After recent topics about modifieing a grill. Has Anyone of you noticed a higher temperature on the gauge. Mine seems to be gone up a little on country roads. On the freeway it is the same.

In Theory...
A meshed grill, depending on the mesh will actually reduce airflow, to the rad etc..
so its possible that temps could rise.. although I didn't personally think it would make that much difference!

Probably has to do with the fact that I've choosen the smallest mazed mesh. Pure for the looks as I don't plan on taking it to the track. (yet)

Originally posted by Injectie:
Pure for the looks as I don't plan on taking it to the track. (yet)[/b]I think it would be no good for the track. As Leon says, the mesh is quite restrictive and will make cooling less efficient.

Yes, it can... I think there's a number of factors at play. Firstly there's the reduction in open area. Secondly, I suspect the design of the grille may help to ensure that the airflow through the rads is maximised in some fashion...

I'll certainly be taking mine off for the track day...

Originally posted by Injectie:
After recent topics about modifieing a grill. Has Anyone of you noticed a higher temperature on the gauge. Mine seems to be gone up a little on country roads. On the freeway it is the same. [/b]No change in temp at all, as indicated by temp gauge in dash.

Originally posted by /john:
No change in temp at all, as indicated by temp gauge in dash. [/b]Later cars have the placebo guage..
Will only go above half if theres a serious impending failure! http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.gif

Originally posted by /john:
No change in temp at all, as indicated by temp gauge in dash. [/b]That's probably because you've got the "placebo" gauge... it was introduced about 1994 after owners were being unsettled by seeing wide variations on the temp gauge. Basically, it provides an indication of how "warmed up" the car is, then once it's got to operating temp, sits pretty steady unless things start to get seriously hot...

I love to see the movement in mine.

When cold mine obviously sits low, after 2-3 miles you can see the stat open and the guage swings to about 10:00, over then next mile or so, it then drops to 07:00 and back up to 08:00 where it then settles.

Very reasuring, and the see it rise and fall with the throttle is a pleasure all you new fangled '94 9000 and later other owners will just have to dream about.

Andrew

Hi,

I´ve got a small-meshed grille on my Viggen. A friend of mine was told by Rene Hirsch of Hirsch Performance that the mesh-grille reduces airflow, but if combined with the Viggen Bumper (large opening), it should be ok.

Placebo gauge: I think I have that one on my viggen: Even after >150 mph runs on the autobahn, it stays in the middle. I´ve never seen it move afterwards ;-)

Yours,

Philip

Originally posted by Leon (agent K):
*QUOTE
Originally posted by /john:
No change in temp at all, as indicated by temp gauge in dash. [/b]Later cars have the placebo guage..
Will only go above half if theres a serious impending failure! http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.gif [/b][/quote]Oh great! http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif Thanks a bundle, GM I've got a gauge on my dash that tells me nothing. It did not even go skyward when the headgasket gave up the other week. Why do I bother looking at it

Posted by Scaero
Very reasuring, and the see it rise and fall with the throttle is a pleasure all you new fangled '94 9000 and later other owners will just have to dream about.[/b]My '94 9000 has the real gauge in (rises falls &c) : I thought it was '96 on that got placebos

Of course if you're really worried you can always fit a propper VDO gauge in a spare DIN slot alongside the real boost gauge and an oil pressure gauge for good measure.

Or did GM do away with the extra DIN slots on their 900s/9-3 too... http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Doh! Leon beat me to it...

SteveN I'm assuming it's post 94 'cos that's when the second version of Trionic was introduced, but I could very easily be wrong... maybe you got a late 93 registered 94?

SteveN I'm assuming it's post 94 'cos that's when the second version of Trionic was introduced, but I could very easily be wrong... maybe you got a late 93 registered 94?[/b]Mine is MY94 according to the VIN. I read somewhere it was '96 on things changed but can't think where now (it could actually have been MY95 ie September '94 on). Of course when did SAAB ever build an exact to spec car ?

Originally posted by SteveN:
I thought it was '96 on that got placebos[/b]My MY95 (late '94) 2.0LPT has a real gauge. My MY96 CSE and MY96 Aero have the placebo gauge. From this, I assume that the placebo gauge was introduced in MY96.

Originally posted by Leon (agent K):
*QUOTE
Originally posted by /john:
No change in temp at all, as indicated by temp gauge in dash. [/b]Later cars have the placebo guage..
Will only go above half if theres a serious impending failure! http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.gif [/b][/quote]And here's me thinking that my car (9-3) has some kind of supa-dupa cooling system!

Hi,

I have a 9-3, from 1999 and my temp. gauges are not the placebos, as my wife almost blew the engine one day, the gauges went into max!!!! and right it was, I had to pour a full gallon of cooling fluid on! It had blown the headgasket!

Later cars have the placebo guage..
Will only go above half if theres a serious impending failure![/b]
I have a 9-3, from 1999 and my temp. gauges are not the placebos, as my wife almost blew the engine one day, the gauges went into max!!!! and right it was, I had to pour a full gallon of cooling fluid on! It had blown the headgasket *[/b]Note the above.. believe me your gauge is a placebo.. it showed normal.. until impending failure.. and then max and then boom!

If you drive an older car, you'll see the gauge move around all the time... instead of just in extreme situations.

Hmm, quite unsettling. And it's true, on my MY99 9-3, the gauge never really does move beyond half, except the one time I sprang a coolant leak and pumped most of the coolant out http://www.saabscene.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif Then it definitely moved skyward, with the SID screaming "fill coolant level" at the same time.

Next on the list is a real temp gauge, for sure! Was also thinking about getting a colder thermostat. Any ideas as to whether that will make a noticeable difference?

[quote]Originally posted by SteveN:
[QB] Of course if you're really worried you can always fit a propper VDO gauge in a spare DIN slot alongside the real boost gauge and an oil pressure gauge for good measure.

Anyone know where you can buy an insert which has the three holes for these three gauges? I know I can get them from SAS in the States but is there anywhere in the UK supply them?

Thanks

Originally posted by Andy Aero
Anyone know where you can buy an insert which has the three holes for these three gauges? I know I can get them from SAS in the States but is there anywhere in the UK supply them?[/b]I got mine from SAS in the States after I couldn't find anywhere in the UK. I was told SAAB don't stock them anymore & I think the SAS ones are copies not originals. They look pretty good tho'