20 Most Recent 1998 Saab 900 - Page 4 Questions & Answers

Take a look at www.saabservices.com website, and click on convertible top issues.
There is a huge amount of stuff there, including diagnostics info at the bottom of the page.
The tonneau motor is the most common problem, and they sell them. Another possible issue is a bad 5th bow potentiometer. Good luck!

for a 1998 vehicle? it's not still under warranty is it? the main reason to take your vehicle to the dealership in my opinion is that you still have a warranty and you don't want to void it. where i live the local dealership charges $95 hour. to me that would be a good reason to not go there. i would look in the phone book where you live and find some shops that are listed under automotive electrical and tell them what you have. i would be really surprised if one of them can't help you. these shops aren't cheap, probably charge more for their time then general service shops, but all they do is electrical and they are really good at it. what is likely to happen if you take a ten year old car to the dealership is that the dealership will have their used car guys work on it. the new car guys have to learn new stuff all the time so they usually only go five years out. hope that helps.

the code should be written in the owners manual when the vehicle was first purchased if not you can go to any saab dealership with proof of ownership and they will give you the code but make sure you write it in the space provided in manual just incase this happens again

If your hearing the relay engage and disengage chances are the motor in the power roof decided to quit in that position fact tip these power roofs and window usually quit at the end of close or end of open i personally would consider replacement of the power roof motor.

Remove radio.

Record radio serial number.

Got to dealer with proof of ownership papers.

Get dealer to look up radio code.

I wrong code entered three times radio will lock up for 24 hours.

Need to have radio powered up all this time until screen says CODE.

I recently had the alternator fail on my 1998 Saab 900s Turbo 2.0 and realize that it's removal and replacement is not the most straightforward process.
While there are quite a few places to look for assistance in removing the alternator, many of them point to the 93 or early 900's.
I won't go into great detail of the removal of every single bolt, but will try and give a decent step by step of the entire process. I should note that most of the resources you find online are correct up until actually taking the alternator out of the vehicle. That's not to say the rest is easy, but getting the thing out of the engine bay is a chore. Many books and online resources give misinformation as to this process and it took me some time to realize that.
Here is a rough step-by-step:
Remove the air box/cleaner
Pry back the tensioner and remove the belt (inspect and/or replace)
Remove the tensioner altogether (some resources say this isn't necessary, do yourself a favor and just take it out, it's difficult but worth it and you can check the pulley, mine was bad.)
Remove the right, front wheel.
Remove the lower bolt that mounts the alternator. (Should be 5/16 or 7/16 hex, recessed)
Remove the upper bolt for the alternator mount. (This is very tough to get at but be patient)
The alternator will likely be stuck in it's mounts. Give each one a shot of lubricant.
While letting the lube set a bit, you can get under the vehicle (make sure it's supported properly) and remove the two cables from the back of the alternator. They can be seen just above the catalytic converter towards the passenger side of the vehicle. A universal socket helps a lot with these two. (you can also un-mount the alternator and spin it around to remove the wires, either method is of equal difficulty)
You'll now need to pry the alternator from it's mounts. It takes a fair bit of force but DO NOT hit your alternator with a pin/hammer. I ended up using a small tire iron and working it out by prying against the engine block. It will come.
Now that your alternator is removed from it's mounts you have the glorious task of trying to get it out of the vehicle. Some books and online resources will simply say to pull it through the hole in the fender well. After trying every which way you'll realize this simply isn't going to happen, curse, and start hunting online for a solution.
The solution is not to remove an axle or stabilizer.
The easiest way is to take the alternator out from underneath the vehicle. The easiest way to do that is to move the exhaust out of your way. This is not nearly as difficult as it sounds.
There are three bolts which hold your turbo header on to the back of the turbo itself. Remove these three bolts. The two top ones are pretty simple, the bottom one is a bit of a pain. All are 1/2" or 13mm.
Once removed you'll have a little play with the exhaust but you'll also need to remove the two front rubber hangers. This actually took quite a bit of effort and force but once you get them off you're almost home.
This next bit is important. Do yourself a favor and remove the front-most Oxygen sensor. The last thing you want to do is break the sensors or the wires. There is a second sensor right behind the catalytic converter, you can remove this but it's not necessary, just make sure it's wire is out of the way and you have plenty of slack for the next step.
Now you should have plenty of play in the front of your exhaust system. Gently pull the exhaust down (be sure the turbo header is pulled out of the mounting bolts) and hold it away from the passenger side of the vehicle.
There is a gap where you removed one of the exhaust hangers that the alternator can fit through. Be very patient, you'll need to try a few different angles but it WILL drop.
Repair or replace the alternator and do this process in reverse. Getting the alternator back in it's mounts is a chore, but she'll go. I had to use a 2x4 to pry it into place.
I did this job in 15 degree weather, outside, in Maine. If I can do it, you can do it. Just be patient.

head gasket?

Is the belt ok?

Try installing a block heater we use them here in Canada and they work also drop from 10 w 30 to 5 w 30 oil till spring then go back.

if iam right here and its an opel engine then is behind the front timing cover and also means removing the timing belt if i remember rightly

I just went through HELL because my top would not go down! I did EVERY possible solution with NO AVAIL! So anyway, Im in the trunk and noticed a baggy sack hanging in the trunk.. So I figured it was for the roof.. Anyway the sack has 2 straps to hold it up for more room when the top is UP. So I said "I Wonder...." I released the straps and the bag hung again, and GUESS WHAT? Yea the roof works!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it is a little difficult to reach, but that's how I've always done it.

The ignition is in the center console between the front seats.Depress the clutch and put the shifter into reverse position.Put the key in ignition and turn till it starts.The transmission should always be in Reverse position before removing key from ignition cyclinder.

O2 sensor. There are troubleshooting procedures here: http://www.obd-codes.com/p0140
Procedures require the use of a good OBD II scanner.
If you have the money, you can try replacing the sensor to see if it clears the code. It's easy to replace.

perhaps the code is wrong or you are doing it wrong and not pressing lock in code button whichever one it is ,read the manual again

What happened to the brakes,? Did you have them before you started this project? I don't think the lines need to be replaced. I would only do that if they were leaking or damaged. Your proportioning valve going bad is rare. Is there any rust under there? Are the pistons on the calipers rusted? Did they readjust to the new pads? Did you move them to fit the new pads? How about the flexible hose? Is it in good shape? Try bleeding what you got before you start another project. Make sure they are moving, you might be needing to hone the pistons on the calipers. Hope this helps.

turbo probably siezed on it , may need to get a replacement or rebuild , it may also be a vacum problem check the vacum hoses to the turbo and the waste gate