How hard is it to replace a slave cylinder on an 87' saab 900S?

Yup, it's not too bad. Does the slave cyl. work at all to depress the clutch, or what specifically makes you think it's bad? If you can push down the clutch pedal to get the clutch depressed, it'll make your life easier. Depending on the failure, will change how you proceed. The clutch on the 99/c900 is very easy to work on, and it is also very easy to get air in the lines that's hard to bleed from said lines unless you do it the easy but unexpected way.

If you can describe exactly what's acting like it's wrong with the clutch, we'll have a bunch of advice.

Dave Hinz

Not sure exactly... it's an ebay mobile. It's currently sitting about 500 miles from me. He says that the clutch is fine until it gets warm, and then you have to pump it up to get it to function.. He was told by a local saab mechanic that it was the slave cylinder.

I dunno.. it's a decent car for cheap, and I need something for my sis-in-law.

Thanks for the help!

-LC

To me, that sounds like air bubbles, anyone else agree? I'd go for it. I'm thinking you _might_ be able to get it fixed by just bleeding the clutch properly; unless it's pissing fluid all over (ask) that may be the only thing wrong. Find out if it's leaking there or just working badly when it's warm. If it's not leaking, then do this:

Take along (stay with me here, I'm serious) a roll of duct tape, a turkey baster, 6 feet of clear tubing to fit over the end of the baster, two pints of DOT-4 brake fluid, and the right size wrench for the clutch bleeder nipple (13mm? Anyone know this? I can check tonight).

Take a look here: http://68.78.86.35:/dave/saab/99turbo/reanimation/Click on "removing the engine"There's a collection of thumbnail images there. The one with the best viewof the clutch slave cyl. is number 030.html, click on it for a bigger shot.image 032 is pretty good too. Anyway, the best way to bleed the clutch onthese cars has nothing to do with the clutch pedal and pumping, because thereis a long vertical tube that's of more volume than the volume of the mastercyl...so you can't get it all out that way, period. Open the hood. Tape the baster to the upper (used to be rear) edge of the hood (after removing the bulb. It's a funnel now.) Hose from baster onto bleeder nipple, fluid in baster. Try to get the bubble out of the clear tubing before you push it through the system, no reason to make this worse. Let gravity pull the fluid down through the baster, through the clear tube, into the slave cyl, up the piping, and into the reservoir. Watch the pretty bubbles, and try not to let the funnel/tube empty or you'll get new bubbles in there.

When it's done bubbling (you may have to siphon some fluid out of the reservoir during all this), close the bleeder nipple, and remove your funnel/hose. Don't get the DOT-4 on the paint.

If the clutch is leaking hydraulic fluid and the slave really is bad, then this won't help much if at all. But, there's at least a reasonable chance that the "doesn't work when hot" is actually air space in the fluid. Worst case you'll know that's not it. If it works when it's cold, you can at least get going, and you can get a long way on the freeway without shifting.

If you're comfortable with the above, you should be fine. I don't know if I'd drive a couple days with a suspect clutch, but I wouldn't have a problem doing it for, say, a 1/2 day cross-state trip if that's the sort of thing we're talking about. I'm open to anyone saying "that's not an air problem, Dave", but it's at least reasonable, likely, and easy to fix.

Dave Hinz

He says it's leaking a little when hot, and that it has not been bled. He found this out on a trip back from atlanta (to des moines). Any clues there? Either way, from what my mechanic buddy says, it's a piece of cake job to replace the slave cylinder... but then again, it's 500 miles away if replacing that doesn't work!

I also looked at the picture. That looks quite a bit like what the item looks like from pictures i've seen. I know this was from a '78 Saab 99. My question is... Will I have to seperate the tranny from the engine to get at the clutch slave cylinder on the 900? If so, that makes my job appreciably harder.

Thanks!

Nope, those pictures are mechanically identical for purposes of the clutch, to the car you're talking about. 3 bolts (10mm head I think), get that spacer tool.

Oh hell, might as well write it now.

Saab 99 / Classic 900 Clutch replacement procedure:

Parts suggested: Clutch Kit (consists of clutch disk, pressure plate, throw-out bearing) Pilot bearing (ball bearing goes on the end of the clutch shaft in the center of the flywheel) Consider a "rear" main seal (the "rear" of the engine is in the front of the car).

Procedure:

- Remove the radiator and/or grille assembly. You _can_ do the clutch on a 900 without taking the radiator out, but it's tight. On the 99, the radiator/grille assembly definately needs to come out.

- Remove the turbo ductwork (if present) to allow unubstructed access to clutch cover (black plastic shroud).

- Remove the black plastic clutch cover - 3 bolts (?), left bottom, right bottom, and top center.

- Have a helper depress the clutch pedal and hold it, while you insert the Saab Clutch Retaining Ring tool (or use heavy wire/flexible copper tubing/etc) to keep the clutch fingers in a depressed state. This give you the clearance you'll need to remove the clutch.

- Disconnect the hydraulic line at some point, now would be fine if you can get in there.

- Remove the (clutch shaft cover?) from the front of the gearbox housing. Big metal clip holding on a hatch.

- Remove the plastic oil slinger from the end of the clutch shaft, and screw in one of the bolts (probably from the clutch shroud) that fits.

- Gently lever the shaft forward out of the clutch disk; remove from car (or move forward up nearly against the radiator in a Saab 900).

- Loosen the pressure plate bolts, and slave cylinder bolts. Remove the assembly as a group, upwards.

- (optional but strongly suggested) Remove the flywheel, press out the old pilot bearing, press in a new one. Always put force on the outer race, never put force through the balls in the bearing. A socket works well for this.

Re-assembly is, as they say, the reverse of removal.

Once it's all back together, you need to bleed the clutch. The best way to do this is to use a funnel and tubing connected to the bleeder nipple on the slave cylinder, and let gravity push the bubbles back to the reservoir.

In my garage, with my tools at hand, it's an afternoon drive. To be honest, I'd try bleeding it & driving home, and save the 1/2 day of work for when you get home. It's a bit risky but not critically so - you can start the car in gear if you have to, and you don't actually need the clutch to shift. Not going to strand you, is what I'm saying.

Dave Hinz

Yes, it is 13mm.

Your instructions were good, though I have bleeded my clutches just by filling up the reservoir and opening the bleeder nipple. And gravity does the job for me. Then close the bleeder, fill the reservoir, put the cap on and you´re done! Don´t know if this gets all the bubbles out but my cluches sure work fine! :)

-Aki & c900t16