HELP!! I have SAAB problems!

2young944 · 12-08-2001, 01:45 PM

Does anybody out there know anything about Saabs? I am sorry to bring this to a Porsche 944 board but I need help! It is a 1994 Saab 9000 CSE turbo. It has 185K miles on it and recently has had a problem. The car runs extremely rough. It almost sounds like it is not running on all the cylinders. It is difficult to describe and I apologize for that. It makes a sputtering sound through the exhaust and the whole car shakes fairly hard. Do you know what could be wrong? We tried changing the spark plugs which were fairly worn, but that didnt do a thing. The exhaust has a bad smell to it as well. Thanks for your help!

Jon-

Blackfoot · Blackfoot's Garage

ignition or fuel. have you checked the spark plug wires for wear/arcing? i think there are a few saab owners on this board...

Nabeel · 12-08-2001, 08:56 PM

I don't know if this is completely wrong ot not, but recently my dad had identical symptoms as to what you describe on his 740iL. Turns out that one of the gaskets had leaked oil on the sparkplugs, causing the engine to misfire. I'm sorry I don't know much about it, this is all I can remember my dad telling me. I'll ask him later for more specifics on what actually happened.

2young944 · 12-08-2001, 10:57 PM

I know the Saab has a leaky gasket which I think is the head gasket. So maybe they are related somehow. If you could tell me what all went wrong with the BMW that would be great. Thanks again guys!

wolfrpi · 12-08-2001, 11:53 PM

Take it to a repair shop before you break something really expensive. Thats not a joke.

Magnus_944 · 12-09-2001, 06:33 AM

Does the car consume coolant? Is it oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil? Have you done a compression test, was it bad? If you answer yes to any of these questions you probably have a bad head gasket, not very nice. If answer is no, I guess you can roll out the head gasket as a potential problem and focus on things like a bad MAF, corroded connectors, fuel pressure to low/high, vacuum leaks, etc. Does the car have a "Check Engine" light?

//Magnus

2young944 · 12-09-2001, 04:46 PM

My father took the car in this morning, so we'll see what is wrong. Thanks again!

doofdog · doofdog's Garage

For future referance go to www.saabnet.com its the pelican of the saab world. good luck

scottewid · 12-12-2001, 12:35 PM

My bet is it's the direct ignition cassette (the red module on top of the valve cover that the spark plugs plug into). These are notorious for the insulating oil to leak out of the individual coils. That particular coil overheats and causes missing on one or more cyliders.

When you own an older DI Saab, it's always wise never to leave home without a spare DI cassette in trunk. You can get 'em used on Ebay for $100 bucks and it's worth the insurance.

2young944 · 12-12-2001, 02:47 PM

It was the direct ingnition module. We just got it back from the shop today. So, all better!

Osterhouse · 12-13-2001, 04:48 PM

I had a 1993 9000 CDE for quite a while....... great car.... you have to decide if it if a fuel problem or an ignition problem... pull 1 plug wire at a time while it is running and see if it makes any difference. Check the plug wires at night... get it running (as best you can) and open the hood in the dark and look and listen for blue sparks......... Check the coolant for oil and the oil for coolant-( head gasket issues ) if there is white smoke or steam out the exhaust - your screwed!!

Good luck bro- email me at OstehouseServices@cfl.rr.com