[susu12041]

Hi everybody
I'm on my third saab convertible and was delighted to find an S reg in pristine condition, only one owner. 53K miles, full service dealer...... but today the belt that drives the power steering somehow had come off the pulleys. is this a usual event? People are talking to me about a previous mechanic having put on a "short belt" to bypass the air conditioning unit - the car's in and hopefully, just having the belt replaced. but I'd appreciate some feedback from anyone who has experienced this problem before. i find it hard to believe that the lovely older couple who sold me the car would have any idea about a problem with the air conditioning, and , no, I didn't check it.....

Anyway, I'm glad to be part of saab forum.
susu12041

 

[aerojon]

Re: power steering belt "jumped off" my newly acquired S reg 900 convertible

Welcome to SS..

moved to 900 workshop

 

[VincentD]

Re: power steering belt "jumped off" my newly acquired S reg 900 convertible

As I don't know what an 'S' registration is (I'm stuck on the other side of the planet in Bangkok), I'm only offering an opinion.

The 'short belt' modification does not bypass the airconditioner. It does, however, bypass the idler pulley in the NG900 engine. This is already done by design with the 9-3.
http://pages.infinit.net/mlbriand/saab/shortbelt/page1.html

It's more likely the belt jumped off because something is stuck; probably one of the pulleys. Check each pulley by hand, they should rotate freely without binding or wobbling. If they do, you may need to replace these before getting a new belt fitted.