Using A SAWZALL To CUT The JUNK Subframe Bushings Out Of My SAAB 9-5

I own one car that is universally loved, my 2002 SAAB 9-5 Aero. The private jet for the road is great to drive but mine has been parked for roughly 2 years now. We're going back through and replacing all of the parts that I had stored in the trunk to make it a driver again. Today we're finally doing the subframe bushings because it's a reasonable job with the car on a lift. This fixed all of the nasty vibrations I was dealing with in the car before, now it doesn't give you a headache when the car is stopped under load.
Polyurethane Subframe Bushings: www.esaabparts...
MERCH: shopWatchJRGo.com
Shop Motul: motul.com
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Common Questions:
What motorcycle do I ride? A few. Ducati 1198, Honda Goldwing, Honda Grom, Honda Ruckus
What do I do for a living? Make KZbin videos.
Can you wheelie? No, I suck.
Are you fast? Sort of. I suck mostly though.
Where can I keep up with you off the bike?
Instagram: WatchJRGo
Facebook: WatchJRGo (or JRGo, FB hates my branding)
Do you go to school? College, for 2 classes.
Why do you ride so dangerously? What do mean? I was doing 25.
Do you go to the track? Of course, hopefully there will be videos in the future.
Do you play video games? No, but I might stream N64 Goldeneye at some point. Twitch: WatchJRGo
Are you afraid the police will watch your videos and arrest you? Something something evidence something something warrants and due process of law
#SAAB #SAAB95 #TURBO

[@esaabparts6127]

Great video, John Ross! Glad to help with the parts!

[@willoverkill8461]

Old Saab content is fun to watch! These projects feel satisfying to watch vs disposable projects (on other channels), especially the payoff test drive at the end. Makes me want to find an 06+ Aero with the 2.8 turbo V6

[@MrMattDat]

Dad always said, "You've got ten fingers and ten toes, but only two eyes. Wear your safety glasses". Doing bushings like that on any older car is well worth the time and effort. Quiets down rattles and vibrations and smooths out the drive. Good job!

[@aliabdallah102]

Dada say all kinds of shit. Doesn't mean you gotta listen, hell I'd recommend you don't listen.

[@curlyvisuals5398]

@@aliabdallah102 Found the guy with one eye

[@aliabdallah102]

@@curlyvisuals5398 no, got two eyes and zero of the paternal bullshit.

[@curlyvisuals5398]

@@aliabdallah102 Suit yourself

[@maxxmarkz4629]

Don't mind him, It's not the eye he's missing it's the dad.

[@swatty7iron]

You & Josh, OG's. Going from laying on the ground in your home garage, to now multiple lifts, great lighting, heat & A/C. You done good kid. 👍

[@rao-foto]

I love how you finally after owning this car for so long "discover" that Saabs are fanatastic drivers' cars. Comfy, high-end build quality in the interior (excluding ng9-3 and 9-5 2006+) and massive midrange torque making them great for highway cruising or passing others.

[@lgunderso2117]

Totally agree, absolutely miss my 04 9-5 aero wagon, the 06 isn’t nearly as nice to look at, but the seats are still excellent and as long as your eyes are on the road the interior isn’t too bad lol

[@rao-foto]

@@lgunderso2117 The 06+ is no bad car, but it had a much higher degree of GM feel to it although they kept the seats comfy. Rust protection got worse with the years and 06+ cars will often rust through the inner arch in the rear wheel house before the older cars

[@lgunderso2117]

AnotherSaabStory thanks, I’ll have to keep an eye on that! I bought the car from Florida and drove it up to Detroit. Two winters later and there’s some surface rust on the subframe welds but that’s about it so far. My 04 that I had for 10 winters here had its doglegs done a couple months before someone tboned it. I still really love driving the 06- it’s a great car for bombing around town and cruising on the highway. The handling isn’t perfect but it’s quite good and I can’t see myself owning anything else short of a ct5v, cts v wagon, Porsche Panamara, or merc wagon.

[@jeremyaustin9103]

Utterly agree with you. Saab were Utterly awesome until GM were involved with every cent spent. Best seats ever, easy to drive fast in the real world...and the balance of handling and comfort.

[@WatchJRGo]

I've always said it was very good, heck it's the only car I bought for the channel that stayed for 3 years 😎

[@DtotheAtotheNtotheI]

Hi! Please be so kind and note that the washers go ON TOP to prevent wear from running against the frame. The back ones have the triangles working as a washer from the bottom, and the front and middle ones should've had washers from factory to reuse on the bottom. Thabk you for the series about the saab regardeless! It's very nice to watch you tackle the tasks I hesitate about. :) All the best!

[@comfort_in_discomfort]

I had the same but with a 5 speed. I loved night-mode button. Shuts all lights and keeps speedometer on.

[@sccarguy8242]

Yeeeesssss the night mode was the best… I have no idea why others have never done that. Especially today with all the screens. You don’t realize how much better you see at night without them on.

[@sccarguy8242]

I got to attend the “Aero Academy” back in the day at Atlanta Roadway. It was fantastic, you would be amazed how far that car can be pushed and how comfortable it is to do so. I loved those cars, it’s so sad that GM killed them… They truly were ahead of their time when it came to an entire package. The best seats, 30 mpg on the highway, comfortable, quick, good handling and over all fairly reliable…

[@jepurl1]

I would love working with Josh**always so Positive and practical.

[@iangoodsell]

I remember the first time I merged onto the highway with my 2003 9-5, looked down and was doing 90 without even realizing it. One of my favorite cars ever. RIP SAAB.

[@ravennexusmh]

Saab were doing fast fwd turbos for so long. It's why they're are so dialed in. People critiqued them for fast and 200+hp for ages. But They always worked.

[@ezrablasing]

So happy the Saab content is back!!! Would love to see you do a light tune on it, makes a huge difference on these cars!

[@RandomGuyDan]

Saabs are so great. I've had 2, a 1980 900 Turbo 3 door and a 2002 9-3 5 door. They are generally easy to work on (except my old 900, required pulling the turbo to replace the starter) and great cruisers.

[@eddiehuff7366]

After Josh has to have a nurse pull metal shavings out of his eyeball he will start wearing safety glasses. Ask me how I know.

[@riwoof]

Spotted JR wearing protective eye wear. Novel approach. Remember, "Safety Third"!

[@mclarenjohnf1]

A friend of my son purchased an Aero with the V6 and filled it with 5 Security Guards about 120 miles away, when they got back every one of them wanted one but my son couldn't find insurance for less than £2.500 per year all the others waited for good ones to come up for sale and they loved them.

[@rossfield8850]

Ah the xenon leveller warning light……been ignoring that one for 3 years 😁 I had no idea the steering wheel shake in drive was the bushings, might get on that 🤔 the series is making me wanna do mine up, mechanically it’s good, cosmetics are rough.

[@ricoolivier]

Josh and JR is the best duo working on cars on KZbin... They actually enjoy it!!! More collaborative builds or fixings please!!!

[@hausmeisterengineering5952]

Just bought one of these today! It's an '06 facelift Aero

[@ShaneEwing]

I recognized that "oh no" immediately 😂

[@Mrshoujo]

10:28 That bushing popping into place needs to be a ringtone.

[@Indiskret1]

Need to do this on my 2002 9-5 SC, so this was great help. Thanks!

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

8:44 I didn’t know that JR wore safety glasses, because he loves to squint really hard when fragments are flying!

[@ernieleithes6545]

Glad to see you suporting the rear of the car its so dangerous to not consider using jacks on 2 post ramps.

[@6minus3minus2]

LOVE this project. One tiny, but nice upgrade for the automatic transmissions is the sport transmission torque mount. Genuine Saab sells them for not a lot at all, and it's a very quick job. It tightens up the shifts and just makes the car that bit more responsive.

[@dmann1209]

Glad to see you wearing the eye pro. Yup eyes full of sand will definitely halt progress. Love Mexico... Looks just like NC....lol. Awesome video.

[@TheJonasbz]

That 9-5 aero is a realy great car, its insane that they dont exist anymore, thanx GM for fucking this exelent car brand up

[@rpavlik1]

Man, looks nice. I wish I had that good of results when I swapped the engine and transmission mounts on my Saturn. It clunked less, but still rumbles and shakes like nobody's business. Especially now that it's winter and cold. Now I gotta make friends with someone with a lift.

[@69Dartman]

That thing should drive way smoother with all those replaced. Hopefully they don't do the poly squeek and noise like the ones I put in my Dart years ago in the control arms. Drove so much tighter but started squeaking and groaning pretty quickly. Had to spray them down with wd 40 or whatever every so often. At least poly is supposedly immune to breaking down from oil leaks etc unlike rubber.

[@WatchJRGo]

I put a lot of grease on these, hopefully that takes care of it for a while! 🍻

[@69Dartman]

I should have done that when I did mine but had never rebuilt a frontend before or used poly bushings. Was nice when it was tighter then it was when I got it with 63k. Putting on front and rear sway bars completely changed the way the car drove too.

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@WatchJRGo The stickier the better!

[@ParFektion]

Typical JR: Makes every job look easy 😁👏🏻 Keep working on that nice SAAB! Greetings from Sweden 🇸🇪👋🏻

[@KingofBS]

You gotta watch out for those Mexican Sheriffs when driving them backroads!! LOL

[@BD4V1S1]

Yay, keep the Saab content rolling! I'd love to see you and Jake do a Jake do a comparison with his e46, maybe even loop in Elliott and his v70.

[@kellyturley8295]

Always interesting work JR.

[@AndyZ325is]

More Saab content! I love seeing Josh impressed with an old Saab. They really are cool, weird cars that drive wonderfully. Keep it J.R. Don't flip this one.

[@jimschafer9196]

Cool reveal on a common pesky problem. Nice share.

[@31dknight]

Great video from JR.

[@saabnico]

This makes me miss my old 2000 and 2004 aeros i had.

[@Texmotodad]

So glad you are enjoying your 9-5 again. Try Sport mode on the shifter sometime, you might like it. Especially launching from from a stop. Nice work on the bushing change sir! I'll be doing mine on my back. c'est la vie.

[@Timgrantham66]

Thanks for your service Josh! 🇺🇸

[@jon7120]

Nice work! Did you happen to check the rear control arm bushings when you were doing the subframe bushings? They tend to tear too, and cause it to have pretty vague steering...also, get it tuned and a downpipe with a high flow cat and you'll be impressed at what a freeway pull beast it becomes. The 5sp AT is an Aisin unit shared with the Lexus ES300 of the day, and it's very reliable.

[@PaddyBoy644]

Loop a rope or ratchet strap around the sub frame and step on the other end using your body weight to pull it down. Making it even easier if your doing it alone as well.

[@oscarnieuwmans3081]

Most Saabs in the world you can find in the Netherlands. They buy them from everywhere. Keep this one JR!

[@jamesmyers3773]

You got me looking for a used SAAB. Never thought I would be doing that.

[@MrPaige222]

Only buy the MANUAL transmission version. EVERY SINGLE ONE I HAVE SEEN WITH AUTOMATIC IS JUNK. The 5 speed versions last over 300, 000 trouble free miles.

[@giorgio.]

Do it! I drive a 2004 9-5 with a 5 speed manual. Comfortable car with power on demand. A true sleeper not a lot of people know about.

[@lgunderso2117]

Paige, as someone who’s owns/take care of 3 9-5’s with the 5 speed aisin automatic- they’re quite good. My dad’s arc has 200k miles, many of which were towing a boat, and my mom’s and my Aeros which have 150k+ miles and have been driven hard by us the last 10 years. Would we love to have the manual? Yes! Is the 5 speed auto quite durable? Yes.

[@Lee-z8n2q]

@@MrPaige222 that isn’t true.

[@banoid]

I used to own a 9000 turbo. I loved it.

[@houseking9211]

my dad and I did this with our black 02 9-5 aero, but it's better because it has a full exhuast and it's a 5 speed manual, which I think makes more power, or at least torque stock, either way we didn't have a lift and removed the exhaust and radiator and dropped the whole subframe when we did ours, it took a hot minute

[@armandopatane5343]

Hardest working man in KZbin

[@fiaschifabrications4852]

I’m loving the SAAB content!!! Keep it coming please!!

[@nikitaoake123]

Awesome job with the Saab. Don't really see them much anymore. Love watching stuff on it. Does, I think his name is Josh, have a youtube channel? Just to support him as well. Have a great day

[@ninjanerdbjjandfitness9544]

Best thing about Wichita is that the Mexico boarder is 5 minutes outside of Derby... Lol

[@davevq]

I've done this job several times, you literally can drop all 6 bolts and the struts and side mounts will hold everything up. Just be mindful of the radiators/condenser/intercooler. That said, I've dropped these subframes, on my back with jack stands too, its maybe 2-3 hours tops (by myself), they are cake. I do it that way if the power steering lines are getting close to EOL and gives you a chance to drop the pan, check other things, new mounts, sway bar bushings, etc. Because of the subframe bushings are toast, so is the rest of it.

[@CFProton]

Thanks for using the safety glasses :-)

[@nesman]

You want to do all 6 cause a month later the old rubber ones would fail plus it would feel weird having both rubber and poly in there. I also would have taken the subframe out entirely and coat with with paint so it doesn't rust more and replace the rear engine mount at the same time. I've done it a few times :)

[@doughaley4263]

At 17:14 Josh is a LUMBERJACK and he's OK!!!!

[@thelightskinliberian885]

Nice it drives so solid now! I think the acceleration is good compared to regular newer midsized cars. Imagine how good the 95 would be if saab made cars today, its a shame they dont.

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

Noticed a boost drop on the gauge, which is likely a cracked vacuum line running the boost controls. Mine was cracked right near the battery where the blowoff valve is. Your goes a good ways into the red, so I am betting it has at least a St1 tune already.

[@haroldboyer1174]

Awesome video JR.

[@vspencer9764]

The old Triumph slant 4 is such a good engine my 1983 Saab 90 had a detuned version of that lump and with a quarter of a million miles on the clock was still quiet as a church mouse and as reliable as the day it left the factory. It’s such a shame Saab got involved with GM as they lost that quirkiness that made them just that little bit different. Buy some sonex GummiPflege for the rubbers it’s cheap and brings door rubbers back as good as new.

[@lgunderso2117]

The Saab engines are incredibly robust when taken care of! Thanks for the tip on the sonax product, I need to do that to my 9-5s.

[@GrandMoffJoseph]

5:12 - that look just after JR says "it's gonna work I promise". xD xD

[@andber]

Sockets 14, 18, 20. 3:30 Brace 4:40 Looking at Old back bushings 5:00 Middle screws 5:50 Take off Back bushings 7:40 New back bushing 9:00 Front screws 9:10 Old front bushing, toast 9:58 New front bushing, ASMR 10:50 Ready to torque down. Bolt head sizes. 11:15 Torque specs video on middle bushings, missing? Thank you for the video, i will to this job soon.

[@robluck21]

Wow, JR is such fun

[@omostim2385]

I remember driving a Saab 9000 back in my valet days. It shook so bad you could see the dash bouncing up and down but it seemed to run fine. I’m guessing this was the issue

[@wriddle082]

Can’t believe you’re not a fan of the Milwaukee hole saw kit! Sure it doesn’t have a pull-back feature on the arbor but you can twist it and it breaks the saw loose. Plus it’s Milwaukee.

[@MoCo_Filmmaker]

Saab is just a comfortable daily driver type car. Wish I had one myself just for that purpose.

[@seanwieland9763]

This was a satisfying video!

[@Mike_Atwell]

My weekly request for Saturn Sky Redline content

[@screwit8408]

Welcome officially to the SAAB family ;) Now you get it ;)

[@marktate2683]

Mexico has more farm equipment than expected 😂😂

[@giorgio.]

Nice vid, much better view with the car in a lift, I need to do my bushings too. Mint is so much more corroded underneath being a Canadian car. Yours looks so clean, I’m jealous. :)

[@maximearmand358]

Are those bushing which are responsible for vibrations and jerk when releasing the foot of the gas pedal while on load ?

[@johntarver5684]

I love how Josh is like “screw gloves!” 😂

[@ianelsley71]

Don't forget to drop the sump out next time you change the oil. Those engines get a slow sludge build up in the sump. Easy to fix but can kill 'em dead if you don't do it occasionally.

[@medinalasse]

Save. A unique car that will rise in value

[@SJT.IN.KC85]

Second Channel! I like watch Jr Go and Fractured Rooster independently of each other but you two together are incredible.

[@Googlahemtillmig]

The old 9-3 og has a washer on the otherside, maybe thats why some people say that about 9-5 also.

[@westonmickey3890]

I don't think JR truly got the reference "insert French joke" here that Josh made...😔

[@vancebooker459]

I must have missed something in a previous video, but what is the reference to Mexico? Something to do with 100MPH?

[@robertwhall]

Rather than saying he’s speeding on a US public road he says ‘Mexico’. Avoiding self-incrimination in a You Tube video

[@dbrandon4528]

I believe that there is a rear torque mount that needs replaced aswell

[@jfv65]

It's about 850-T5 fast. Elliot's V70R is/will be considerably faster. But it's a nice cruiser. I have always liked the trionic system. Back when the car was new it was state-of-the-art tech.

[@marcusjosefsson4998]

The Trionic is really nice if you want to tune it for E85.

[@jensh9423]

Awesome video. Thanks man!

[@davevq]

Do the torque arm bushings and rear engine mount.

[@Staatus_Quo]

Oh dude, you bought the Pro Parts Sweden poly bushings. Almost everyone says they are great at first, and then just fall apart. Almost every PPS part I've bought for my 9⁵ has failed. Hope they last for you. I went Powerflex when I did my mounts.

[@markostertag1101]

Well that's scary. I bought some Pro Parts Sweden for my 9-5 and so far it's holding up. For my power steering lines it was all I could find! I was considering doing these bushings since I'm doing the engine mounts but that's a bit concerning if these bushings may not hold up.

[@spuwho]

I can hear those old tires at speed in the video. Hope that coolant is fresh, pushing an old turbo with weak coolant and old oil is guaranteed to cause early fail. Good luck getting back from Mexico on the next pull!

[@humanpuppet6597]

The turbo in red means hazard or caution most healthy saabs run boost In yellow unless tuned they might peak into reds

[@jethro83100]

Great video, update on Gabe?

[@aaronkashmer5882]

Guys, I use "silicone super-lube." smear it all over that Sunroof and door rubber and poof no more wind noise.

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

Man I have been dying to see you get into that 9-5! Love that ENGINE. Check out genuinesaab's stage 3 options and put a Quaiffe LSD in it. My Viggen has all that and is a Monster. Rips both front Michelin SS's loose up to 50 in 2nd without clutching. Nice to see the vibration gone on yours now. That is an annoying issue on these when they get a bit worn. There are 3 engine mounts, top left, bottom right, and a torque mount in the bottom rear? The vibration could also be a mild miss. Use your diag to run live miss/ping counts to see what is happening at idle and at full boost. Possible solutions: DIC replacement, CPS replacement, new OEM plugs, and lastly an idle speed adjustment of around 50rpm up or down to cancel out harmonic vibes.

[@brendanfleming6584]

When my 204 9-5 Aero got the subframe bushes done, they took the subframe off the car to do it. They did the roll bar bushes too, which are very difficult to do otherwise. My car already hd the Quaife LSD, and the polybushed subframe made the car the best handling & gripping thing on the road. Best car I ever had.

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

@@brendanfleming6584 Sounds like it is time to roll in a set of poly's on my vig. Only has 94k on it, but the vibration is just starting to get noticiable before the engine warms up and settles down. I am actually looking for a facelift OG9-5 Aero, around 06-08. Glad to hear they handle well. That engine is spectacular, way stronger than my st1 08 9-3 Aero's v6 was. The 08 chassis was light years ahead of the OG9-3's tho...jiggly jiggly even after the rescue kit. 🤣

[@brendanfleming6584]

@@MassiveTrackHunter It was the single biggest improvement on the car! I couldn't believe the difference it made. I'm also tentatively looking for an 06-onwards 9-5 Aero. Mine would need to be a manual saloon. I've driven a few autos, and they sap so much power.

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

@@brendanfleming6584 Cool. Very excited since mine is in the garage til spring. Guess what will happen to her now... agreed. Owned both manual and auto 9-3 2.0's same tune, and the manual just pulls harder, more visceral is the only way to describe it and is so much more fun when the turbo hits.

[@markostertag1101]

How are these bushings holding up?

[@JDWDMC]

OK, I take it back, you got to the Saab.

[@jorgengabrielsson6660]

The SAAB and Josh 🤘🏼🤘🏼hell yaa

[@hpelisr]

I'm I hearing you right? What is the Mexico thing?

[@BWTECH0521]

A stage 1 tune will put you in your seat!

[@Big_M_T]

Can you replace the SAAB logo in the center of the steering wheel? Asking for a friend 😜

[@1offoriginal]

This was very fun to watch.. but for all you non KZbin mechanics if you want to fix a vibration don't ever use polyurethane... That's why JR says way better and not fixed

[@ChrisVargasrpht2000chris]

Very generic but also interesting content. Great job guys!

[@bigsimbou]

the rich version of a saturn l200😀

[@dj_paultuk7052]

"Its a drivers car". There is something you dont often hear about a 9-5 !. You need to drive a SAAB 9000 then, the Chassis is far superior and communicates a lot more. They handle way better too. My 9000 is 360bhp, but at 1280kg they are light by modern standards. So very quick indeed. 70 to 100mph in just 3.5 seconds.

[@lgunderso2117]

My mom’s 1995 9000 aero was hoot to drive, but going around a corner with bumps (so all of them in the Midwest where I’m from) wasn’t fun with the solid rear axle. It was definitely quicker than our 2004-2005-2006 9-5 aero wagons, though.

[@jerrylittle7797]

Could frame bushings cause the death rattle on a 2013 Acadia at idle? 🤬

[@mastereraqus1]

Missed hearing Josh’s cam, good end to a video

[@ccacace1]

I know you like to use Ballpoint for your soundtracks, what song is the one you used here?

[@ccacace1]

its not Ballpoint. Its Archipelagos - Blue Steel

[@fnordpojk]

Time to do the oil change, which includes taking off the pan and cleaning out the sludge, and while you're at it make sure the PCV system is at rev 6, otherwise you're going to blow that thing up.

[@fnordpojk]

I had a manual '02 9-5 Vector Sportcombi, so the wagon version without the Aero tune stuff, 185 hp stock. Loved driving it (those seats!), hated owning it, still miss it.