Our car luck run continues...

[Snoop]

On Friday we put Lotties mums Saab into the garage for a new clutch. They have had the car since new on B plate and it has never broken down! When we picked it up on Saturday, the garage owner who I've known for many years said "I cold started it this morning and this car has the classic Saab 900 symptom of a blowing head gasket only identifiable from cold start" He said we should advise her mum that it would go sooner rather then later so they should consider their options. He poured in some thickening solution to try and plug any gaps and prolong the inevitable...

... unfortunately on the way home, the magic solution seems to have plugged the gap and the pressure found a new weak point and blew the head gasket proper - we pulled up at ours chugging on 3 and blowing out quantities of white smoke like a fire extinguisher!

So now we have no car again! the SDV is at it's second home with Mr N for blowing out quantities of blue smoke!!!

Awwww booga!

[logey79]

bad luck that! trouble is although its an old car, you've just paid out (i assume not a small sum) for the clutch so would be waste not to do the head, plus if you've had it from new and its run fine all that time, look at this as it being its rebirth and it could give you another 5-10 years if you keep it serviced well after doing the head. not much help but i do understand the frustration fella.

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Geeeeeeeezzzzzzzz Doug (daddy),

I can see the next car you get in trembling in fear !!!!

Here's hopeing the SDV is back on the road soon.


Trev

[Snoop]

bad luck that! trouble is although its an old car, you've just paid out (i assume not a small sum) for the clutch so would be waste not to do the head, plus if you've had it from new and its run fine all that time, look at this as it being its rebirth and it could give you another 5-10 years if you keep it serviced well after doing the head. not much help but i do understand the frustration fella.

yes - that's the problem. It was just under £500 for the clutch to be replaced as the slave cylinder needed doing too. But the garage is soooooo good, between me and my parents we have been taking Saabs there since 1992 and he has offered to do the work for cost which is brilliant. I think we're probably going to buy a Saab 9000 from him cos I'd forgotten just how good they are for the money and we will need a second cheap strong family wagon soon!

[TonyN]

Your bad luck continues here as well, the air gadget I got to hold the valves up to change the valve seals threw a wobbly, pushed the piston down, released the air and the valves fell into the bore!

So now I've gotta take the head off to get them out!!

Duh!!

[lord lucan]

Your bad luck continues here as well, the air gadget I got to hold the valves up to change the valve seals threw a wobbly, pushed the piston down, released the air and the valves fell into the bore!

So now I've gotta take the head off to get them out!!

Duh!!

was you doing stem seals, i thought you would have made a tool for that, i made one for the peugeot 405;s and i was doing about 2 cars a week.

[Vagrant No2]

Sounds like it . Did you have all the injectors out at once and the engine span under air pressure ?
Poor Snoopmobile , again !
Poor Tony , got to pull the head off !

[TonyN]

was you doing stem seals, i thought you would have made a tool for that, i made one for the peugeot 405;s and i was doing about 2 cars a week.

It was going fine, I made a airline adapter that screws in the glow plug hole, pressurised the cylinder to hold the valves shut then just push the springs down and pop the collets off.

Then compessor turned its self on, and the extra pressure pushed the piston down to the bottom of the bore without me noticing. So thinking the valve would rest on the piston (which I thought was up) I pulled the air hose off. so they fell down the bore!!!

Doh!!

Whats really annoying, is I now realise with the piston up, seeing as there is vertually no clearance valve to piston, I could have rested the valves on them to get the collets off anyway.

You live and learn

[dirtydog]

you also gonna have a busy day!

[lord lucan]

It was going fine, I made a airline adapter that screws in the glow plug hole, pressurised the cylinder to hold the valves shut then just push the springs down and pop the collets off.

Then compessor turned its self on, and the extra pressure pushed the piston down to the bottom of the bore without me noticing. So thinking the valve would rest on the piston (which I thought was up) I pulled the air hose off. so they fell down the bore!!!

Doh!!

Whats really annoying, is I now realise with the piston up, seeing as there is vertually no clearance valve to piston, I could have rested the valves on them to get the collets off anyway.

You live and learn

sorry i no how u feel

[Snoop]

It was going fine, I made a airline adapter that screws in the glow plug hole, pressurised the cylinder to hold the valves shut then just push the springs down and pop the collets off.

Then compessor turned its self on, and the extra pressure pushed the piston down to the bottom of the bore without me noticing. So thinking the valve would rest on the piston (which I thought was up) I pulled the air hose off. so they fell down the bore!!!

Doh!!

Whats really annoying, is I now realise with the piston up, seeing as there is vertually no clearance valve to piston, I could have rested the valves on them to get the collets off anyway.

You live and learn

Hmmmm, my experience is more like you live, learn and tell the wife of the consequences

[NFC]

Well at least you have the longitudinal engine so removing the head is not that big a deal.

When the gasket went on my last 9000 (at 173000 miles it was way too early), it turned out that I needed to take the suspension off to remove the timing cover to get the head off. Since the gearbox was on its way out anyway (the 9000 box is weaker than the 900 box) , I got rid. Probably would have kept a 900.

WHY can't they build cars like they used to?