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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » well, discovered the root of my saab's issues

Nov. 1, 2010 5:24 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I had asked before for help in diagnosing my saab's drivability issues. All this week it has refused to rev above 3 grand and anytime it got close, it would throw a CEL.

Well, yesterday, that all cleared up and the car has been running like a champ again. When I got home.. I discovered several chunks of catalytic Converter matrix in my driveway where I park my saab. Seems the 225,000 mile cat is in inop and breaking up, with parts getting jammed in my exhaust system.

Looks like I am going to have to temporarily gut it until spring when she comes off of the road for a trionic 5 turbo engine rebuild with parts from my NG900. At least I know what is going on now, rather than chasing problems like a dog chases it's tail
Nov. 1, 2010 6:34 p.m. dj New Reader

Just another reason why catalytic converters are the devil.
Nov. 1, 2010 6:50 p.m. TJ SuperDork

Except for the great job they do reducing emissions.
Nov. 1, 2010 9:03 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

cat-less exhaust on saabs sound good...
Nov. 1, 2010 10:07 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

wow.. over on saabcentral.. I got raked over the coals for saying I was going to temporarily gut the cat.. you would think I was out making babies breath right from the tailpipe
Nov. 1, 2010 10:46 p.m. snipes Reader

mad_machine I just checked out your reader's rides and voted up the S for you. Glad to hear it's running better.
Nov. 2, 2010 12:08 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

thanks.. I am glad it is running better too
Nov. 2, 2010 9:49 a.m. red5_02 New Reader

mad_machine wrote:

wow.. over on saabcentral.. I got raked over the coals for saying I was going to temporarily gut the cat.. you would think I was out making babies breath right from the tailpipe

These people have obviously never been to Appalachia. Heck there's a Fox body in the garage right now with no cats on it. Sounds AWESOME.
Nov. 2, 2010 9:51 a.m. 81gtv6 Dork

Very nice, I wouldn't too bent out of shape about the exhaust, there is a chance it doesn't even need the cat to pass emissions.

Besides you need to start saving up fo the 3in DP with the high flow car for the turbo anyway, right.
Nov. 2, 2010 9:52 a.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

mad_machine wrote:

wow.. over on saabcentral.. I got raked over the coals for saying I was going to temporarily gut the cat.. you would think I was out making babies breath right from the tailpipe

Post a picture of my car and let the gnashing of teeth begin.
Nov. 2, 2010 11:13 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

thanks guys.. I am not going to let a couple of do gooders keep me from keeping my saab driveable. I can be the same way when people mention wanting to remove cats for "performance" reasons.. but this is purely economic and necessity
Nov. 2, 2010 12:17 p.m. Travis_K Dork

Removing a cat on a street car for performance reasons is dumb, gutting one that is falling apart and makes your car run like crap until you can afford to replace it is normal IMO, although make sure you dont post any pics that you can read the liscense plate number online, cause it is still illegal.
Nov. 2, 2010 3:51 p.m. RexSeven Dork

Old Saabs seem to be magnets for granola crunchers, so I'm not surprised to see you taking some heat from them. I'm happy to hear it's running better and good luck with the swap!
Nov. 2, 2010 5:29 p.m. procainestart Dork

RexSeven wrote:

Old Saabs seem to be magnets for granola crunchers

I know lots of owners of old Saabs and have spent too much time on forums for old Saabs. While I personally love me some granola (so much that I own two '80s 900s), a majority of the Saab folks I've met do not (yet still own the cars).

Incidentally, one of these Saab owners I know has a catless mid-80s Saab. His car has passed emissions multiple times without it.

Remember, too, that every two-stroke Saab still out there belches massive amounts of pollution. Of course, some Saab owners have converted their two-strokes to four, you know, because they run cleaner :
Nov. 2, 2010 6:41 p.m. RexSeven Dork

Dunno where you live, but in MA, southern NH, and esp. in VT most of the surviving C900s I see have some sort of eco-friendly bumper sticker message on it. Anything older than a C900 has rusted to powder by now.

That's a sick salt racer, BTW.
Nov. 3, 2010 12:05 a.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

IMO, the car has been the "scapegoat" for air pollution for much longer than it should have been. Regulations on automobiles seem to have been tighter (and for a longer period of time) than the regulations on any other thing that burns fossil fuels. Home heating, restaurants, power plants, boats, etc., etc.

In most US cities, a modern car with working smog stuff would actually purify the air running through its system. Don't sweat running without the cat for a few months.
Nov. 3, 2010 12:12 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I remember when Saab introduced the Trionic 5 system. They did it in London and one of the tests they did was to sample the ambiant air for pollutants.. and then they started the car to measure what was coming out of the tailpipe... and like you said, what was coming out of the car was cleaner than what was going in.

To further show off T5.. they hooked a 2 stroke saab's exhaust up to the intake.. and while the T5 saab was not happy, what came out of it was just as clean
Nov. 3, 2010 5:10 a.m. 11110000 Reader

friedgreencorrado wrote:

In most US cities, a modern car with working smog stuff would actually purify the air running through its system. Don't sweat running without the cat for a few months.

My Volvo has the special PremAire coating on the radiator to help eat ozone. I'll drive around behind you and clean up your mess.
Nov. 3, 2010 8:57 p.m. oldeskewltoy Reader

procainestart wrote:

RexSeven wrote:
...

I thought that SAAB looked familiar....

This was that car about 6 weeks back being tuned @ Loynings in Portland before heading out to Bonneville. I believe it clocked 149+ mph runnning motorcycle power
Nov. 3, 2010 9:22 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I bet those aero/teardrop saabs could do well on the salt
Nov. 6, 2010 7:10 p.m. MikeD New Reader

T5 is pretty sick ive converted a few classics over to a full T5 setup..
Nov. 7, 2010 3:20 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I am sure it is easier with a full parts car to pull from :)
Nov. 7, 2010 4:48 p.m. alfadriver SuperDork

friedgreencorrado wrote: In most US cities, a modern car with working smog stuff would actually purify the air running through its system. Don't sweat running without the cat for a few months.

Not very many are capable of that, and only in a few cities. BTDT, seen the data.

my editorial- as long as you are planning on installing the cat soon enough....

(BTW, it drives me crazy to hear claims about people removing catalysts and still passing emissions- they are NOT! The car may be passing the local tests, but that's not exactly clean- my research shows that most of the tests are set up to pass a decent running car w/o cats- which is a LONG way from what the rules stipulate)
Nov. 7, 2010 4:53 p.m. dsycks New Reader

Agree on Appalachia. Around here cats are put in burlap sacks and thrown into lakes.
Nov. 7, 2010 7:03 p.m. procainestart Dork

oldeskewltoy wrote:

I thought that SAAB looked familiar....

This was that car about 6 weeks back being tuned @ Loynings in Portland before heading out to Bonneville. I believe it clocked 149+ mph runnning motorcycle power

A friend of mine went along to help out with the car. The car hit 147+ on its fastest run; average of the two runs was 145.680, so that's the record in I/GALT class.

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