Slave Cylinder Replacement 1988 model 900

Any Saab dealer will sell you one.

Ugh. It's a dealer-only special tool if you're lucky. If it was me (actually, couple years ago it _was_ me), I'd buy a whole new clutch kit, including the pressure plate. Also get the throw-out bearing while you're in that far, maybe a crank seal too.

Anyway. Order the whole kit (clutch disk, pressure plate, slave cyl), it's not much more than any two of the above. Use a dremel tool (abrasive high- speed cutting tool) with an abrasive disk, and cut the fingers off of the pressure plate.

Yeah, it's a shame to destroy a part to take it off, but your alternative involves putting pressure on surfaces not made for it, or a lot of dicking around.

One other alternative would be to depress the fingers one finger at a time, hold them "down" (back? whatever) by inserting a spacer between each of them and the housing.

Look here:

near the bottom, at img_1421.html and surrounding images.(It's on a '78 99 Turbo but nearly everything is the same as your car). Do yourself a favor. Best 20 bucks you're going to spend, either way you decide to get the old one out, is to buy the Saab clutch pressure plate retaining tool. Looks like a circular-bent piece of steel wire, a bit larger than the opening in the pressure plate where those fingers are. It'll hold them depressed while you put the new one in. With levering, you _might_ be able to use that to help you get the old one out as well, might even be able to save the pressure plate if you really don't want to buy a new one.

If you get stuck while you're doing it, or have more questions, plenty of folks here who will advise you, and my email does work if you want to talk directly.

Dave Hinz

Interesting that you say that. If you did not want to cut the *fingers* off ... and the cylinder has colapsed ... how would you compress the pressure plate to fit the special tool? Or if the clutch is that worn that pressing the clutch does not produce enough clearance for the special tool to fit in.

On a different note the haynes manual recommended the use of a thick cable as an alternative to the special tool (which I never managed to fit and as I was taking the engine out ... I took the clutch off with the use of some large levers)

Ta. Charles

Just lived that one. Clutch wore out, slave cylinder too buggered to push the pressure plate back far enough. You can as was mentioned by Mr. Hinz, cut the fingers off of the pressure plate. That's what I did. Used up 3 dremel cut off disks, took about 2 hours if I remember correctly. In retrospect, likely more time consuming but less destructive, pry the individual fingers back and shim them up. If you examine the Saab Clutch holder tool thingy you will see that it is roughly the same size as quarter copper tubing. Use quarter copper tubing bits, or something similarly sized, to shim up the fingers. Don't be shy about heaving on the fingers, they won't break or deform easily, they're springs after all and anyway will likely be replaced. You will likely want to completely flush the clutch lines and rebuild / replace the master cylinder. If you rebuild the master cylinder, closely check the diameter of the rubber bits. The last rebuild kit I got had a too small high pressure end rubber dammit. This makes the master cylinder leak down on an intermittent basis and massive frustration occurs. There is a reason I know this. You also might consider replacing the rubber hose if you feel ambitious. On a less greasy note, just soldered up my THIRD faulty Hella brand relay. Like the others, they were broken loose on the pins as they go through the circuit board.

dave

1992 900s conv 106k and it's oil change time

Hey Jon: Happy Holidays!

Here are a few tricks and tips I've have used on the 5 SAABs I've owned over the last 30 years. I'm a 'shade tree' mechanic that has learn to repair Saabs from the school of "Hard Knocks"

Buy the clutch spacer tool! I have used 7mm spark plug wire, but.... Buy a clutch kit that includes throw out bearing, slave cylinder, and pressure plate. It is best, to replace the engine oil seal, it's behind the flywheel, and since the flywheel is out, have it resurfaced. Replace clutch shaft bearing. It's in the center of the flywheel. Replace clutch shaft seal. It's in the transmission end.

I have used/invented the following method for clutch replacement when there is hydraulic failure. After removing the clutch shaft! Review the clutch shaft for wear on the spines and bearing ends. Replace if in question. Remove dust boot. Cut off rubber, and saw off boot spring. New boot should come with slave cylinder. Use a 'sawsall' or hacksaw and remove about 2" of the slave cylinder. Just in front of the throw-out bearing. Remove disk, pressure plate, slave, etc. Clean up metal filings.

Take new pressure plate, the old throw out bearing, clutch spacer ring, and get your car jack from the trunk! Attach jack to one of the cars four lifting shoes. Position pressure plate, 'fingers' up, plate side down on something to protect surface, cardboard works. Place old throw out between jack and pressure plate. Slowly jack up the car. Pressure plate should depress, it might happen suddenly. Insert spacer tool, and lower car. Reassemble

Be careful placing spacer, the weight of the car will depress the plate farther than normal, so the position does not need to go in all the way. Good old duct tape will help hold the spacer in place. If placed to 'deep' the slave won't have enough throw, and you'll have to pry out the spacer ring, risk bending it.

Hope this works for you!

Don

PS: Current 'friend' is a 86 900t with 257k on the clock.

One finger at a time with a prybar. Can be done but I'll never attempt it again.

To get the special tool in the _new_ pressure plate, if you have a hydraulic (or arbor) press, you can press down where the slave cylinder would, _or_, you can put it under the car or something else heavy, and press up with the jack, in order to get the tool in. That's either "cheesy" or "elegant" depending on your point of view; I choose the latter.

Yes, it can be a royal PITA.

I played with the thick cable method, it sucked horribly and I'll not repeat it. The real tool isn't expensive. There are two versions, different by about 2mm, perhaps you had the wrong sized one when you couldn't get it in?

Dave Hinz

Yes. The wire method sucks.

That's probably quicker than cutting all the fingers off, and since his slave cyl. is hosed anyway, probably a better solution. Hadn't thought of that.

Yup, works great, doesn't it?

Ah, a young one...