Help needed! 900s or 900 se?

I think you got my post backwards. I meant that it's not a big deal to replace. I tell everyone who buys an NG900 to replace the idler and serp belt immediately unless you know the previous owner has done it.

What's an "NG900"? I've seen this a lot but haven't figured it out.

Ah, it's no concern of mine then, as I only have to deal with a c900.

As for your post, I did understand it, $35 isn't a huge deal and replacement sounds simple enough, but there's a zillion things $35 could be used for at the moment so it's not completely trivial to dump it into replacing part of the car that may well be in fine condition.

"What's an "NG900"? I've seen this a lot but haven't figured it out".

"New Generation" or "No Good"....... you decide.

I'm all for conservative maintenance... but, since there's no test for it, and 99% of owners don't know that they burst spontaneously over 50K miles (meaning that used cars usually have the original), I consider it required. You can't tell when they are going to go, and if they break, you call a tow truck. This is one of the top "it went and stranded me" posts on the NG900. When I hung around the Saabnet BBS, there were monthly posts of woe. Saab eliminated this pulley in later 9~3 designs (testimony to its problems).

If you don't change the belt, you can replace the pulley with a single socket wrench in about 10 minutes. (You can check the belt for wear if you don't want to replace that).

Is this the one you mean?

That's the lower pulley. Some folks replace that too, failure is much less common with the lower pulley. Here's the upper pulley:

I think you can get it at the dealer for the same price... which is odd for eeuroparts - they are usually much cheaper.

If you replace the _lower_ pulley, you may need to customize an allen wrench to remove the original pulley. Toss the new bolt and reuse the original. Many Saabers have ben down that path and as far as I know, no one has managed to use the new bolt.

The upper is a breeze to do. It almost replaces itself.

Hello Nichollete,

In the UK the S and SE denote different trim options, the SE being the more luxurious. I don't know about the 900 but in the 9-3 an SE will give you, for example, automatic climate control instead of manual air con and a wooden dash (plus some other things I don't know about as I drive a 9-3 S). All 9-3 convertibles have leather interior. It is possible to put a wooden dash into an S, which is something we did. I think in some counties the S and SE denote different engines, the SE being the more powerful but that is not the case in the UK.

The convertible is a heavy car so don't be put off a turbo. I drive a low pressure turbo convertible (150bhp) and it is very well mannered, although can go a bit light at the front end when under hard acceleration. Very easy to drive sensibly though. I believe the low pressure turbo replaced the 2.3 normally aspirated engine.

Another good forum to try if you need further advice is

Good luck, T.L.