[prm]

Became the proud owner of a 'R' reg 9000 Aero 3 weeks ago. Not so proud any more as the transmission (manual) has dumped all of its oil quite rapidly and started to whine in 1st and 2nd. Car is curently at Doves Saab in Croydon awaiting inspection but any advice would be welcome, especially how and where to get a SH box if worst comes to worst - I was quoted over £1300 for a recon box!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[mpen]

Paul
SAABTEC has just supplied me with a reconditioned gearbox for my 1995 Aero and its running very smooth

 

[mpen]

Paul if you do call tell Richard Mark from Preston told you to call, I owe him that

 

[wrighar]

Paul M,

A 94-97 Aero box shouldn't be too had to get, £1300 sounds like the price of a genuine Saab exchange unit.

Depending on warranty, history and rebuild level, you could get a box from £300 up (assuming Mpen and BillJ haven't used them all)

It's the '93 Aero box that's like rocking horse manure.

While it's out, and depending on milage, think about changing the clutch too (and maybe the slave cylinder).

Andrew.

 

[john]

Welcome to Saabscene, Paul M.

Did you buy the car from a trader or a private individual?

 

[prm]

Thanks for the replies. I don't yet know the worst but I will try SAABTEC (thanks Mpen). ScAero, any other suggestions of where I can start looking for a reasonable priced box?

/john, I bought it privately. I am a bit jacked off as I noticed the box had had some work done (evidence of gasket goo) and the seller denied all knowledge. BUT when I did a search on Google 'Saab 9000 gearbox' I found a whole set of pictures of him rebuilding this particular box! Apparently he replaced 2 gear synchro but it was still slightly notchy when I bought the car so had I known I would have thought twice. The rebuild didn't go right first time either; have a look for yourself and you will see why I am worried.

I emailed the guy to see what else was done but I've not had a reply yet. Well, as we all know, all is fair in Love, War and Second hand car deals

Paul

 

[wrighar]

There are only 2 sets of gearbox rebuild pics floating around the net to my knowledge, mine for a pre 94 gearbox, and someone who was on here called DrD? who did a post 94 Gearbox.

Andrew

 

[prm]

Verdict: Collapsed differential bearings hence damaged diff. oil seals and no oil on the gearbox.

Main dealer quoting £1880 to fit Saab recon box so any help appreciated. Dealer will fit a SH box for £300, so any SH boxes?

As you say,Andrew (Scaero) there are only two sets of pics around and it is not one of yours. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the business of slagging people off but a bit more honesty would have been appreciated in this case. I am not certain this failure could have been predicted but i am still p****d off. I did however have a reply from the seller but it will not help my wallet! I guess I've just joined the 9000 club !!??

Paul

 

[billj]

Welcome to Saabscene, Paul. Sorry that you had to join us under such unpleasant circumstances.

I don't know whether you're into performance, but for £920+VAT including removing and replacing the gearbox, Abbott Racing will fit a brand new limited-slip diff and do a gearbox rebuild, fitting new parts where necessary (within reasonable limits). Even if you just go for a standard diff, an Abbott rebuild will leave the 'box feeling like new.

There will surely be others who will do a good job too, but a main dealer will probably not give the best value for this type of work. A Saab recon. 'box is expensive, as you've found out, and the only other option they'll give you is a secondhand gearbox, which will be an unknown quantity.

In the long term, a rebuild by a reputable specialist should be safer than a secondhand unit, yet probably still a lot cheaper than a Saab recon. 'box.

 

[aeropilot]

Paul,
I'd go along with what Bill says, the Abbott Racing route with the LSD is the best bet, this what I did when I was in a similar situation to you not long after buying my Aero....

Alternatively, a rebuild by a known independant specialist would be preferable than going down the secondhand gearbox route, which unless the donar car is known, could be false economy....that could go bang in a matter of days and you'd be back where you started and be even worse off..........

 

[mark e]

Welome, Paul

A recon of your present box at a decent indy will cost you in the region of £500 plus VAT, although this may not include a diff.

I suspect from your description that there are probably quite a few worn components, so Abbott would probably have to charge you a bit more than the figure Bill quoted- they did for me.

A S/H box may be an option, but to be honest by the time you buy one from a reputable source I would expect the total cost to be not far short of a rebuild. You'll have an unknown history with the s/h box and although it may have a 3-6 month warranty, there's no knowing what happens after that. If you intend to keep the car for a while, I would recommend a rebuild.

 

[1989agoodvintage]

That would be DrD who you bought the car from Paul, I remember it was advertised in the classifieds here not long ago.

Unfortunately at least 3 Aero owners who contribute here have suffered gearbox failures in recent months. Does seem to be a weakpoint in the 9000 Aero.

I'd back others in saying that the Abbott rebuild + LSD upgrade would be the most cost effective solution.

 

[ylee coyote]

I would add the same...the abbott re-build is very good value for money imho..

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by Paul M:
[qb]I am a bit jacked off as I noticed the box had had some work done (evidence of gasket goo) and the seller denied all knowledge. I emailed the guy to see what else was done but I've not had a reply yet. Well, as we all know, all is fair in Love, War and Second hand car deals

Paul [/qb][/b]

Paul, in general terms, although private deals are not covered by the Sale of Goods and Services Act, if you can show that the seller has misrepresented the information or knowingly given false information, then you may well be entitled to pursue a claim on that basis.

HTH

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Mark E:
[qb]I suspect from your description that there are probably quite a few worn components, so Abbott would probably have to charge you a bit more than the figure Bill quoted- they did for me.[/qb][/b]

True. I remember that when I was having a large amount of transmission work done, Abbott said that £920 was their standard price for fitting an LSD and rebuilding the gearbox "within reason" so they could warrant the work - this would include a limited number of new parts. If more parts and labour were required to bring the gearbox up to scratch, they would naturally have to charge extra accordingly.

I paid a lot more, of course, as I had a sport clutch, lower final drive and gearbox mount fitted in addition to the LSD and rebuild.

 

[prm]

Thanks for all the advice. LSD is tempting and I know that a SH unit is not really the answer - just that cash flow is tight at the moment (I can't tell the other half that the wedding in June is being postponed - or can I?? )

I'm sure the LSD is great when you really boot it but what is it like on tyres, fuel consumption etc when driving normally? Previous experience of a LSD was in a 160BHP MkII Escort and was great on the gravel but was noisy round town and needed adjustment occasionally.

Paul

 

[billj]

The Abbott LSD is actually a Quaife unit (Abbott are the sole outlet for this unit, as I believe they paid for the development). It as a Torsen-type unit, I believe and requires no adjusting. It is also progressive and while both tyres have equal traction, I believe it is equivalent to a normal diff. It is only under circumstances when you would be inducing tyre wear anyway that it will be hard on tyres because you are putting more torque through the tyre that has more grip.

This diff does not lock, so you will always have a differential action to avoid scuffing tyres, unless you boot it so hard that both tyres break free. This is the only downside of the LSD - that when you finally break traction, you end up with no front-end grip. The first time I encountered this, in Mark E's car in the pouring rain on a bend, I automatically backed off the throttle a little and regained grip (and steering). Having become aware of it, it has not been a problem since.

The effect of the diff is transparent in "normal" driving, but progressive and very useful when driven with spirit.

 

[ylee coyote]

lsd is quiet ..it uses the quaife visco-elastic coupling type stuff (do not know the proper description)and as such needs no adjustment..the new rs focus uses the same lsd technology

It is great
the steering gets a little heavier but you now spin both wheels

 

[aeropilot]

Paul,
Mk11 Escort with LSD.....
Aah, them were the days.....
Seriously...Paul, no need to worry about the Quaife LSD from Abbott, it's nothing like the Salisbury clutch unit that you obviously had in the Escort. The Quiafe ATB diif from Abbott, as described by BillJ and Ylee above, is not a clutch type diff and is a fit and forget unit. It is silent in operation, and in 'normal' operation you won't even notice it's there. There will be no difference in tyre wear, in fact, in theory it should be better because of the inproved traction, and I noticed no increase in fuel consumption.
I've also got the same Quaife LSD type installed in my Sunbeam-Lotus, and this doesn't display any of the nasty charactersitics that you discribe regarding the one you had in the Escort.

Go for it....you won't be disapointed, and you can just tell the missus that it's a gearbox rebuild....no need to mention the LSD......she won't notice.....