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'88 900s problems

We went and looked at the Saab today, seems overall to be fairly solid, drives really nice, brakes, clutch, transmission, etc all feel very solid. There's a few problems I found which I'm wondering how hard they are to fix, I've done a lot of car work but never worked on a Saab before.

First and most annoying, the turn signal doesn't stay latched, is this likely to be the switch or is there a cam in there that needs to be replaced or adjusted?

Second, it has those @*&#! automatic shoulder belts, as if I wasn't able to put on my seatbelt on my own. Anyway the driver's side one binds and you have to push it back by hand, I'm guessing I can take this apart and clean/grease the mechanism, but again it's something I've never tried.

Dash is fairly badly cracked, is this the usual or can they be found in good shape at wreckers? Anybody ever swap one out? I can do it in an hour on a Volvo 240, zero experience here though.

Thanks for any feedback.

Reply to
James Sweet
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A common problem.

It is a plastic assembly with little latches/teeth that break, and will have to be replaced. Replacement requires removing the steering wheel, so you'll need a general purpose puller and some larger sockets.

An 88 (without airbags) is much easier to do this repair than a 90+

Or even replace with standard belts.

Yes, they crack quite a bit. I've never found an uncracked one at the wreckers.

I will probably have an uncracked one up for sale soon from one of my old saabs that came back home to be parted out. I'm in the US, WI.

To replace, you'll need some torx drivers and then a small assortment of sockets and screwdrivers. You can probably do it in under 4 hours. I'd suggest picking up the Bentley Manual before you start, there are some not-so-obvious bolts holding the dash together.

lycka till! GTr

Reply to
gregory trimper

Well overall I think it's a cool car, but the seller's attitude has been a problem. His asking price is $2000, he turned down an offer of $1500 (figure it'll cost us bare minimum $350 to fix the windshield and other problems) and seemed quite rude about it, granted he's got every right to ask whatever he wants, but I expect a polite response. Counter offer from him was $1750. It's not me buying the car, I'm just trying to help out, I don't know what one of these is worth, kbb.com shows $1300 or so, but I've found that site to be next to worthless for older cars. Opinions? Anyone here have something similar for sale in the Seattle area?

Reply to
James Sweet

The price of the Classic 900s in the various websites do not reflect all factors. You need to find out how many are available and the price of the ones that have been sold recently. I paid more than "list" price for a 1993 900 Turbo, but the pervious owner had fixed everything properly. I bought a 1990 a few years back for $2,000 less than the "list" price back then - but I have probably spent $3,000 in repairs. On the other hand, I recently passed on a 1988 900 turbo for $1,500 in running condition because I could not justify three Classic 900s to my spouse.

It takes some research and a network of contacts to find a decent Classic 900 these days.

Good Luck!

Reply to
ma_twain

900 these days.
Reply to
dcathey

Reply to
dcathey

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