Newbie with 9-5 2.3 - Snafu or Fubar?

D

DeeDub8

New member
Points
21
Location
England, Wigan
Car
9-5 2.3 SE Saloon
Hi everyone,

I am the new owner of a 2001 9-5 2.3 SE. Last week that would have included "proud" as well. It seems I have a car that has succumbed to the "sludge" issue that I have since read so much about. The car pinged me and lost mucho power despite me topping it up with synthetic oil the previous weekend.

The local garage has taken a look (big thanks to the AA for towing me there) and there are shiny bits in the dropped oil. At the moment I am looking at having the engine rebuilt.

I suppose my first question is whether this is worth doing.
The car was not very expensive, is very nice and comfortable and is also essentailly my 2nd car for pleasure.

Question 2.
Because the engine is going to be out, is now the time to consider "fuel economy" mods. Having done loads of reading on forums etc, it seems that the first thing to do is to remap the ECU. This seems to be regularly referred to as a Stage 1(??), though it may be that there are several stages in ECU remapping. How can you tell if this has already been done?


That is all for now. Just need to wait for the rebuild estimate. :(
 
Greetings and Welcome to TorqueCars My Friend! :)

Firstly, I would say yes it is worthwhile rebuilding the engine if you are happy with the condition of the rest of the car.


Also the 9-5 is very very fussy about the oil it uses, the sludge issue can be created by using the wrong type of oil - FACT. This happens more and more by people who are too tight to pay the extra for the right type of synthetic oil for their car, they try to get away with using any old universal rubbish! I have no sympathy for this type of idiot!!

The oil used should be these: Mobile 0W40 SuperSyn and Saab 0W30 Turbo Long-Life Fully Synthetic oil. Apparently no more than 10,000 miles between oil changes - this is extremely important.

Also have a little look here: http://www.serioussaab.co.uk/Procs_pages/proc_pages/p_sump.html

and here: http://www.serioussaab.co.uk/Procs_pages/proc_pages/p_strainer.html

As far as I know, stage 1 is merely the next level up in performance modification from the factory spec. There are several stages of tune which involves the use of additional hardware too. I am currently running (Oh my goodness!) level of tune! ;)
To my knowledge you will have to take the car to have the ECU read properly to determine if it has a stage 1 map or not, I assume an enquiry to the previous owner is not on the cards?
 
Thanks T9 for the response.

I now have a feeling that the previous owner may has suspected problems and so I expect I wouldn't be very civil. The purchase was a speculative bid on ebay, and nobody else bid so I was sort of stuck with it. Also the owner was relocating with job to the States. Hmm, must check the mirror to see if I have GUM on my forehead. It is a nice car though.

I think I had already decided to go with the rebuild, just wanted some encouragement, as £rebuild & £purchase = £reasonable deal for the comfort and toys. It is to be my "second" car, my main car being an Octavia Estate diesel, so I think I can tweak it as and when and still get to work.

It looks like a remap will be on the cards. I treated the Skoda at 50,000 and the 10% better fuel economy and extra overtaking oomph still make me smile at 998,000.

I am a believer in using the correct & quality oils. I did in my bikes and my Skoda has always had synthetic since I bought it new. Admittedly the first 5l (can/bottle?) was a shock to the wallet but it is worth it for piece of mind.

Time to read the links and do more research.:)
 
Update.

New (to me) engine has now done 1000 miles and have just had it serviced. No nasties apart from a bit of corrosion underneath on exhaust and brake lines.

So, I am now looking at costs of replacing breake lines with HEL / Goodridge lines and maybe upgrading discs.

I feel I am at the top of a slippery slope :blink1:
 
Good call about replacing the brake hoses, I naturally assume that they will be the steel braided ones? If not then save your money until you can afford to buy these; anything else is just a waste. Replacement discs is a good idea, Black Diamond and EBC do a good bolt on performance range for the 9-5 but remember to factor in the cost of new brake pads "essential" and replace the brake fluid at the same time with a higher boiling point version ie. Gulf racing fluid Dot 5.1 or AP 600 racing brake fluid or ATE super blue racing brake fluid.
 
Hi T9 et al.

I will be going for stainless steel lines, it is what I do with my bikes (motor not mountain :lol:) as a no-quibble thing to do. Admittedly this is the first time I will be doing the brake lines on a car. But I do like the car.

I will look into the costs of the discs & pads. Again I take the view that they should be replaced as a unit. I have recently done the rear discs on my Octavia.

When the brakes are sorted the next item on the list is poly-bushes and alignment. Then we will be ready for a re-map. Always best to get the "Stop" sorted before the "Go" for a longer life.

I will hold off renewing the exhaust until it blows (or I have an unexpected cash windfall)

Just re-reading the various posts in this thread and the Skoda has not done nearly a million miles but 100,000. That would be impressive for 10 years of motoring. Also, the Saab has become my No.1 car. :bigsmile:
 
Strewth, browsing for the price of discs and pads has made me come over all faint. The Black Diamonds you mentioned seem a steal compared to the price of some makes, such as Tarox.

I may need to do much more reading as half of these names are new to me. Coming from bikes my list is/was EBC, Brembo and Lockhead.

Still, it'll keep me out the pub. :lol:
 
Brembo also do replacement discs as well as 4 & 6 pot calipers but they command mucho dinero! As you say, get the stopping power sorted out first, research hard and only buy once. ;)
 
Hi and welcome.

Agree with everything T9 says.

Two points to consider.

1. Oil. I now buy oil in 20 or 25 litre drums. It hurts at the time but works out cheaper per litre.

2. Poly bushes. Hmmmmm, not so sure these are such a good idea, unless you are going to do some serious track days. Poly bushes have practically no give in them so transmit a lot more road noise to the car. Also, unless reguarly lubricated, they tend to squeak and the urethane can stick to the steel bush resulting in the suspension not moving smoothly.

T9 may tell you different, but I suggest replacing existing bushes with new OEM ones.
 
old-git said:
T9 may tell you different, but I suggest replacing existing bushes with new OEM ones.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I speak from experience when I say that polybushes are marvellous and a great asset for the track, but for on the road, NO! they are boneshakingly hard. The OEM bushes will be perfect and compliant enough to help give you an enjoyable ride and will remain quiet while doing so.
 
I wonder if anyone can help with this little problem. Saab 95 2.3T se. went into limp home mode,error code says throttle return spring. replaced the whole housing. still has same problem. It has a bsr stage 1 and a td04 turbo. also getting some back pressure on the throttle pedal occasionally. i use a torque app on my phone to clear the error codes but this has to be done constantly. anyone got even a clue as to what is still causing the fault. coded 1260 and 1251. any help greatly appreciated.
 
Greetings lawoodster111 and a Warm Welcome to our TorqueCars Forum my Friend!

Good to have you along with us :)

Try this: First, reset the limp mode ---large round plastic gear next to the throttle spring - by simply pushing on spring and rotating the gear counter clockwise until you hear a click. Second, Reset the dash error codes. Alsoclean the electrical contacts and spray some carb cleaner in the throttle unit.
 
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