My Saab 900 Turbo is Finally (Mostly) Leak Free!

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Outro song: • BVRNOUT - Take It Easy...

[@johanloof2363]

A tip, instead of using gasketmaker to hold a gasket inplace. Use grease, it will hold the gasket. 🙂

[@AutoAutopsy]

Interesting, thanks. Have not heard of that before

[@johanloof2363]

@@AutoAutopsy No problem. The gasket for the diffcover is that who seal between the flange on the cover and gearbox. So there is no need of more sealant. 🙂 And on the valvecover is the sealant that the workshop manual mean is for the old rubber gasket were the half moon was not cast to the rest of the gasket. I use grease in the groove so that the gasket holds inplace but that is on the newer 16V valvecover.

[@saab9-351]

@@AutoAutopsy An even better option is Permatex 51813 or 51531 Anaerobic gasket sealant....a commonly used sealant where surface to surface sealing is required like many older Porsches. Can also be used on troublesome gasket surfaces.

[@GrockleTD]

"it's fine, it's fine, it doesn't bother me, it bothers me a lot! AND THAT ONES STILL GREEN" vibe on that final oil leak

[@AutoAutopsy]

🙃🙃🙃

[@iliveindetroit1]

tbh..ive owned 12 of these cars in a 25 year period...this car will never be perfect

[@AutoAutopsy]

I gonna try 😬

[@hansvandijk3937]

Absolutely.. they always sweat oil.. my solution after 25 years is to replace my saab engine with electric motor.. No more oil!

[@SJSOmar]

@@hansvandijk3937coolant leaks 🤌

[@tobbsnobb1366]

A general rule of thumb on old cars is that they are gonna always leak somewhere. As long it keeps leaking small amounts you should be good. For example if you see an English motorbike or an Alfa romeo without oil patches under it, you know theyre out of oil. jokes aside a joy as always to see this project. And kudos to you for actually showing all the bumps and setbacks where others most likely gloss over it to keep the rose tinted glasses on the viewer.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Lol, true! Thanks for the words of encouragement

[@SaycoPworrell]

Good video bud, even though I have not started my build on my 92 Cabriolet, you videos do help me in getting an idea what I'm gonna get myself into.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Glad to hear it - it can be a lot of work, but driving the car makes it all worth it!

[@SaycoPworrell]

@@AutoAutopsy I bet

[@stephenclemons1170]

Great video. Happy to see it coming together!

[@AutoAutopsy]

Thanks! Me too

[@fearnoproject2047]

There is a reason the Classic-era saabs have that oil and dust sludge coating the undercarriage below and behind the motor all the way back to the rear axles. I just refer to it as engineered rust-proofing. My 9000 and SPG both had it, as did my sister's 83 900 S. Yours is the anomaly now, with no real leaks for the time being. Hope it stays that way for a while! Even with the leaks, they are amazing cars. Just have to toss a piece of cardboard in the trunk for when you are parked on somebody's concrete driveway for long. Great work on that one! Love the clean engine and all the fresh paint in there.

[@AutoAutopsy]

me too! hoping it lasts awhile lol. thanks!

[@michael.davides]

Nice vid man! Really bummed these leaks have been unsolvable, but I think you made the right call taking the car to IMM for a final leak fix. Time to enjoy the car! You have earned it!

[@AutoAutopsy]

Thanks! Yeah, hopefully she’ll be good to enjoy for a while now. Time will tell!

[@davidjackson3221]

I test-drove a 1988 Saab 900 spg. It was pretty quick 🏁🏁🏁👍

[@AutoAutopsy]

Good stuff!

[@davidjackson3221]

@@AutoAutopsy MY 2008 Saab 9-3 aero xwd v6 turbo is awesome, but kinda hard-to-come-by🏁🏁🏁👍

[@jamesmoirano4271]

Nice video Jacob! Master tech I know who trained in Sweden on 900’s, was told by the trainer that they will never be leak free 😁

[@AutoAutopsy]

🙃🤣

[@pawpawbandit3871]

Congrats man! hope you keep up the great 900 videos

[@AutoAutopsy]

Thank you! I have more coming soon 👍🏼👊🏼

[@kemeticking3693]

Maybe try conventional oil instead of synthetic oil due to the larger particulates in the conventional oil it makes it harder for the oil to slip through the gaskets or so I’ve heard.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Good idea. I just put conventional oil in a couple of weeks ago! 👍🏼😁 kzbin.info/www/bejne/a16uamd3i8iEo80si=v9r3jLgsnfa7GnzM

[@dstreet710]

i want a 900 i love these cars

[@vladimirassalukas6726]

surface looks like have dents or imperfection, second point i would not use at all gasket sealer. on my xwd 93 i was fighting with my haldex cover filter etc. it was leaking. what i did wrong, i bought new bolts they were just tiny longer than original ones some 2mm. i tighten everything and by the eye all looked perfect, but still small drips. then i have discovered that those 2mm played a huge role :) so maybe the new bolts as well a bit longer

[@AutoAutopsy]

Thanks for the tip

[@stevenlopez6682]

Nice video mate

[@AutoAutopsy]

Thanks as always Steve

[@ftby59mikeD]

Frustraing for sure, but you've done your due diligence. Even the pros, couldnt eliminate them entirely! Pulling the motor/transmission again being the only option is disheartening but inevitable, i guess. Thanks for taking on this journey. Now, on to the suspension mods!👍

[@AutoAutopsy]

Yep! Thanks for the encouragement 🙌🏼

[@BurninSven1]

That motor is pretty much dry lol. You should have seen how many new cars of the 900 series of all sorts my fellow mechanics had to fix oil leaks on before they where even delivered to the customer. Those where the days I tell you lol. I was only a service mechanic so jobs like leaking motors other guys did but they often worked just a few meters away from me so I could watch the mess they had to fix.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Wow! That’s kinda crazy to think about 😮

[@stevebryan8]

I must have tried to reseal that rear diff cover 5 times. I ended up taking the cover to a machine shop to see if it was warped and it was. The machinist flattened it and it no longer leaks.

[@AutoAutopsy]

I’m pretty sure that’s gotta be my issue…it’s now leaking AGAIN 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@deweyfoulk3630]

What is the black rectangular part inside the diff cover? Front control arms and bushings are the same part on 93 through 99 models. Looks like they are the same on 900s, too.

[@AutoAutopsy]

I’m not 100% sure to be honest. The valve cover has something similar for PCV, but obviously this is different 🤔

[@stephenmorrissey1254]

I'm going to follow your detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to identify and seal leaks... then I'm going to end up taking it to my local shop to actually get it fixed. *sigh* Thank you for your videos on the 900!

[@AutoAutopsy]

🙃 unfortunately sometimes there’s a lot of work wasted to get nowhere lol

[@stephenmorrissey1254]

I realized that my comment could come off as offensive. I had no intent in such and was reflecting how difficult this leak issue was for you and other 900 owners. I really appreciate your work on and off camera. All the best!@@AutoAutopsy

[@browserrr1]

I have been replacing quite a few gaskets on the 9-5 including installing a new Mod-6 and it looks as if it is leaking harder from some places since. Very frustrating business. Those cam cover gaskets are a pain, you really need to use extra gasket maker to keep the wretched things in place before reinstalling the covers.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Yeah! The 900 makes it even harder because it’s at a 45 degree angle. Kind of a shame

[@troyvsc]

Used fishing line it took a few times to figure out the exact amount needed but actually worked at holding the gasket in place.

[@Ricktovoice]

I finally got my 93 900 convert back from having a complete engine, and transmission, rebuild. Only 50 miles on it so far and no leaks. But I am having an issue with filling the tank up with gas. The pump keeps shutting off every 2 seconds so I cant fill my tank up.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Awesome! I have that same issue from time to time. I usually just force the nozzle in more and hold it at a certain angle and it’ll work fine

[@thackerybrown2860]

good enough i say - time to move on and regain some joy with it

[@AutoAutopsy]

agreed, lol!

[@mds2465]

I'm surprised that these transmissions have so many leaks that are this challenging to detect. Especially since this car has a standard transmission one would think that there would a lesser chance of transmission leaks, but obviously that is not the case here.

[@AutoAutopsy]

Yeah, tbh I probably could have resealed the whole thing when I had engine out, but oh well!

[@mds2465]

Unfortunately with those older 900s a rebuild on that gearbox is pretty much inevitable. I see that a lot on those older 900s with the 5 speed manual transmissions, and the automatics as well for that matter. The good news is that I believe they do have some upgraded parts and seals with the rebuild kits that are available for these transmissions. So that should definitely prolong the longevity of it. But yeah if you've already done this much work and you're still chasing down leaks then unfortunately chances are you're probably just going to have to bite the bullet and do a full transmission overhaul on that gearbox.@@AutoAutopsy

[@Lennyrapid]

What’s the name of the song, in the mid section och the video, with processed voices singing “I don’t wanna” ?? 🎶

[@AutoAutopsy]

Lonely Hour (NCS KZbin Channel)

[@tompettersson3814]

It looked like you mounted the rubber on the primary drive cover wrong.

[@AutoAutopsy]

The gold piece? How else is it supposed to go? 🤔

[@tompettersson3814]

@@AutoAutopsy the rubber is supposed to wrap around the edge of the coverplate. There is a hole in the rubber where the "peg" on the plate shall go thru.

[@dennisjacobsen22]

Dosent cost much to add liqui moly engine stop leak... if your Lucky it might fix it...

[@AutoAutopsy]

I don’t want to put stop leak into a freshly rebuilt motor 😅 it’ll just gum everything up

[@dennisjacobsen22]

I clearly understand, thats why I recomended Liqui MOLY. Its just a thin solvent. You might also try High mileage oils they contain seal conditioners and additives that cause o-rings, gaskets and seals to swell, likewise Liqui Moly... but they are just premixed :-)

[@xsam8661]

How fix ESP SAAB 9-3 2006

[@AutoAutopsy]

could be a number of things; id recommend starting with a tech2 scan

[@t.h.9187]

Don´t worry, there are only a very few 900 that are leak free!

[@AutoAutopsy]

True 🤔 I wanted to be part of the 1% lol!

[@BurninSven1]

jup like 5 at the most probably and I mean throughout the whole world. They even leaked new

[@greniepage5775]

Nice try with the leaks, think your mistake was instant gasket. Gasket seal semi hardening, it's like rubber. Then it's a case of winding down the skews evenly. Don't get me wrong you been further than me with your attempts. Mine was power steering pipes, specialist made power steering pump and pipes one specialist made. Luckily I knew master technician and friends,. Finally ! Get that cat off of it . 😂😂

[@AutoAutopsy]

Looking back, I think you’re right! Probably used too much of it, especially on the dif cover

[@philip.aocallaghan4602]

Utube has made it so difficult to view your video, buffering and freezing ..the quality is terrible. not your fault they are doing this deliberately. To make people subscribe to their company. A lot of viewers like me are going to stop supporting KZbin and find alternatives. Maybe you should too.. I've always enjoyed your videos

[@AutoAutopsy]

This is my first time hearing this. Are you sure it’s not just your internet? 😅 I don’t plan on leaving KZbin!

[@TheBTG88]

@@AutoAutopsyWorked fine for me in CA. Whenever I have had engines rebuilt, after 500-1000 miles, I have retorqued all the possible fasteners to spec. Not saying this will solve your issues, but it can’t hurt.