Saab 9-3 Timing chain rattle noise fix!

[@zefflecave7412]

A suggestion, when you work in the engine area as you did, always put a cloth in case you lose the grip on any screws etc..... to fall into the engine

[@Whatintheblueblazes]

Very helpful - thanks! Relatively easy to get to. At first glance, the old guide did NOT appear broken but the clip on the right side was actually snapped. The replacement of this immediately got rid of that noisy rattle at startup.

[@jacqueslemieux6235]

Would've been great if we could hear how it sounds before he worked on the engine

[@dzznuts7580]

Thank you for keeping another Saab on the road!!

[@deshaunsc920]

Holy shit I bought a Saab with that noise been driving it I knew it sound weird Imma do this repair asap next week thanks!

[@barenekid9695]

No... you need a timing chain job. IF you want to keep using the car.

[@deshaunsc920]

@@barenekid9695 oh yeah but Atleast it will minimize the noise untill I have enough to buy it

[@Birlius]

Thanks a lot for the video, straight forward and well detailed

[@MarkDolan-ke1vk]

You need to do both chains 'tensioners and water pump all at same time and don't forget to pull pin out of tensioner and do all guides

[@rikiorikio9368]

i've only driven high mileage saab b207 engines and they've always found deceiving the clocky sound they have, much like a diesel, the previous b234 had a much more buzzy sound, very smooth. I don't know if this is their Factory sound or maybe the units i've driven had timing issues.

[@Proutkiiing]

Thanks you from France ! it seems that's the first piece that breaks on the "timing chain" of this B207 engine (in general) Do you confirm ? Changing this part to preventive is a good initiative ! And it's quite simple, no need to lock the engine, for example, and it is very accessible. I imagine that it is advisable to put a new gasket (valve cover gasket)?

[@bryanswenson1452]

Timing chain issues on 9-3's are very labor intensive. Took me 5 days to do one on my 2005 Aero. It sucked ass.

[@petin1270]

Thank you for sharing your time and help with your car 😊

[@d.j.9961]

I changed the timing chain on my 07 pontiac g5 2.2 ecotec with the help of friend. That same friend has a Saab 93t with a rattle at start up & refuses to disassemble a running vehicle. Scarry!!! When it goes, it will bend the valves & damage the head.

[@mariuszmaxankazuya3170]

You should replace it all... bet it has some miles and that chain is stretched.

[@leonagraca2239]

tensioner is way down there.. where? I changed the upper guide as above, easy job, but has not cured the rattle... I want to try and adjust the tensioner, is it possible?

[@mica122213]

engine is filthy use the correct oil and change it more often.. all the tensioners and guides need replaced.

[@alexcochran5096]

should of changed the chain it must of extended or your chain tensioner went bad to cause that

[@cotob.6300]

have same issue, thanks a lot for this video!! 🔥❤️👍

[@wickedstuffy]

Hey man. Glad I could help. But this is no guarantee it will fix it. It worked for me. But after a few more months I had to change the timing chain + chain guides. Best of luck to you.

[@cotob.6300]

@@wickedstuffy thanks for reply! Thinking to solve this problem and sell my baby ❤💥 Wish to have it as new)) 210bhp lovely ride 🛸❤🚀

[@cotob.6300]

I've replaced chain guide, but still got that sound on a cold start. after added (Lucas Oil 10686 Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer-355ml) much-much better now, warm engine sounds like a new))

[@antoniodurr6951]

How much oil stabilizer did you put in there to stop the noise having same issue

[@barenekid9695]

The upper rubber bumper basically only sees action when the chain is old and stretched.. Chain only 'smacks' against it because it's So stretched that it is no longer tight enough, in the very small distance between the sprockets that it can bounce up against the black bumper piece. When the bumper is damaged / needing replacing....consider it a Timing chain warning. Beyond that that engine is Seriously Carboned . Not nearly enough oil changes.. Best start thinking on a replacement car.

[@Draxindustries1]

Why would he need a replacement car because of a carboned engine and possibly needing a new cam chain. Sump removed & cleaned out. new camchain & guides. Engine flush with new filter + drain, refill with new oil & another new filter. Oil & filter change again after 3k miles and regular changes thereafter would clean that engine internally. On two B204 turbo engines I've drained the oil, fitted a new filter and refilled with engine degreaser. Run the engine at idle for 15 minutes, drain and refill with a new filter a couple of times. When doing this, cheap brand oil and filters will do the job before refilling with quality oil and filter.

[@Equestrian-g1z]

Thanks for the video! I have a really annoying rattle on my 9-3 aero which occurs whenever I rev the engine and then release the throttle. Initially I thought it was from the turbo, but I now think it could be the timing chain. Was your noise occurring AFTER revving too? Cheers!

[@loganlm10]

This was how mine was too, but after ignoring the problem for too long my car now doesn’t start, I’m pretty sure mine is because the tension on the chain was released maybe from the guard rails or something else, all I know is that it’s something with the timing chain

[@elmofullbrook5708]

I have this problem did you find a fix ?

[@AnythingGasoline]

Is this the same as on the 2.3 engine? 2008 BioPower

[@stocks4bt]

Wickedstuffy..how hard is it to do a motor swap in a saab 9-3.. and if you had to do it what would be the max price you would be willing to pay a mechanic?

[@wickedstuffy]

Well, a motor swap is time consuming. And I recon you need a diagnostic tool to "pair" the New motor to the car. I live in Scandinavia, and here it would be pricy. let's say 1.5k $usd for the motor and around 1.5k for the installation. Also I would not pay a mechanic. I would do it myself :)

[@andypap3381]

@@wickedstuffy I don't see why a diagnostic tool is needed to pair the new engine. Plug and play all the old enine peripherals on the new block ( ECU, fuse box harnesses, injection rail, existing coils along their ionizer, sensors , existing intake and exhaust manifols and turbo). An new engine long block with identical head and camshafts with your model is a stupid piece of metal. Nothing to pair. Your ECU will see it as the old one.

[@wickedstuffy]

@andypap3381 Hey, Andy. Yes, in most cases when doing an engine swap, you will need to reprogram the ECU. Adjusting the fuel timing can make the new engine run more efficient. Hope this answers your question.

[@loganlm10]

What happens if that did break? My Saab stopped working and I think this might be the culprit, how do I fix it if my timing chain fell? Edit: when I try to start my car I can hear the chain moving around but the car won’t turn over, I’m assuming that either it lost tension or something with the guard rails, I don’t know much about cars and have never taken one apart, is doing what u did in this video a good start to finding the culprit? What do I do if the tensioner is broke?

[@Tjockisknut]

I would not do it if you have no knowledge at all, because so much could go wrong. It's about marking positions and locking stuff in place before changing and you need correct torque on everything. Could work if you follow a tutorial 100% and have a garage you can spend a whole day at. Maybe you know someone who can help or leave it at a workshop for a diagnose. Changing that plastic bit you can do without worry, just disconnect youre negative battery and do like in the video.

[@loganlm10]

Andreas Persson I actually ended up taking it apart with a family friend, I learned a lot about how cars work and when we did get down to the pistons it was very obvious the whole block was twisted when the chain broke, there was metal everywhere and the car was definitely not going to run again, I ended up parting it out for about $1000, I kept my car really clean and in the nicest possible condition and I had someone buy the car off me for the parts since there was nothing else wrong with it, so it sucked but it wasn’t a total loss, thanks!

[@Tjockisknut]

That aluminium cover over the sparkplugs, when the engine been running a while is it normal that it gets so hot you can't touch it?

[@wickedstuffy]

Yeah, thats normal.

[@walterbaldwin3643]

Did this fix the rattle in your engine?

[@urielolivas6158]

I experience a ticking sound on high rpm, could this be the culprit?

[@wickedstuffy]

Depends where the sound is coming from. The chain is on the right side of the engine. But when you say ticking sound, I think about Valve/lifter ticking. Try to locate the sound using a small tube. Please the tube to ur ear, and listen. The tube will isolate the area from where the sound is coming from.

[@JoeFenno]

if that guide is bad I think the rest of them may be just as bad. Probably time for all new timing guides.

[@wickedstuffy]

yeah. I recently changes all my guides, and chains.

[@jivanpr]

My upper guide rail is on the top cap and I don't know how to remove it, help

[@wickedstuffy]

I do not understand what you are trying to say. Is it the same motor as mine? B204?

[@jivanpr]

wickedstuffy my car is a 93-2002 SE, the guide rail it's placed on the cover. Is like a slider but I already pulled it out... Thanks for the replay.

[@mica122213]

i have the rattle..on my 220k unit and my 336k no rattles

[@marcmcclinchy9774]

That's the water pump area down there

[@genekelly8467]

This is why pushrod engines are better.

[@wickedstuffy]

Gene Kelly well, there are pros and cons with both. Cars are what moves us in many ways, and I have cars with both ohc and rods. saab engines are designed with turbo and higher revs, and more agressive.

[@genekelly8467]

I have noticed that very few people shift at over 4500 RPM; pushrod engines have stronger, shorter drive chains; wear and stretch are minimal. Plus, changing a head gasket is MUCH easier with a pushrod engine.

[@redsafi1984]

What year model is this Saab 93?

[@wickedstuffy]

2005

[@redsafi1984]

wickedstuffy, can you have look at this video of my saab and see if you think its the timing chain? Thanks

[@wickedstuffy]

Hello again. Yes, I have replied on ur video.

[@tymmorgan9680]

mine makes a chirping noise on start up but goes once motor warms up. could this be same issue as yours?

[@wickedstuffy]

Chirping noise? Do you have a recording of it? Could be a belt that is slipping when the alternator is charging the battery after start up. Or maybe a belt pully/roller that is going bad.My sound was more of a ratteling sound. And you could clearly hear it from the right side of the engine.

[@tymmorgan9680]

wickedstuffy its not drive belt as i have removed that and run engine.

[@wickedstuffy]

Try to locate where the sound is comming from. If that is hard, you can use a tube against your ear. That way you can pinpoint where it's comming from.

[@dw-xo4jt]

mine makes the same noise. im not sure where its coming from, but it has to be timing related. if i let the car warm up for 10 min before driving, it doesn't do it, but if i start it and drive off, it will chirp until the motor warms up as well as if i mash down on the accelerator. i was thinking maybe chain tensioner was mucked up with oil due to the previous owner not changing the oil. im gonna try replacing the top chain guide and a new tensioner.

[@jesseknust4496]

Did this fix the issue upon start up? Mine ticks like you are describing and am wondering if this is the culprit.

[@alexcochran5096]

your chain is bad

[@MrTottanham]

the more I am watching these fixing saab videos the more I am thinking to junk mine! the shitiest cars ever

[@denforundrade695]

Christian Hernandez SAABs cars is way better then most american made junk from the same era. The newer SAABs from the late 90s onward had quite bad gasoline engines but don't forget those engines are GM engines ergo american engines... If GM would just let the engineers at SAAB at the given time make their own gasoline engines the cars would have been even better than they turned out to be. And remember SAAB beats most cars when it comes to comfort. BMW, Audi and Mercedes don't stand a chance in that matter. + they are cheap to own and easy to fix thanks to the enginuity of the SAAB engineers.

[@MrTottanham]

I have the 02 9-5 linear turbo and want to sell it for $2000 if somebody wants it 78k miles

[@denforundrade695]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Ecotec_engine The 9-3s engine code is called B207x and it's a GM based engine. When it comes to diesel Saab used several different brands like Izusu (3.0L) Opel etc... The 9-5 with the B205x engines had it's flaws but much of those flaws you could eliminate by just changing oil every 1000 metric miles and you could also upgrade your crankcase to better versions. One more good thing with the B205x engines is that it's compatible with the 9000s B204x engine which was was sturdier with just smal adjustments. In Sweden you can by a newly restored b204/205 engine for like 1500 USD 2,3L then just get a chip-trim and you've got a pretty good engine that will run up to 30K+ metric miles.

[@MrTottanham]

TourdeFrance20131 you can pay more if you want lol I bought a brand new car so I will sell it more cheaper $1500 everything is clean never accident all recall and service done by dealer

[@jimgagne3801]

Christian Hernandez : "SAAB" 'S'omethings 'A'lmost 'A'lways 'B'roken. I love the look of these cars, but they are pieces of shit. I've had Chevy's that I put 200thousand miles on and all they ever needed was a muffler and brakes, and I drive hard and beat them. Every stop light is a Christmas tree on a drag strip and merging onto an on ramp is the way to get high off of the g force a car has. I'm not the pussy that merges up an on ramp then brakes as he gets to the highway cause they can't judge other people's speed and the distance it takes for on coming traffic to equal your own. When the light turn green, I'm doing the speed limit and half way down the street before three douche bags get of their fucking cell phones and stop surfing book-face and slowly snail through the intersection. So I got the Saab sickness Three years ago. A 96 9000 that had 110k and was well taken care of. by my friend and I dumped 5 grand into it and it was the worst car I've owned and I had to stop the bleeding and sent that toilet to the junkyard . never had a car blow a head gasket or lose a tranny till i got into Saab's. Overpaid for an 87 900 turd-bo/stick that was a Dr's car. Never seen a winter, It's a solid 8.5 out of 10 not a crack in the dash, Inside looks like a new car. babied by the woman that got it from the Doctor, and only put 900 miles a year on it for 7 years till she sold it to me. That under powered egg shell motor is a snail around town, the turd-bo doesn't spool up till your winding it past 3 thousand rpms , so you can't have any fun till your on the highway and that is where it really shines. It's more of a back country road/highway car. ....Not a stuck in city traffic car . But now I broke it. It lost reverse (common in these cars.....Mmm never had tranny problems in my chevy's or my caddies or the Pontiac or even the Dodge i had for 4 years that I flogged. And now the timming chain is rattling so it's done till i can waste some money on it. So I bought a 02 93se 119k the car is super quick off the line and is decent on the highway with good gas mileage . But the little motor that can't just couldn't .handle me giving it too much gas and now the timing chain is sounding like marbles. Oh, and it has a bunch of dice/twice electrical problems now too.. In 35 years I've never had electrical problems till I got into Saabs. So your right. these cars are toilets on wheels that you flush your money into. I will still buy them cause I don't mine throwing money away and I like having something that's different. The first saying is funny cause it's true. But I think this is better suited for me : SAAB 'S'omething 'A'n 'A'sshole 'B'uys good luck to you, hopefully you get out before the Saab sickness takes over your mind and brainwashes you like the rest of us into believing this is normal for cars to be rolling junk. ;D