1996 saab 900s - a little help?

i got this car about a month ago and i would like to get some thoughts and opinions on a problem.

first of all, let me start by saying that this is my first car, and i intend to take good care of it and keep it for years to come.

the problem i'm having is that the brakes squeal for the first five minutes of driving, and then the squealing goes away. i asked around a little and some people suggest that i have the brake booster checked, some people say that i should have the brakes replaced, and some say that since the noise goes away after five minutes it should not be a problem yet.

if something does need to be changed, im willing to put in the time and effort and do it myself; instead of let someone else do it and not do it well.

any pointers/ideas?

i really appreciate your help. thanks.

eylem

Reply to
eylem
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Good on you :-)

Squeal as in make a high pitch noise like screeching (or young girl screaming when she has a tantrum).

Sometimes (in wet countries) the brakes can make a grinding noise when used the first few times (e.g. every morning) but that is because there is surface rust on the disks/rotors.

i asked around a

Nahhh, have it checked last if at all.

Maybe, but no.,

and some say

Correct!

Nothing needs to be changed yet (but you will find what is what once you take the brakes apart). If you want to cure the problem you have to remove the brake pads clean the areas they touch ... apply plenty of copper grease (a copper based paste which has a high melting point and is used to lubricate brakes). Dry brakes or accumulation of dust on the pads surfaces can produce the squealing you probably describe.

All said and done it is just noise from vibrating parts, it does not change the ability of the car to stop.

Read the WARNING below though :-)

WARNING!

As this is your first car you should get yourself the necessary tools and you should get a manual. I use Haynes ... it might help if we know where you are located (which country).

For example, if brake pads are too worn the manual will explain the minimum thickness.

If you remove the rear pads you have to know how to adjust/set the hand brake (parking brake, emergency brake). Further, ask people near you who know (but from what you said above they don't know too much).

  1. You need to jack the car up in order to remove the brake pads. When you do so you must support it on proper stands NOT on the jack.

  1. You must NOT contaminate the surface of the pads or of the disks with copper paste, grease or any other oil.

  2. And on it goes ... :-)

... Telling you what the solution is, is dangerous unless you know how to fix things ;-)

Regards Charles

Reply to
Charles C.

charles,

i will be sure to pick up the manual as soon as possible, and proceed carefully after that =). thank you for your input, i was really worried about this.

eylem.

Reply to
eylem

:-)

You can always ask questions ... but you have to be aware that the answer is based on what *we think* it is you mean so the advice can be very wrong.

It is worth trying to do things on your own! It is just those first few jobs that it is nice to have someone next to you who knows what you should do ;-)

Charles

Reply to
Charles C.

You will need to find a Haynes manual for this car. It's not published in the USA if that's where you are but some companies import them and resell. Post here if you can't find one.

It's possible the simply disassembling the brakes, cleaning the sliding parts, and greasing with a proper (special) brake grease will stop the noise. But, if you are going to do all that, you might decide it's worth replacing the pads too - labor is the same and it will definitely cure it. However, if this is your first car, I would not advise doing brake work as your first endeavor unless you have an experienced mechanic to help you do it. Brakes are important :-)

Reply to
- Bob -

I was leaving it for further investigation ;-) Amazon.com seems to have them:

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or short url
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:-) Charles

Reply to
Charles C.

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I agree with Bob and Charles. I own a 96 900 and love it. 174K on it and other than a few of the "SAAB Quirks" (SID, dash gages flakey etc:) it has been a great car. I live in the wet Northwest of the USA and the brakes do squeal a bit the first few applications if it has been sitting for a day or two, even with new brakes. Enjoy your first car! And Amazon is were I bought my manual. NWFungi

Reply to
NW Fungi

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