SAAB Related Roundup

I’ve been bad about having things to post here, but not getting around to posting them. A lot of these items don’t really need their own post. I figure I’ll post them all and save some time.

New Direct Ignition Cassette:

My cassette was not part of the recent recall, but I was getting the usual misfire codes that signal a DIC on the way out. So I bit the bullet and purchased a new cassette. No more CEL and the car now runs so much smoother that I’m embarrassed I let it go without repair for what little time I did.

Update on Harrah’s Car Museum Shirt:

I received a brown envelope that was either originally purchased along with the t-shirt or it came with the t-shirt, I’m not sure which. I’m updating that post, but wanted to share anyways.

Tornado Warning:

I’m what I suspect is one of the few people in the world who have worked on a SAAB during a tornado warning. The sirens went off as I was installing the ignition cassette. I finished up, went inside, turned on the TV. I found my wife in the basement, but she was unaware of the tornado warning because she was playing video games very loudly at the time. Naturally I also went outside and took some photos of the “scary looking clouds” overhead. We got horizontal rain, light wind damage, and a little road flooding; but the radar indicated tornado never materialized. Not that I’m complaining.

And finally,

Reverse Diverter Valve

I purchased some silicone vacuum line along with the new ignition cassette so I could replace the line on the DV. This also gave me the extra length I needed to install the DV in reverse, as recommended in THE GREAT Diverter Valve FACE OFF. This has made a huge improvement in the sound of the DV releasing. I suggest anyone looking to get that “turbo sound” from their T7 SAAB to first get an open air intake, and second get a performance diverter valve installed in reverse. I’ll be updating my DV and intake posts to add this information.

DV Whistle Mod, Proof of Concept

This is a proof of concept for a DV Whistle Mod. This is not a joke post, I really did all this, but I want to make it clear that I do not regularly drive around with this whistle DV. I’ll stick to my Forge DV. This was only done to follow a train of thought and it happened to work, so I’m posting it here if someone wants to build on these ideas.

This is a stupid story, so bare with me. I was watching The Fast and The Furious and the Hollywood  designed sound effects of the BOVs in that movie got me wondering the same thing every other person on SAABCentral seems to post, “How can I get more “BOV”/Turbo sound from my 9-5″. (open air intake is the correct answer to this question, btw)

So I took my old Bosh DV and some Mighty Putty and looked up instructions for clay whistles online. I used those designs as the base for putting a whistle inside a DV. I installed the whistle DV and took the car around the block. The thing worked. It is not as loud as the BOVs in the movie, not even as loud as a real BOV, but it did change the tone of the DV in a pleasant way. It was more than the sound of blowing across an empty bottle, but less than the sound of a person getting attention by whistling. I didn’t record audio of the test drive ( I wasn’t even sure if the car would run once I got out on the open road) and the design needs some polish to say the least.

Someone who has the open intake and still isn’t happy with the sound should pick up where I’ve left off. I’m not taking responsibility for any damage this modification might do if something goes wrong. The Mighty Putty holds strong, I wasn’t worried about it getting sucked into the mechanics of the vehicle or anything, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make scrap metal out of a turbo if it got loose.

The tone was a very low whistle and I think I could dink with what I have so far and adjust the sound some. I might pick this back up some day and see what I can make out of this.

Yes, this is “stupid” and “ghetto” as-is,but I think the design could be adjusted and if it was fabricated professionally some people would buy it.

Vehicle Performance Computer On Sale

The Escort Passport GT1 G-Timer Vehicle Performance Computer is on clearance at Amazon.com for $35. Retail is $150. Mine just arrived today and I haven’t had time to really play with it yet. I did hook it up and did a quick 0-60 to see how it works. It reads average and peak HP, 0-60, 1/4mile, G-forces, all sorts of data. This is a really nice piece of gear for $35 and there are places still selling it at the retail price.

I can’t wait to track changes in performance from various modifications to the car. More information and a review will follow once I have time to work with it. I just wanted to make a post to share the fantastic deal.

Sea Foam Motor Treatment

As part of my 90k mile service I added a can of Sea Foam to the car. I used the online directions of 1/3 a can in the throttle body, 1/3 a can in the oil sump, and 1/3 a can in the fuel tank.

The most entertaining part of the process is clearing the fluid from the throttle body. The fluid is poured down the warm throttle body and given five minutes to seep into the ductwork. The car is then ran until the fluid is evacuated, with the sludge, out the exhaust.

Not something you want to do when your neighbors are grilling outside.

Vintage Automotive T-Shirt

Another vintage automotive T-shirt post. This one is from “Harrah’s Automobile Collection”. There is no date on the shirt, but I believe it is from the 1980’s. The collection is now the “Harrah National Automobile Museum”, located in Reno Nevada. Mr. Harrah died in 1978 and the museum opened in 1989. I have a feeling that this shirt was made some time between those two events.

They don’t have any SAABs listed in their collection, I checked.

source

UPDATE:

I received a brown envelope filled with data sheets and photographs from the museum.

SAAB 9-5 ProClip Mounted GPS

I had made a post about the ProClip system a while back. I was finally ready last week to purchase a ProClip mount (now that I had my back ordered TomTom GPS from Amazon). I ordered the two required parts, one part custom made for the TomTom One v3 and one part custom made for the SAAB 9-5 with wood grain dash. The package arrived today.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ProClip is designed and produced in Sweden. I knew I was in good hands from that point forward.

The mounts are made out of what I would guess to be some sort of polymer. It reminds me of the grip from a Glock handgun.

I used four of the included self-tapping screws to put the two parts together.

Installation only took a minute and the only tool needed was a “gap opener” wedge included in the package.

The ProClip snaps into place and really holds tight. I put my hand around it and pulled like I was opening a door; the thing did not move one bit.

Once the mount was in place, I added my TomTom One.

ProClip has four custom mounting locations for the SAAB 9-5: upper left dash, upper right dash, under the cup holder (like the phone mount on some 9-5s), and on the console by the gear selector. The total cost of the system with shipping was under $70. I didn’t think that was too shabby for a totally custom mount. It’s a vast improvement over the universal suction cup mount that the TomTom came with. The instructions even included photos of the 9-5 dash. ProClip has mounts for all sorts of SAABs and all sorts of electronic devices. I’ll stop here because I’m already sounding too much like a commercial.

Weight To Power Ratio of a 2000 SAAB 9-5

The weight to power ratio (power loading) of a 2000 SAAB 9-5 is 22 pounds per horsepower.

To find the weight to power ratio of a car you divide the weight of the car by the horsepower of the car. You want the number to be as small as possible and these numbers can be used as a tool to better compare the performance of two vehicles. This is not to say that the number is the best way to compare vehicles, just more balanced than looking at hp numbers alone. Obviously everything from tires to transmission affect a car’s performance and aren’t taken into account with this number.

The 2000 9-5 has a curb weight of 3730 pounds and 170 horsepower. 3730/170=21.9
The 2007 9-5 has a ratio of 13.35.

Comparison of current vehicle weight to power ratios

Let The SAAB 9-5 Keep Track Of Oil Changes For You

Back in the days when the 9-5 had a recommended 10k oil change schedule it was easy to keep track of the miles between service. These days 3000 to 5000 miles between oil changes is generally accepted to ward off sludge.

An easy way to keep track of mileage is to clear the “DIST”- Trip meter on the SID after you finish your next oil change. You can then check the exact distance you have gone since that oil change with the push of a button. Always document your oil changes on paper, but by also using this tip you will have a quick and easy way of keeping an eye on the mileage without digging into your records or relying on your memory.

There is another way of using the DIST function; you can set the distance at 3k (or any amount) and know that when it hits zero you are due for a change. That takes a lot of button pushing. I just clear it to zero and let it count upwards.

3000 miles and I know I’m due for an oil change.

Merry Christmas & Happy Hogswatch

SAAB 9-5 After “The Blizzard of 2007″

I had never seen a blizzard until yesterday. I didn’t take the SAAB from the garage during the whiteout, but I did shovel the drive that evening.

I got out today and was surprised to see that even the highways were unplowed. The media was reporting that the City plows were getting stuck and couldn’t clear the roads. I saw a person fishtail several times before not only hitting the curb, but driving over it and up the adjoining berm sort of “Dukes of Hazard” style.

Naturally I never had a problem with the streets. Between the winter driving mode, traction control, and driving safely; I traveled to downtown and got back home in one piece.

Like every day after a large snow storm here, it is now 40 degrees and everything is melting.