that it has been mapped up to 195bhp by Hirsch with plenty of torque. Makes it a nicely powered daily!
Only downside is this...
IMG_4935
IMG_4937
First things first I wanted to look at why the car juddered on first turn of the key along with a rattle.
I checked all the engine mounts and on finding nothing wrong, decided the next port of call would be a full service. I knew the car had a single mass flywheel fitted so it couldn't be that causing it. Ordered genuine parts from Neo Brothers which arrived the next day and cracked on.
IMG_4958
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22G1SU8]IMG_4984[/url
All back together and the thing still juddered/rattled.
Next up (before I moved on with the juddering) I wanted to have a quick look at the stereo so I could order further parts. There was a heavy rattle coming from the offside front door, and also all 3 front speakers. When the balance/fade was adjusted it appeared to clear out so I assumed the speakers were fine.
Found the amp in the boot and looked inside for water damage.
IMG_4946
Didn't exactly look the best, so I got back onto Neo's and ordered a timing chain kit, balance chain kit and also an amplifier.
As expected brilliant service from them, and the parts arrived the next day. Also ordered a set of timing chain tools from eBay of all places which promptly arrived.
First things first I fitted the amp, which made the distortion better, but didn't clear up the distortion completely. I removed speakers from the car, starting with the OSF and the centre speaker and it immediately sounded perfect. Back on the bay and ordered a new set of speakers.
The internet makes the job of removing the timing chain/balance chain on the 9-3 sound very hard, its actually really not if you have the right tools and patience. The 9-3 shares the engine with a Vectra, however doesn't have locking camshaft pulleys. The locking tools made the job really easy, I had seen it done with 24mm spanners but for the sake of another £70 on locking tools I'd rather buy them and have it done properly.
Before I stripped it down, on one of my trips the engine management light had come on and brought up a P0171 code which seems to relate to the car running too lean. It is really uneconomical, so at least this gave me something to work with.
Time for me and a few friends to strip the engine down.
IMG_5125
These are the tools in place, as you can see once the engine is at TDC you can then unbolt the camshaft retainer, and attach the tool over the lobe and bolt it down, effectively locking the cam in place. However I didn't rely on these to undo and tighten the camshaft bolts, only to hold it in place when disassembling and refitting to ensure the cams don't move. A 24mm spanner on the cam itself does a much better job of holding the cam still while you crack the bolts.
IMG_5126
This is with the timing chain tensioner undone and the balance chain still intact. Whilst it was all still in place, it was very slack, and the tensioner allowed the chain to slap around. I therefore proceeded to literally unbolt and replace everything other than the balance chain pulley on the crank as the new one was different, and the balance chain pulleys as you can't lock them out.
There didn't seem to be any positive ping from the balance chain tensioner when I reset it - however it appeared to be tight and therefore I refitted everything back up and turned the key...
The thing seemed to judder even more than it had before. It appears the tensioner I fitted may have been iffy - however we will come back to that soon.
TBC.
At Christmas time last year I was driving a 03 Focus TDCi which was brilliant in everyway, smashing out the miles, however come January I had a job offer that I couldn't turn down which would pay lots more - and also came with a company van/car reducing the need for my car.
Already made the decision to get rid of the Focus, I was only using it to pop to the gym and back occasionally and after a while it would soot up and cause me issues - but what to get next? I wanted a project, something that I can learn with and also play around with.
A friend of mine who actually got me this new job, bought a 9-3 a year or so before, however had gripes with the fuel consumption and didn't like the Vauxhall style electronic throttle, but after just having a new clutch and PAS high pressure pipe couldn't justify parting. Until he entered a new relationship with a girl who lived miles away and now needed a diesel himself.
Man maths said that the Saab can't be too expensive to run so a deal was done for a little cash his way, and the 9-3 was now on my drive.
When I got the car I was aware it had a cold start judder/rattle and lumpy idle, the rear arches were scabby and the stereo couldn't be turned up at all for distortion. Heres some pics!
IMG_4928After a bit of a clean...
IMG_4941IMG_4945Turns out the car is a Vector Sport Anniversary which means it comes with later Aero wheels plus every option except heated seats and xenons. Also turns out that it has been mapped up to 195bhp by Hirsch with plenty of torque. Makes it a nicely powered daily!
Only downside is this...
IMG_4935IMG_4937First things first I wanted to look at why the car juddered on first turn of the key along with a rattle.
I checked all the engine mounts and on finding nothing wrong, decided the next port of call would be a full service. I knew the car had a single mass flywheel fitted so it couldn't be that causing it. Ordered genuine parts from Neo Brothers which arrived the next day and cracked on.
IMG_4958[url=https://flic.kr/p/22G1SU8]IMG_4984[/urlAll back together and the thing still juddered/rattled.
Next up (before I moved on with the juddering) I wanted to have a quick look at the stereo so I could order further parts. There was a heavy rattle coming from the offside front door, and also all 3 front speakers. When the balance/fade was adjusted it appeared to clear out so I assumed the speakers were fine.
Found the amp in the boot and looked inside for water damage.
IMG_4946Didn't exactly look the best, so I got back onto Neo's and ordered a timing chain kit, balance chain kit and also an amplifier.
As expected brilliant service from them, and the parts arrived the next day. Also ordered a set of timing chain tools from eBay of all places which promptly arrived.
First things first I fitted the amp, which made the distortion better, but didn't clear up the distortion completely. I removed speakers from the car, starting with the OSF and the centre speaker and it immediately sounded perfect. Back on the bay and ordered a new set of speakers.
The internet makes the job of removing the timing chain/balance chain on the 9-3 sound very hard, its actually really not if you have the right tools and patience. The 9-3 shares the engine with a Vectra, however doesn't have locking camshaft pulleys. The locking tools made the job really easy, I had seen it done with 24mm spanners but for the sake of another £70 on locking tools I'd rather buy them and have it done properly.
Before I stripped it down, on one of my trips the engine management light had come on and brought up a P0171 code which seems to relate to the car running too lean. It is really uneconomical, so at least this gave me something to work with.
Time for me and a few friends to strip the engine down.
IMG_5125These are the tools in place, as you can see once the engine is at TDC you can then unbolt the camshaft retainer, and attach the tool over the lobe and bolt it down, effectively locking the cam in place. However I didn't rely on these to undo and tighten the camshaft bolts, only to hold it in place when disassembling and refitting to ensure the cams don't move. A 24mm spanner on the cam itself does a much better job of holding the cam still while you crack the bolts.
IMG_5126This is with the timing chain tensioner undone and the balance chain still intact. Whilst it was all still in place, it was very slack, and the tensioner allowed the chain to slap around. I therefore proceeded to literally unbolt and replace everything other than the balance chain pulley on the crank as the new one was different, and the balance chain pulleys as you can't lock them out.
There didn't seem to be any positive ping from the balance chain tensioner when I reset it - however it appeared to be tight and therefore I refitted everything back up and turned the key...
The thing seemed to judder even more than it had before. It appears the tensioner I fitted may have been iffy - however we will come back to that soon.
TBC.
Edited by nipsips on Sunday 4th February 12:56
So I spoke to Neo's who kindly agreed to send out a new tensioner, on the proviso that I pay for it and they would refund once they received the old one. I drove the car gingerly to a friends workshop and had a look at it there. I swapped the tensioner back over for a new one, and the new tensioner definitely popped out with more force, not allowing any slack in the chain. The tensioner I took off, appeared now on the bench to function perfectly fine hence why I still have it here as a paperweight.
On start up, it juddered for less time, and seemed to idle a little smoother but there is definitely still something there causing it to play around a little. Whilst I was there a friend who had a 9-3 he was selling seemed to think it was a misfire. I tried the coils off his car, which made no difference. He suggested I recheck the timing as he thought it may be out.
I rechecked it using the TDC marks on the timing cover and the tools and it is dead on.
I done a bit more googling and found that 07> B207's appear to suffer with chocolate inlet valves however I'm not convinced. The symptoms of this are a misfire code (my car has never brought one up in the years I've known it) and also no starting when cold due to lack of compression. I done a cold/hot compression test and found that the cold compression is down to 120/130 on a couple of cylinders, however once warmed up they are all about 180-200 which is perfect for this engine. If it was inlet valves I wouldn't expect it to lump on idle once it was warm.
In other news my speakers turned up! Turns out the centre speaker had no resistance, and the 2ohm drivers door speaker had about 1 ohm resistance. Changed - stereo works perfectly.
IMG_5173
Next mods:
-Figure out whats causing this judder. its getting better with use - which again makes me think that it isn't inlet valves. Not really willing to take the head off unless I have too, however this will lead onto bigger and better things. Will do a leak down test to give it the ultimate verdict.
-Sort the rust out
-Power - it needs more but the standard turbo limits it to about 220bhp. Once its running right I want to get it up to 250ish to make it a bit more fun but still practical for holidays and other things.
-Suspension - lower but better ride
-Tyres - the budgets on it are shocking
-Brakes - not sure what but they will be upgraded if the power is going up.
On start up, it juddered for less time, and seemed to idle a little smoother but there is definitely still something there causing it to play around a little. Whilst I was there a friend who had a 9-3 he was selling seemed to think it was a misfire. I tried the coils off his car, which made no difference. He suggested I recheck the timing as he thought it may be out.
I rechecked it using the TDC marks on the timing cover and the tools and it is dead on.
I done a bit more googling and found that 07> B207's appear to suffer with chocolate inlet valves however I'm not convinced. The symptoms of this are a misfire code (my car has never brought one up in the years I've known it) and also no starting when cold due to lack of compression. I done a cold/hot compression test and found that the cold compression is down to 120/130 on a couple of cylinders, however once warmed up they are all about 180-200 which is perfect for this engine. If it was inlet valves I wouldn't expect it to lump on idle once it was warm.
In other news my speakers turned up! Turns out the centre speaker had no resistance, and the 2ohm drivers door speaker had about 1 ohm resistance. Changed - stereo works perfectly.
IMG_5173Next mods:
-Figure out whats causing this judder. its getting better with use - which again makes me think that it isn't inlet valves. Not really willing to take the head off unless I have too, however this will lead onto bigger and better things. Will do a leak down test to give it the ultimate verdict.
-Sort the rust out
-Power - it needs more but the standard turbo limits it to about 220bhp. Once its running right I want to get it up to 250ish to make it a bit more fun but still practical for holidays and other things.
-Suspension - lower but better ride
-Tyres - the budgets on it are shocking
-Brakes - not sure what but they will be upgraded if the power is going up.
Edited by nipsips on Sunday 4th February 12:58
glenmore3685 said:
The infamous intake valve issue only affects the B207R, not the B207L or B207E as far as I'm aware.
Thats handy to know!Edited by glenmore3685 on Sunday 21st May 10:05
I'll recheck the balance timing when I get 5 minutes (or more) - I've known the car since November 2015 when it was on about 98k and it hasn't got any worse, and also it never fails to cold start even in sub zero temperatures.
Also need to check I've got the right timing tools as it is a January 2007 build but registered March 2007 so could be similar to a 56 build and be using 06 cam tools instead of the 07 ones.
Time for a bit of an update!
Decided it was time to update the interior lighting - a nice and cheap £15-20 mod that improves the look of the interior at night no end...
IMG_5739
Despite HID's direct sending out the wrong length of bulbs (39mm instead of 42mm).
And lastly a bit of a break down.
On the way home from London Saturday, I noticed the car unwilling to pull away easily, and it wouldn't roll very well. When I got home I found the NSF calliper had seized causing the wheel/brakes to be boiling hot to touch. Luckily I noticed just before I got home, so it hadn't done too much damage.
Queue a trip to ECP Basildon as that was the nearest stockist on a Sunday!
I did look at upgrading the brakes whilst I needed a calliper, however I couldn't find 304mm kits, and 314mm kits are unlikely to fit under the standard 17's. They're 285mm standard, but as mentioned earlier once its got a bit more power I'll try and track down a 304mm setup.
IMG_5776
Not sure I've bled it right as under really strong pressure at idle the pedal will very slowly sink. Never does it while driving, and always pumps up hard. Saab WIS seems to think this is normal as the vac pump delivers more negative pressure than it uses.
It states "The mechanical vacuum pump delivers maximum vacuum irrespective of engine RPM. This means that the pump in certain situations delivers more negative pressure than the system uses. In a situation with an idling engine and a stationary car, the pedal may feel soft, and sink somewhat lower than normal when applied. This is completely normal, and will not affect braking force in a negative manner"
Not sure I agree, as I've never noticed it before, however I've never sat there with my foot hard on the brakes at idle. I'll borrow a friends ramp and rebleed it with fresh fluid at some point over the next week - that will at least alleviate any concerns that theres air in there.
Decided it was time to update the interior lighting - a nice and cheap £15-20 mod that improves the look of the interior at night no end...
IMG_5739Despite HID's direct sending out the wrong length of bulbs (39mm instead of 42mm).
And lastly a bit of a break down.
On the way home from London Saturday, I noticed the car unwilling to pull away easily, and it wouldn't roll very well. When I got home I found the NSF calliper had seized causing the wheel/brakes to be boiling hot to touch. Luckily I noticed just before I got home, so it hadn't done too much damage.
Queue a trip to ECP Basildon as that was the nearest stockist on a Sunday!
I did look at upgrading the brakes whilst I needed a calliper, however I couldn't find 304mm kits, and 314mm kits are unlikely to fit under the standard 17's. They're 285mm standard, but as mentioned earlier once its got a bit more power I'll try and track down a 304mm setup.
IMG_5776Not sure I've bled it right as under really strong pressure at idle the pedal will very slowly sink. Never does it while driving, and always pumps up hard. Saab WIS seems to think this is normal as the vac pump delivers more negative pressure than it uses.
It states "The mechanical vacuum pump delivers maximum vacuum irrespective of engine RPM. This means that the pump in certain situations delivers more negative pressure than the system uses. In a situation with an idling engine and a stationary car, the pedal may feel soft, and sink somewhat lower than normal when applied. This is completely normal, and will not affect braking force in a negative manner"
Not sure I agree, as I've never noticed it before, however I've never sat there with my foot hard on the brakes at idle. I'll borrow a friends ramp and rebleed it with fresh fluid at some point over the next week - that will at least alleviate any concerns that theres air in there.
Edited by nipsips on Sunday 4th February 13:03
14 said:
314mm discs will fit as they were standard on the early Aero's. Saab changed them to 308mm sometime in 2004, so some 2004 Aero's have 314mm discs and some have 308mm discs. You could fit the brakes from a Vectra VXR as they are the biggest discs that fit behind the 17 inch wheels.
Interesting... hadn't even thought of looking down the road of a Vector conversion... Thank you muchly!
March 07 registered.Olliez4 said:
If you hurry you can get the rust fixed under warranty as they have a 10 year corrosion gaurantee. I'm having the arches on mine done!
Any advice on where to go for this ? Someone has suggested Vauxhall though not sure who would now have the liability given Saabs demise ?Mine has started doing the same and it is only seven years old
Bit of an update - 6 months on.
Numerous breakdowns, my favourite was losing all power and chucking me onto the hard shoulder of the M20 after the throttle body gave up the ghost and then cured itself immediately once the codes were reset.
IMG_6114
Power steering pump decided to die and not work on idle.
I've also sorted the lumpy idle out - tech 2 and increasing the idle speed by 30rpm worked a charm.
Took the car on a holiday to Cornwall - made it there and back with absolutely no issues whatsoever! Amazing...
fullsizeoutput_8e
IMG_6007
IMG_6024
Once back and in midwinter the other front calliper seized on and this time took the discs and pads with it, no pics sadly however it wasn't pleasant to cure, the front discs hadn't been off in years. Flexi pipe also gave up the ghost and the rear box decided to fall apart. Flexi replaced and rear box welded in anticipation of replacing it in the summer when the car is out the bodyshop.
Couple more pics:
IMG_5418
20171118_153040
20171014_155810
Which brings us to 2018... Time to get this project properly sorted and once and for all.
So last year I fitted a Pioneer SPHDA120 headhunt. I removed it as I changed phones to Samsung (an S8) and it didn't have the same functionality but then the standard sat nav unit is dire. Satnav discs don't load 90% of the time and also it kept latching up and freezing.
In 2018 after giving the Samsung 4 miserable months I went back to an iPhone 8 (never again - Apple fanboy for life) and this allowed me to refit the unit. I also fitted in some LED's into the centre console storage.
IQuta6gyTr+83as%V7yeGA
Except it didn't turn off with the ignition and also didn't dim when the lights were off anymore. The 9-3 uses CANBUS to turn on the standard headhunt, so when fitting an aftermarket headunit you have to fit a box that gives you ignition live and lights on along with reverse switch, handbrake signal and something else I can't remember. Replacement box and now working fine. Also worth mentioning that the aerial on sat nav fitted 9-3's is a Chrysler connecter not a Fakra connector.
Also fitted dim green LEDs into the footwell - these are OE Saab and just give a gentle green light down there.
2Gtrvj5dTBueJ1QMTDLKAQ
2dxD70GRQMah%adIiYwcZw
6nkpKIg5ReSk7cbZWlW7QA
Made it look a bit more OE and also sorted the water leak from the drivers door.
And now there is another to do list...
1/ Get the interior back together. Fix the creaking centre console and refit the A Pillar trim so it doesn't creak in an infuriating way... Also fit a passenger door lock switch
2/ Get the head off to replace the inlet valves (not urgent as its now running perfectly but its not ideal to leave it for years)
3/ Get it into the body shop to do the arches and bottom of the front wings, already booked just waiting for a confirmed date.
4/ Source Aero splitters to beef the styling up a little
5/ Subtle lowering
6/ Visible exhaust tip to go with the aero kit
7/ TD04 upgrade and map up to 250bhp
8/ Sort out the drivers seat bolster, its showing its age
Thats pretty much all thats planned so far!
Ill keep you posted with updates...
Numerous breakdowns, my favourite was losing all power and chucking me onto the hard shoulder of the M20 after the throttle body gave up the ghost and then cured itself immediately once the codes were reset.
IMG_6114Power steering pump decided to die and not work on idle.
I've also sorted the lumpy idle out - tech 2 and increasing the idle speed by 30rpm worked a charm.
Took the car on a holiday to Cornwall - made it there and back with absolutely no issues whatsoever! Amazing...
fullsizeoutput_8eIMG_6007IMG_6024Once back and in midwinter the other front calliper seized on and this time took the discs and pads with it, no pics sadly however it wasn't pleasant to cure, the front discs hadn't been off in years. Flexi pipe also gave up the ghost and the rear box decided to fall apart. Flexi replaced and rear box welded in anticipation of replacing it in the summer when the car is out the bodyshop.
Couple more pics:
IMG_541820171118_15304020171014_155810Which brings us to 2018... Time to get this project properly sorted and once and for all.
So last year I fitted a Pioneer SPHDA120 headhunt. I removed it as I changed phones to Samsung (an S8) and it didn't have the same functionality but then the standard sat nav unit is dire. Satnav discs don't load 90% of the time and also it kept latching up and freezing.
In 2018 after giving the Samsung 4 miserable months I went back to an iPhone 8 (never again - Apple fanboy for life) and this allowed me to refit the unit. I also fitted in some LED's into the centre console storage.
IQuta6gyTr+83as%V7yeGAExcept it didn't turn off with the ignition and also didn't dim when the lights were off anymore. The 9-3 uses CANBUS to turn on the standard headhunt, so when fitting an aftermarket headunit you have to fit a box that gives you ignition live and lights on along with reverse switch, handbrake signal and something else I can't remember. Replacement box and now working fine. Also worth mentioning that the aerial on sat nav fitted 9-3's is a Chrysler connecter not a Fakra connector.
Also fitted dim green LEDs into the footwell - these are OE Saab and just give a gentle green light down there.
2Gtrvj5dTBueJ1QMTDLKAQ2dxD70GRQMah%adIiYwcZw6nkpKIg5ReSk7cbZWlW7QAMade it look a bit more OE and also sorted the water leak from the drivers door.
And now there is another to do list...
1/ Get the interior back together. Fix the creaking centre console and refit the A Pillar trim so it doesn't creak in an infuriating way... Also fit a passenger door lock switch
2/ Get the head off to replace the inlet valves (not urgent as its now running perfectly but its not ideal to leave it for years)
3/ Get it into the body shop to do the arches and bottom of the front wings, already booked just waiting for a confirmed date.
4/ Source Aero splitters to beef the styling up a little
5/ Subtle lowering
6/ Visible exhaust tip to go with the aero kit
7/ TD04 upgrade and map up to 250bhp
8/ Sort out the drivers seat bolster, its showing its age
Thats pretty much all thats planned so far!
Ill keep you posted with updates...
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff