My Saab 900 : Version 2

Alright so, I purchased the new (not really new) Saab 900 this past week, just picked it up Wednesday, and let me tell you, fast fast fast!

It is a 1995 900 SE, 2.0T, 3 door coupe / hatch ! The previous owner is a friend I met through Saab events and saablink. He did a substantial amount of work to the car, all of which are very noticeable. The list includes :

-900 transmission swapped for a 1999 9-3 transmission, which is hydraulic versus cable.
-Upgraded shifter linkage, much sturdier
-Stock turbo swapped for larger TD04 turbo from a Saab 9000 Aero
-Cat delete
-Full 2.5inch Flowmaster from cat delete back
-Stage 2 road tune from a genius by the name of Mike D.
-Custom intake piping leading to open air intake
-Boost Guage in ashtray spot (horrible spot, but I have seen it reach 13psi)

Thats about it I believe. The transmission + clutch + upgraded linkage make shifting so much quicker, precise, just spot on. The TD04 is certainly felt, much higher boost.

The downsides (what car doesn't have them?)
-Brake pads are nearly gone... guess I have an excuse for slotted rotors
-Cosmetic issues within the car, and exterior. HUGE dent on the passenger panel, but he threw a gray one in for free
-Way too loud, need to locate a cat.

I will add pictures very soon, I already swapped the rims over from my 1997, but the 5 spokes that came on this car, went to the 1997. They both look great.

Future mods:
-Helper wastegate spring : help hold higher boost, the stock t25 is not cuttin it.
-Brakes
-Crossflow intercooler, already got everything, he threw in the extra pipe I have been searching for!
-Paint job, black :bigsmile:
-Interior cosmetics

Stock images a week before I got her!

1995interior.jpg


1995exterior2.jpg


1995exterior1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Huge congrats on the new beast Aikmanson! sounds absolutely marvellous! TBH i'm just a wee bit jealous! I look forward too very much reading about all of the future mods that you are going to do on the new (nearly) car! once again, well done on a truly great find :bigsmile:
 
Thanks T9. Yeah it was a diamond in the rough for sure. Only cost me $2000 usd too!

It put down 230 wheel horsepower on a dynojet, and will make more with the helper spring. Nowhere near your your 300 mark but it's tryin. I forget the torque off the dynojet, but it was 256 ft/lbs on a mustang dyno.

Upgrades to come!
 
Alright will be taking pictures tomorrow when she gets her 2nd wash and wax in less than a week. To all of you saying I will have fun, yeah your right, this car is a blast to drive.

Did a few minor fixes already, nearly everything is taken care of I believe.

Fixed:
-Brakes all round, they look sweeeeet and stop sweeter. To bad they will just rust up like always. I will be painting the calipers red soon, for now the rears are black to help out the rust look.
-Fixed the cigar lighter, previous owner tapped the boost gauge into it, then failed to ground the cigar lighter, nothing a minor rewire could not fix. (No smokin', but GPS all the way)
-Visor was repaired... new arm to mount to the headliner. Nothing cool.
-The largest issue : Car fails to start on 1st start of day.
  • So the car will start, rev to 2k, then proceed to shut itself off. You wait a minute, start er' up, and your good to go. Not fuel pump, cause it primes up fine and starts. Air leak or ignition IMO. So I take a look... there is about 2 feet of air hose spiraling off what I think is MAF. Yeah, cut that down to normal size. There is a chance the computer was reading a lack in vacuumed air to the intake, but after a 2nd start, it was pumped enough. Then I take a look at the start... what the hell, there is a copper wire that is broken. No idea where it goes, but just to make sure, I attach the copper wires temporarily, and fire it up for the 1st time since about 9am (this was around 5:30, essentially a 1st start). Starts up 1st time, so it is one of these issues, detatched the copper wire and will try to start tomorrow to eliminate variables. The car will ALWAYS start in the end however.

That's about it for now. My dad did however do a nice rust fix on the 1997 900 4 door, looks pretty damn good if I do say so myself, kudos pops. Also did some trim painting which looks pretty good, can't wait to see how it looks when it is finished. Although both cars are mine, it is like a his vs mine now, and let me tell you a little secret... the coupe smokes the 4 door.
 
Last edited:
Not my cup of tea looks wise but 230whp is a very very nice figure and it has some nice mods :D Man up and leave the de-cat on :p
 
Not my cup of tea looks wise

Commin' from the guy with the fester... :toung: haha

And I will probably leave the de-cat on, it is growing on me a bit. I love getting looks from civics and such thinking that my car must be all growl with no bite. They soon think different when they hear the turbo spool and watch my car rip away. :toung:
 
So had a nice overheating issue yesterday. Here I am, driving in the local city, wondering why the hell my car is throwing a ! light (thinking it is voltage), and running way worse than usual. I thought it must be my spare DIC i threw on to see how it ran. Then I hit the highway, and i glance at the temp gauge, uh oh its going towards the red. Pulled over, after my dad came, and some Saab tech who drove by, we thought the fan wasn't comming on, filled her up with water, babied her home. No water in the hose... water in the tank is gone... fan comes on fine... stuck thermostat!

Godamn little thermo was stuck closed. Good thing it didn't cost me the new 900 :)

I guess everything happens for a reason, the Saab tech that stopped to help gave me his card, offering to help with my cold start problem.
 
So had a nice overheating issue yesterday. Here I am, driving in the local city, wondering why the hell my car is throwing a ! light (thinking it is voltage), and running way worse than usual. I thought it must be my spare DIC i threw on to see how it ran. Then I hit the highway, and i glance at the temp gauge, uh oh its going towards the red. Pulled over, after my dad came, and some Saab tech who drove by, we thought the fan wasn't comming on, filled her up with water, babied her home. No water in the hose... water in the tank is gone... fan comes on fine... stuck thermostat!

Godamn little thermo was stuck closed. Good thing it didn't cost me the new 900 :)

I guess everything happens for a reason, the Saab tech that stopped to help gave me his card, offering to help with my cold start problem.


Unbelievable! You fall head first into an absolute bargain of a car, then it lets you down, then through the bright light in the thick mist and cue the scary music! a Saab tech walks up to you and offers his assistance?
are you part irish leprechaun by any chance? LOL :)
With that much luck about, I strongly suggest you buy a lottery ticket! :)

You and that car was destined to be together Aikmanson! :lol:
 
Yeah, I certainly got lucky.

The engine feels as good as ever, still holds boost, runs smooth, no ticks, knocks, Head gasket looks the same. LUCKY. The car is proving to me it wants to be run, it just needs some TLC!

The car starting issue is a problem however. I replaced the fuel filter, checked all vacuum lines (replacing two), replaced a hose from the Idle air control valve to the throttle body, cleaned the idle air control valve, seafoamed the engine (Lucas seafoam, interesting stuff), fixed a ground off the starter, and it still does the problem I listed in an above post. ANY HELP?

It takes about 4 tries to start the car and for it to stay running, then it is good for the day. I think it may be the fuel pump giving out on me? I believe maybe the fuel pump is loosing pressure in the lines, so as I start it more, it rebuilds pressure. It is worth a shot to replace, as I have another off the parts car. A bitch to replace, yes, but it could be worth it. I figure I will clean and fix everything I can first before paying a dime at a shop.
 
I see where your coming from Aikmanson in trying everything first before handing it over to the garage! what performance enhancing products are currently installed on the car? You seem to have tried everything that I would have looked at first. There is a cold start sensor I believe on that model which I think checks the fuel to outside air temp set to the factory parameters loaded inside the ecu.
I had a similar problem once with the Beast but I admit to having had to hand it over to Abbotts to sort it out for me.

They kept the car in overnight and took a snapshot of the ecu when the engine was running hot and another one in the morning when the engine was cold. From this they deduced the cold start sensor was faulty, changed it, and have never looked back since.

If the car has had a lot done to it i.e exhaust, air filter, turbo! it is highly likely taking into account all of your checks so far, that the ecu does not recognise some of the changes of the outside sources which are now supplying it, so I would think about a possible remap taking into account any aftermarket equipment installed.
Daft as it may seem also, have you checked the coils for any sign of failings and what type of spark plugs do you currently have, i.e hot running? and what kind of fuel are you running? after an extensive fault finding search as you have been doing so far, I know its frustrating to still have the same fault after all your efforts.
Hope it all comes good because after all you have tried, you must be very near the final solution by now! ;)
 
Last edited:
Agreed T9. In the back of my mind, it could be the ECU, but I will try everything before that. It was tuned after the intake, exhaust, turbo, and trans were fitted, so I am hoping when he tuned it that nothing affected this issue.

I will look into this "cold start" sensor, never heard of it on a 900, but it could well be a sensor (makes sense). I really think the fuel pump makes sense, loosing its prime and all. Some fail instantly, others die slowly, who knows. It is worth a shot in my opinion, as I wanna take the one off my parts car before I junk the car anyways (which wont happen until this is sorted... ha)
 
Just found this on a Bing search, let me know what you think?

You need to do four things:
Replace the plugs and make sure they are the correct ones gapped dead on to spec (1 mm). Use lots of silicone dielectric grease in the plug boots when reinstalling the DIC over the plugs.
Check the DIC
Check the CPS (crankshaft position sensor).
My money is on the CPS. The car may or may not start and run with a failing CPS (which is maintenance part, meaning it will fail over time). This, and the DIC, are known failure parts. The CPS is located on the right front lower corner of the engine block and secured with a single Torx screw (T27 or 30 IIRC).
Finally, the fuel pump may be on its way out, but I hope not as it is expensive to correct. They are good for 100,00 to 120,000 miles.
 
Plugs look pretty good, even color, couldn't hurt to change them though.

DIC - I have two of them, both of which work great, no sputtering and spitting of the engine or misfires. The problem has occured with both of them fitted so I don't think it is the DIC

CPS - these little bastards, one was apparently going bad on my old 900. 90 bucks for one of these, I will look into it if it comes to it. I heard if a CPS is bad, it wont start, not a gradual failing. And I think a code will be thrown

Fuel Pump - I still think it is this. The pump primes 1st start, then leaving the key on "ON" it does not prime, tried this with my other 900, primes everytime. It just doesn't seem right. Since I have another pump on the convertible, and since I have nothing to lose but time, I will probably dive into this sometime soon.

I tried starting the car without the idle control valve attached last night and it started, so I tried this morning on the well-known cold start of the day, didn't help.

This is frustrating., I appreciate the help T9!
 
No problem! I think your theory about the fuel pump is sound, it certainly will not hurt to try? this chap on the Bing search was virtually a word for word match with your symptoms! hope you sort the problem out soon! :)
 
Alright well this is a gallery so, guess I should post up some pictures.

Been trying to sort out this starting problem, and cannot figure it out to be honest. A few days back I tried putting in a new check valve. The fuel pump on Saab 900's and 9-3's are located under the rear seat, directly in the middle actually, there is a hole to the passenger side of the pump used to get to a few wires... useless hole really. So, like other Saab enthusiasts do, I cut into the floor to expose the fuel pump. Many people may be deterred from this but when it comes to 3 hours to drop the tank vs 20 mins to cut a hole, yeah.

Image-15.jpg


After fixing a leaking fuel line, ran good. Did not fix the startup.
 
Holy #!#!#!#!, figured out the problem.

"Car Stalls Upon Initial Startup When Cold

The New Generation 900 (especially 94 & 95 models) were notorious for having fuel control module problems. What generally occurred is that upon initial startup the engine would stall several times before actually continuing to run normally. The repair is the replacement of the fuel control module!"

Fuel Control Module = ECU. I have a tuned ECU from Mike D, so the gameplan is, the guy I bought the car from has the stock ecu from the car (he thinks), so he is going to send that to Mike D, who saves all his tunes, and have him tune that ECU, ship it to me, and we could be good to go!

Wish me luck.
 
Alright well the problem is being dealt with, trying to locate an ecu+tune.

In the meantime, been doing some interior work.

DSCF0070.jpg


Had to put a leather shift boot and leather knob in, the old one was rubber-rubbish

DSCF0069.jpg


Stock radio also had to go, it sucked, the cd player in the trunk was broken, the aux hooked through the tape deck was broken, so all I had was a static radio. Got a Kenwood head unit that hooks directly to my iPod. All that is left for the interior is a good carpet clean, and some black floormats.

Oh also in the process of taking off a shock on the convertible parts car, I see a very shiny looking anti sway(roll) bar. I take a closer look, and it is actually from GenuineSaab.com

DSCF0071.jpg


Awesome, will swap that onto my car asap, saves me 90+ shipping I wouldv'e paid for a new one. These are much thicker than the stock AS/RB, and really help in planting the car into corners.

I also banged out the huge dent on the driver's fender, will get a picture of that up too.
 
Havn't updated this in a long time, or been on the forums in a long time. Car is pretty much about the same as before, give or take a few things.

I have since popped out the dent, the best I could, it will do for now.
DSCF0079.jpg


Then I messed the car up a bit.
DSCF0114.jpg

Clear Coat peeled off while taping off an area of the hood to treat the paint. Looks like a respray is on the way!

Other than that, I got a 2nd ecu tuned by my tuner to try to fix the starting issue, to no avail. I also ordered a new intake and filter to replace my warped one (too much boooost), and silicon vacuum hoses to replace all the dying rubber ones. I am also getting a set of larger injectors, probably green giants, but have not decided on that yet. My Viggen intercooler will also be going in next week with the intake + hoses. A tune will follow all of that, along with a new helper spring for the wastegate. Then it is dyno time :)

250wheel horse perhaps?
 
Last edited:
All sounding pretty good there Aikmanson, wish you the best of luck with the Dyno run! I was supposed to have mine done yesterday but a power failure then a surge on wednesday blew a printed circuit board in the rolling road control box, so will have to wait until next week to see what the Beast is pumping out! :(
 
Sounds good T9. What was the last figure you put down for wheel horse? I remember you breaking 290-300 on BHP.

Also I forgot to add, the Genuine Saab ARB/ASB, is a MUST have for any NG900 or OG9-3 owner out there across the pond. Body roll has been reduced greatly, car feels more planted into corners and out of them, and torque steer has been reduced slightly.
 
Sounds good T9. What was the last figure you put down for wheel horse? I remember you breaking 290-300 on BHP.

Also I forgot to add, the Genuine Saab ARB/ASB, is a MUST have for any NG900 or OG9-3 owner out there across the pond. Body roll has been reduced greatly, car feels more planted into corners and out of them, and torque steer has been reduced slightly.

Hi Aikmanson, 280bhp was the last official figure! have now had the monster injectors and new loom fitted after I had them flow tested and checked first, a Garrett T30 Hybrid turbo, a 3" downpipe with a 200cl sports CAT, and a BSR induction kit from Genuine Saab.com

No gains until the remap gets done next week now after a slight hiccup! :(

But I comfortably expect to pass the 300bhp figure finally, but by how much? will let you know the moment I do! :)
 
Hi Aikmanson, 280bhp was the last official figure! have now had the monster injectors and new loom fitted after I had them flow tested and checked first, a Garrett T30 Hybrid turbo, a 3" downpipe with a 200cl sports CAT, and a BSR induction kit from Genuine Saab.com

No gains until the remap gets done next week now after a slight hiccup! :(

But I comfortably expect to pass the 300bhp figure finally, but by how much? will let you know the moment I do! :)


Well FINALLY - after a year of trying and getting it horribly wrong on so many occasions (actually lost some BHP!)

A rolling road remap session this morning, gave me the news I have been waiting so long to hear!

I have made it into the 300+ BHP club, 321 BHP to be precise! :bigsmile::bigsmile::bigsmile:

After so much time, effort, and MONEY! lots of it! I have arrived!!!

A "Huge" thanks to all you chaps on the forum who steered me onto the right path with invaluable advice with regards to the do's and don'ts of performance mods! :grin:

I'm absolutely chuffed to bits! :grin:
 
Well FINALLY - after a year of trying and getting it horribly wrong on so many occasions (actually lost some BHP!)

A rolling road remap session this morning, gave me the news I have been waiting so long to hear!

I have made it into the 300+ BHP club, 321 BHP to be precise! :bigsmile::bigsmile::bigsmile:

After so much time, effort, and MONEY! lots of it! I have arrived!!!

A "Huge" thanks to all you chaps on the forum who steered me onto the right path with invaluable advice with regards to the do's and don'ts of performance mods! :grin:

I'm absolutely chuffed to bits! :grin:

Wow T9 congrats man. Thats a huge number! Way to represent the saabs! What engine do you have in there again... 2.8 V6? I honestly cannot remember. What is the new power number going to be, i mean... you cannot stop now...

As for Auron, yeah maybe it is time for a CF bonnet haha. I wonder what that would look like... The whole car is due for a respray probably next spring.

Update - waterpump and two idler pulleys went on me Monday, took a couple days but she was good to go Thursday morning! Cost me 6 USD in coolant, thank god for the parts car.

Also I plan on getting 50lb injectors for 125 bucks... pretty good deal if you ask me. I am working on a new intake system that should be finished sometime Sunday if all goes according to plans. This is a budget project to say the least, but 250whp should be more than feasible with the new injectors and a fresh tune. In the meantime, she still burns rubber in 1st and 2nd.
 
Wow T9 congrats man. Thats a huge number! Way to represent the saabs! What engine do you have in there again... 2.8 V6? I honestly cannot remember. What is the new power number going to be, i mean... you cannot stop now...

As for Auron, yeah maybe it is time for a CF bonnet haha. I wonder what that would look like... The whole car is due for a respray probably next spring.

Update - waterpump and two idler pulleys went on me Monday, took a couple days but she was good to go Thursday morning! Cost me 6 USD in coolant, thank god for the parts car.

Also I plan on getting 50lb injectors for 125 bucks... pretty good deal if you ask me. I am working on a new intake system that should be finished sometime Sunday if all goes according to plans. This is a budget project to say the least, but 250whp should be more than feasible with the new injectors and a fresh tune. In the meantime, she still burns rubber in 1st and 2nd.

Hi Aikmanson, the Beast has the 2.0 engine and is renowned for being bullet proof. I can take it up to 400 but my Auto gearbox will not take that kind of power! :( and i'm certainly not converting it to manual ;) so I will have to be content for the moment.
Your own project seems to be going great guns at the moment, I really hope you reach that 250, you deserve it after all your efforts :)
 
Little update I guess. Before I left for school I decided to do something to the car, so I fabbed up a new intake system with some steel, header paint, cone, tubing, clamps, hoses, and welding/cutting skills. End result was a much colder intake system that looks decent too.

Old Engine Bay + Intake setup:

DSCF0116.jpg


New Engine Bay + Intake:
DSCF0122.jpg


DSCF0123.jpg


DSCF0124.jpg


Then, while taking apart the parts car further, found a little surprise.

DSCF0127.jpg


An MP Performance steering rack clamp and brace, which eliminates torque steer.
 
You'd do well to change that ribbed piping for something smooth.

That's an interesting little item, never seen anything like it before! Any pictures of it fitted?
 
You'd do well to change that ribbed piping for something smooth.

That's an interesting little item, never seen anything like it before! Any pictures of it fitted?

Yeah the ribbed piping looks bad and im sure kills the flow a bit. Most 900 owners leave it on however because it is able to flex (and in my case, it is difficult to fab up a pipe to the already fabbed up intake pipe for the larger TD04 turbo... :amuse:)

As for the brace, I talked to a few people who have them installed, they really do eliminate torque steer, especially for my relatively low hp figures in the 900 world. I have no installed it yet, it will go on this upcoming weekend when I head home. Let me find a quick link.

Installation guides:
Clamp
http://www.mpperformance.com/saab-clamp-install.htm

Brace
http://www.mpperformance.com/saab-brace-install.htm

Nick T also makes a better one at Genuine
http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/...id=36&osCsid=0b34d98d79f43dab5ea28d42445130c5
 
New pictures, car is not that clean, camera skills are not that good:

DSCF0132.jpg


DSCF0131.jpg


DSCF0129.jpg


The car is now retired for the winter, I will drive her from time to time when there is no salt on the ground, no need for anymore cancer.
 
It certainly is looking good! and unless you already have this in hand, I think the car would look much better lowered, what do you think?
 
Similar threads

Similar threads


Please watch this on my YouTube channel & Subscribe.


Back
Top