1989 Saab 900 S

Rear Badge

2009-04-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Rear badge photo

Power Steering fluid still leaking

2009-04-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

After a week, I noticed the PS fluid was still leaking. In fact, it seems to have gotten worse. It went from the max line to the "add fluid" line in a matter of weeks.

This time I loosened the bolts that were holding the reservoir to get a closer look. Well, apparently, the clamp is nice and tight, but it's clamping down on nothing but the hose and not the reservoir nozzle (sorry about image quality. Don't like handling my Nikon when my hands are covered in grease).

The fix (without having to spill oil all over the place) is very simple. Just attach another clamp in the proper place. Don't even need to remove the old clamp. Just loosen it so it is no longer warping the hose.

May, 16, 2009: As an update, even tightening the clamps properly didn't do the trick. I'm still getting PS fluid on the ground where I park my car. My local indie mechanic (Swedish Auto Tech in North Hollywood) diagnosed the problem as having a faulty steering rack. Problem solved. (properly this time!)

Leaking Reservoirs!

2009-04-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

OK, so the reality of owning and driving a 20 year old car is that you have to be willing to pop open the hood on a regular basis. This isn't like your typical new BMW or Audi where you drive it into the dealership once a year, get a loaner, and then come back in a few days to pick your car up fully serviced and washed.

Lately, my coolant levels and power steering fluids have been dropping a little too quick for comfort so I had to tighten some hose clamps.

Leaking PS reservoir

The coolant hoses were a bit tougher. It took me some time to localize where the slow leak was coming from. Turns out it was one of the lower coolant hoses that connect directly to the radiator. The clamp wasn't easy to access. I had to remove the radiator fan in order to tighten in properly.

Also, it seems the upper reservoir hose looks a bit brittle and there is some caked coolant residue. Will probably have to replace that hose the next time I flush the radiator.

With my c900, I generally work on my car every weekend. Tasks can range from a wash/detail to resealing your windshield, oil/filter change, inspecting your belts and hoses, etc. And then occasionally, you need some kind of major repair.

This type of automobile/driver relationship isn't for everyone. But for people that enjoy working on cars (like me), they wouldn't have it any other way! Not only is there a great deal of satisfaction in maintaining and repairing your own ride, it also creates a stronger bond with your car. I always get attached to the cars I drive, but I have to say that in the short time that I've driven my Saab 900 S, I've grown more attached to it than any other car.

Debadged Rear

2009-01-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of crud building up on the edges of the rear badges so I took all of them off to give my car a proper polishing. I have a brand new Griffin badge ready to go and originally planned to rebadge everything, but I'm starting to like how clean my car looks.

Right now, the paint is showing faint signs of where the old badges were. However, I expect these to become less visible in a week or so.

Since I'm really enjoying the clean look of my car, I might just go for something like this and not reattach any of the original Saab lettered badging.

Protection from the Elements

2008-12-30T08:21:00.001-08:00

This is what a car with proper paint protection should look like when exposed to the elements.

My Newly Acquired 1989 Saab 900 S

2008-11-23T19:42:00.001-08:00

Spent most of the weekend detailing my newly acquired '89 900S. Single stage paint rocks. This was the first time working extensively with this type of paint... Much easier to work with than modern clear-coats.... swirls go away easier...no need to polish in mortal fear of removing too much clear. The only downside is that your polishing/compounding pads turn the color of your paint.

Anyone who says dual stage paints are glossier needs to come see my car in person. Also, try neglecting a it for a while and see how ugly clear coat failure looks. Nothing can be done except for a repaint.

The SS paint on my car has been semi-neglected since God knows when...but when I'm done with my car, it'll look like it came right out of a showroom.

I'm not even close to done yet. Still need to do something about the faded bumpers, rejuvenate the trim, and a lot of little details here and there. I went through about 3 claybars, gallons of vinegar (for the waterspots), blackened several compounding pads and gave my vacuum a nice workout. Still need a few more weekends to get the car looking how I want it to look...