Ownership Verified: My Topless Swedish Model

MWF explained that since they do get so little sun they take every opportunity they can to soak it up when they do get it. Making them the highest convertible per capita country in the world.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. We're so starved of vitamin D here it's a wonder we haven't all got rickets.

Also it's very liberating in a weird kind of way, even on a warm summer night after dark it's great to have the roof off, especially in an MX5 with a rorty exhaust note and relatively empty road.

Put it another way, sex in bed is great, sex outside is invigorating. It's a bit like that.
 
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Random photo after I cleaned it yesterday - in its current resting place. Needs cleaning again once I've ordered proper stuff (just borrowed some car wash/shampoo so not washing up liquid). It also really needs clay-bar-ing :p And the roof still needs cleaning/renovating. I've now got the bottles of stuff, I just need to go get a scrubbing brush and paintbrush to apply :) I also discovered that the aircon needs re-gassing. Its nowhere near cold. :(

I then also need to fit the second rear ARB, and order and fit the steering rack clamp. Then I need to service it and during this I want to remove the sump and clean it out/check for sludge. Common problem and although removing the sump is a bit of a bitch, its better than having a sludged engine... :|

Really loving the way this car looks though - more every time I see it. Also the way it sounds. :cool:
 
I'm back home and with the car now and I have something to add that I'd forgotten/didnt have a photo of; the engine is an EcoPower black-top which I think means its 154hp, right?

In other news it now has new wipers and tomorrow morning is MOT time... :S

Ecopower = Trionic 7 engine (not trionic 5). + boost gauge = 185HP. Also less cleaning more driving now that it's awesome weather :D
 
^ Yeah I downloaded the handbook and that helped; I definitely have the 185hp version :D The VIN checker that was posted earlier was correct (mine is the 'standard' output) but I didn't realise the 3 tunes are Low (150hp), Standard (185hp) and Hot (205hp) and the Low/Standard were T5 and Standard/Hot were T7. And as far as years go mine is right where they changed over so I think mine is a 2001MY. Whatevs moar powa.

Have continued spending money. Will need to stop now until I start earning... Currently have the PCV breather hose kit, Spark Plugs, Oil and Filter, Air Filter, Steering Rack clamp, Second Rear ARB, the remaining hood dye and waterproofer (have used most but not all of the cleaner), new key batteries, car shampoo, and a few O-rings and loctite sealant gasket for the sump both still on their way. Once they get here I can actually start my service/cleanout. Shouldn't take more than a day but I will probably end up leaving it overnight. I also need to do a bit more research into exactly what needs to come off to get the sump off.

As far as spend is going; including buying the thing (?1050), insurance (?540) and tax (?123) plus all the bits and bobs I've bought for it; total spend is just over ?2k. Which hurts, but frankly not as much as it could do. Don't drive it nearly enough mostly since every time I've been going places its to drink as well, so no car :(

Cleaning the hood has gone well so far. Originally it was like this;
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Generic during shot;
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After a second clean I've just finished now (it is still wet in this photo);
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If you're interested in the process and products; this is the actually really helpful tutorial I'm using.

Next step is the dye and waterproofing. I am totally highly likely to muck up the dying :p
 
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No updates for a while; been quite busy (but not with the car). Its been thoroughly neglected. I haven't even washed it in a couple of weeks...

The dying went quite well, then I mucked it up by attempting a second coat when I didn't have enough for a complete and thick coat. So I'll be getting another bottle of dye, and for the time being (aka summer when it is least needed) I have not put the waterproofing on to save it until after dye part 2.

Took it up to Leeds for a weekend; 300 miles no problem whatsoever. And driving all the way back with the roof off is substantially more fun than it should be (with a car full of 4). Only really gets too blustery above 80. :) Not that I would know how that goes...right? :|

Otherwise on the way up; *sniff* all growed up.
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Amusing to note that I owned the old Saab over 160k miles and this one over 125k and hopefully 160k too. :p

And on the way back; I realised just how low the suspension gets with 4 passengers and luggage (NB notice that this is only with 3):
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Yesterday I started on the big job; the service and sump drop. Sure; just drop the sump, that'll take all of 5 minutes, right? Pah! Maybe if you know what you're doing and have the right tools... Also having to detach the subframe is surely not a common feature in removing the sump.

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And the damage; non existent, thankfully. The common sludge problem is not here. :) The stuff on the right was dried on residue, not sludge. Cleaned it all out and will attempt to reassemble tomorrow. I also changed over all of the breather pipes/PCV kit today. Simple job, but a pain threading everything round. I also misplaced a socket for ages. It was on top of the subframe <_<

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Overall a pretty decent couple of days making sure the engine is OK. And now I have a load more peace of mind in knowing the state of the engine. :)

Still got to adjust the steering brace (which I fitted ages ago too) and piggy back the rear anti-roll bars.
 
Spark plugs!

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Love Saabs and their DI pack; 4 screws and access is done. Literally it could not be easier; no hard pulling or cracking anything. :)

Adjusted the steering brace so have now finished everything in the engine bay (other than tomorrow's filling with oil and hoping for no leaks... - also reattaching the subframe and exhaust which we've left off until we know there are no leaks). That is apart from the bolt we sheared removing the downpipe from the turbo. Someone had replaced the stud and nut with a bolt, and sure enough it broke. Sheared completely flat with the surface so no way of getting some grip on it. We tried drilling it and inserting a torx bit but that just snapped in the hole. <_<

Access is a bitch and I'll just have to drill it out completely and re-tap. I don't want to have to remove the turbo but that may eventually become the only option... :( For the moment I'll just have to rock the 2 studded blowing exhaust sound.
 
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Those were the wrong plugs, maybe the engine might work a bit better now (reset the ecu by leaving the car off the battery for 30 minutes, it'll reset the adjusted maps caused by the spark plugs).
Dropping the sump on those cars is quite a bit of work, i bet it took you a while! :) But a great result not finding any sludge, that'll put your mind to rest a bit.

Good luck with the stud, if you need to take off the turbo I'd replace all the studs.
 
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I was thinking they might be wrong when I removed them and they were Bosch ones... :lol: And yeah the entire 'service' including sump drop took me about 4 days. Although I was only really working half of each day :p Not something I want to do again. I'm sure I left the car disconnected but can't remember for how long. Should have been long enough since I did the PCV pipes with it disconnected as well.

As for the stud, well since it isn't a gasket style connection it seems fine enough with 2 studs and doesn't seem to be blowing. And don't worry - When I get this out, even if I don't remove the turbo I'll replace all 3 anyway since I'll have the downpipe off again. Removing the turbo just seems like a hell of a lot of work :?

As for the car; well I think its leaking something very slightly, seems to be oil, but is coming from a weird place. Could be due to the plastic undertray diverting the leak somewhere else. Don't have the ramps here so will have to jack it up at some point to try and have a look. Fairly sure it isn't the sump plug or oil filter :(

And as for the locking wheel nuts, well I'll have to give those a try at some point, too. Don't want to do a roadtrip without being able to remove my wheels...
 
Removing the turbo is less work than the sump. But if you have to remove the exhaust manifold, the bolts holding it in place have been known to break.
 
Yeah I've read about the manifold studs. :p Maybe replace all of those too XD

And I suppose I'd have to drain the oil to remove the turbo so maybe a weekend job in a couple of oil changes. The biggest pain I found with the sump was access thanks to the subframe.
 
In other news it appears my driver's side shock is leaking. And I thought it was the passenger side suspension that is fucked...

Also I have successfully removed the front two locking wheel nuts and I need to buy a new socket to destroy to remove the rear ones. They had dust caps on so the rotating security collar hadn't rusted solid :lol:
 
Good luck. My lost lock nut key saga eventually led to me giving up after four attempts and taking the car to a mechanic, who bashed a socket on with a sledgehammer. Turns out a regular hammer isn't enough - sorry Clarkson.

I, too, managed to get the front ones off with what I then thought would be considered 'difficulty'. Only until I tried to tackle the rears did I find that 'difficulty' could indeed have a much more severe definition. I hope yours come off easily.
 
Yeah they came off ridiculously easily :lol: I don't know if it made any difference but I used one of these (12 point socket) rather than one of these (6 point). I destroyed a 6 point socket trying to get it off, but the 12 point one wasn't damaged at all. I guess more surface area/stronger contact.

So yeah; they're all off and I've ordered a complete set of new bolts, because shiny. And as I can now take the wheels off I had 2 of the tyres changed (one had a massive chunk missing from sidewall, the other was perished and cracked all over) to ones I had left over from a set of wheels I bought for the old Saab. Handy, huh? Temporary measure until I have monies, then its getting a complete new set.

As for the shock absorber; well its still leaking. And by that I mean actually dripping onto the ground. I don't know what it means but the rubber surround has half come off the shock, but I suppose that must be due to the oil. :dunno: I got a quote to replace it; supply and fit for ?148.20 + VAT. Which means ?180. Which I don't have. :|
 
Front or rear shock? If rear, it should be not that hard to DIY depending on rust; front, well, struts are a faff and you'd need to align afterwards.
 
Yeah its driver's side front. Not ideal. Also the worst possible timing. It seems like it'll just have to...do...

Edit; have spoken to the parents and it seems my loan from them may be getting larger and the Saab may be getting its new suspension slightly earlier than planned. I'll put the new front shocks on before the trip and leave the rest until afterwards (I called up and the suppliers don't have the springs in stock so will have to order them in then post them to me).

There's a place near me advertising tracking for ?25 +VAT - is that what I need to do once the shocks are in? May have to do it again once the rear shocks and springs are installed, but that's not too bad for ?30 extra. It does however mean I have Sunday and Monday to fit them, then Tuesday we leave... :?
 
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Nothing like last minute work to get you in the roadtrip mood. I have a steering damper on order (to stop the motorway wobble) that I need to fit before coming down to you too.

Can't comment on the tracking, don't know much about independent suspension. :D
 
There's a place near me advertising tracking for ?25 +VAT - is that what I need to do once the shocks are in? May have to do it again once the rear shocks and springs are installed, but that's not too bad for ?30 extra. It does however mean I have Sunday and Monday to fit them, then Tuesday we leave... :?

Yup; since your rears aren't struts you don't have to do a new tracking after replacing the rears, only the fronts.
 
Ah fair. Well its booked in now on Monday (cutting it nice and fine like Ice :p) to fit new shocks on the front. I'm supplying the parts and they will charge about ?150. Will get them to do the tracking as well. Ugh expensiveness! <_<

Annoyingly as well the shop I'm buying them from have said they don't have the springs in stock. I could drive an extra hour to another place that might (haven't checked) but its annoying that I can't get them to fit the springs while the struts are off... Considering I plan to fit new bushings and probably drop links as well I guess I'll need to re-track everything again anyway. Just shocks it is for the time being (considering that's the only thing that's wrong at the moment.
 
Springs will generally last forever barring serious rust or your desire to lower it so that's not a problem. Will they also replace the strut top bearings? They're usually in a single piece integrated with the strut mount but not usually included with the struts.
 
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