2005 9.2x Linear

Update your progress on your various car projects.

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GMJohnny
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:56 am
Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

On Wednesday, I decided to do a little bit of "get ready for winter" stuff to the Saab.
I rotated the tires, putting the fronts on the rear and vice versa. The fronts were a bit
rounded on the corners and worn a bit more than the rears. The "squarer" ones are on
the front now. I also took the advice of the previous owner and changed the rear rotors,
only about 20,000 miles later. At 92,100 miles, the rears didn't look terrible, but after
changing them, there was a noticeable difference in the feel of the brake pedal. The job
was a cinch, except the passenger side was pretty tough to get off... until I realized that
I had the emergency brake on. Once I released the parking brake, it came right off. Imagine
that....... I also changed the oil and topped all of the fluids...... Ready for winter!!

GM
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

The snowfall we had the other day drove me to replace my windshield smearers on the Saab.
When did windshield wipers start costing $18.00 each? I took off the winter blades because
the really great ones that I bought last year would not contact the window at 55 mph and up.
These freezing conditions create issues for wipers on cars in our area. It's pretty frustrating.

I'm also contemplating putting bigger wheels on the car when I replace the tires. The tires on the
car will make it until next fall, so there's no rush, but I've begun looking at wheels from Subaru's
and some aftermarkets as well. I really want to get darker colored wheels because of the brake
dust that always seems to be on the front wheels. Since this car always seems to be last on the
list when it comes to clean-up and external maintenance, the darker colored wheels would help it
look cleaner longer. So far, I'm finding that wheels should not be too expensive, and 17" tires to
fit won't be too tragic price-wise. Since there are no realistic speed and performance upgrades
available for the motor, I've rationalized to myself that spending the money will be ok.

GM
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

It has been so cold that my garage temperature has fallen below freezing. This is only the second time
since I've been in this house that I've seen that happen. So, the other day I parked my car after driving
it home from work. The next morning I jumped in it to go to work and it felt like I blew a belt out on one
of the tires. I'm taking the car to New Jersey this weekend and thought to myself "Here we go, I don't
need a problem to arise while I'm en route." I pulled the car into the shop at work to check it out. Three
of the four wheels had so much snow built up on the rim that was the "bottom part" when it was parked
during a storm. The snow had frozen and not melted, creating an imbalance in the tires. I was able to
rinse the ice off after letting the car sit in the shop for about an hour and a half. I also took the ten minutes
to rinse the car off and let it dry before going home. I have the cleanest car in Northeast Ohio now.... and
it once again rolls down the highway smoothly...

GM
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MostMint
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Location: planning a race

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by MostMint »

Last night I did the same on Elwood both front tires had ice on like half the rim - I used the furnace in the garage to get enough heat to loosen it.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
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GMJohnny
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:56 am
Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

A guy at work questioned why I was bringing the Saab in the shop. I explained my
situation. He was experiencing the same issue and didn't know what was causing it.
He repaired his car the same way I did mine. Must be a phenomenon like the recent
"snow rollers" we've been seeing. Huh............

GM
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Basement Paul
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Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:27 pm
Location: In the dirt.

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by Basement Paul »

"You got mud in your tars".

-BP
AKROVER
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Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 2:49 am
Location: Anchorage, Alaska

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by AKROVER »

I had the same thing happen in Montana recently. The rental car was parked for a day and a half of wind and snow. One entire wheel well on the passenger side was packed in. I pulled over in the first block to find out what the grinding sound was. Cleared that, headed down the road, and when the speed got up to 50, the car started shaking. I pulled over and tried to scrape, but the car had steel wheels and the only access was from the back. The roads were snow covered and we were only driving an hour, so I accepted the imbalance. Luckily it warmed up the last day we were there because I had no way of cleaning it out and 80 mph speed limits on my way back to SLC.
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GMJohnny
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Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

The Saab and I just returned from a white-knuckle trip to New Jersey and back. On the
way to New Jersey I had light snow for the first hour of the trip.... Not enough to slow us
down. I made the trip in seven hours. On the way home, it was snowing the really wet
stuff in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania east of Carlisle. The trip took eight and a half
hours to complete on the way home. Both ways I was able to get near 30 mpg. The little
car does really well in the snow and on the road. The real issue when trying to drive as
fast as safely possible in the snow is that the car is light. Switching lanes is a bit of a
challenge and needs to be done very tactfully. I can tell you that I was the fastest driver
in New Jersey that day. I was able to very easily drive 50 mph in the high speed lane while
the rest of the crowd was going around 35. Experience helped I'm sure.


Image

Image


GM
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Basement Paul
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Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by Basement Paul »

Let's see the cargo...

-BP
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MostMint
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Location: planning a race

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by MostMint »

Put snow tires on there and that snow lane change will be a lot less eventful.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
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GMJohnny
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:56 am
Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

Snow tires would certainly help. I just don't think there's a need for them with
all wheel drive. I do kind of enjoy the challenge that goes with driving all seasons.

Anyway, this is what I went to New Jersey for.... I haven't posted it on Tiresmoke
yet, but I've been working on a Cub Cadet 124 that a guy gave me. It was sitting in
a field for five years or so and I brought it back from the grave. The deck I got for
$60 from a guy in Baltimore. My friend Jeff, who lives in New Jersey, just happened
to be on a sales call in Baltimore and was willing to go pick it up for me. I stole the
deck as the spindles are perfect and the steel is totally solid.... Only surface rust on
it. It gave me a good reason to go visit my friend also, I haven't seen him in a while.


Image

I will post more on the tractor when I get a bit more time and download the pics I have
of it.

GM
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GMJohnny
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:56 am
Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

On Sunday I got the timing belt changed on the Saab. It was due (according to the manual)
for a change at 105,000. The car now has 108,000 on it. I had the job done by my favorite
mechanic, because after watching the deal on youtube I realized that it was pretty involved.
The flat rate job was supposed to take 2 hours, so the labor portion was pretty cheap. The
kit, which included a water pump, belt tensioner and some seals was about $350.00. The job
was done successfully and now I'm back on the road. My radiator cap has failed. I don't know
how this can possibly happen, as I just put it on the car at around 80,000 miles. I've never
replaced a radiator cap on a car and this car is now on it's 2nd new one. That's ok I guess,
they only cost $8.00. The car has developed a bit of a stumble due to a misfire that the computer
will not process. I'm going to pull a plug out and check for bad plugs. I was told that if I didn't
use ultra platinum plugs, they'd go bad around 25,000 miles ..... Hopefully the plugs are bad
and that'll fix the issue. If not, I have borrowed a coil testing unit to tell me if the coil is failing.
Before winter, I need tires as well. I'm considering going to a bigger wheel and a bit wider tire
for the look. I can get a complete package of wheels and tires for around $900 - $1000 from
Tirerack. I can put tires on for around $450 or so. The wheels on the car really look crappy, so
I have to decide whether to paint the wheels or go to new ones. The car would look way better
with a little less sidewall on it.... more to come.

GM
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GMJohnny
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Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:56 am
Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

Since Wednesday is my day off, and the stumble on acceleration was driving me nuts,
I decided to change the plugs just for the heck of it. The interweb people suggested many
other reasons the car could be stumbling, so I covered some of those while I was changing
the plugs. On the passenger side of the car, the airbox must be removed to get the plugs out.
While off, I cleaned the MAF sensor and changed the air filter. I changed the plugs to platinum
plugs. The plugs that came out were not too bad looking, but the gaps were all over the place.
I think when I installed them I didn't check the gaps on them. The four plugs were
gapped at .40, .42, .50 & .55 .... yikes! The spec is for .40 gap. Needless to say, I checked
all four of the new plugs and made sure they were at .40. A test drive proved they cured
the issue. $20.00 well spent!

GM
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

After cleaning the MAF sensor, I forgot to plug it in. Duh. All kinds of lights were
flashing on the dash. I cleared them with my code scanner, because I knew what the
problem was. This created a situation where the computer had to "relearn" the idle
function. Last time I did this, I just waited it out until the car figured itself out under
normal driving conditions. Not this time. The Saab 9-2x forum said to turn the key in
the on position for 30 seconds without starting the car. Then start the car and let it
idle on its own, without any accessories on for 5 minutes. I did this and idle now is
perfect. It was getting pretty old having to restart the car at every traffic light because
the idle was so low that the car would stall.

GM
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 2005 9.2x Linear

Post by GMJohnny »

Prior to the New Jersey / Carlisle trip in early October, still trying to find the random misfire,
I replaced the coil. Still no help. Fortunately, the computer started showing a misfire in the
#3 cylinder. Hmmm, new plugs, new coil, 18 month old plug wires.... what was the problem?
I was stumped. I took it to my favorite mechanic, who test drove it. After scanning it for any
wild codes, he switched the #1 & #3 plug wires and then test drove it again. This time the
code came up as #1 cylinder misfire. The answer to the problem.... return your lifetime Napa
wires and get a new set. Done. Problem solved. I got 29-30 mpg on the near 1000 mile round
trip. On Wednesday I got an oil change, and I've already installed the windshield wipers I
purchased at the swap meet. At the meet, BP stumbled on a set of 17 x 7" factory Subaru
wheels with worn out tires on them for $100. After some research, I've found out that they were off
of a 2005 - 2009 Legacy. I mounted them on the car and drove them for a couple of days to
make sure they weren't junk. They rode very true, and now have been painted a dark charcoal
and are waiting for me to purchase tires for them. I'll do this in the next week or so. Pics will
be posted when the package is complete.


GM
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