4liter

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Hi folks, I see the forums here are very comparable to the likes of Saabnet and VWVortex and my hats off to all here who aren't afraid of owning and maintaining these rolling works of art. I'm waiting for the sale of my 9000 Aero so I'll have more funds for my future baby to be! I'm in on the lookout for a Shark myself. There is a prospect that which I'll be taking a trip to see very soon and according to his description, I feel somewhat nervous and more excited to see it as every day goes by because he has no idea when the cam belt has been changed, which would be my 1st point of business along with the water pump too. It's an '82 S 5 speed with a crunch in the 3rd gear synchro with 168xxx kilometers not miles which I believe could be a European variant but can anyone here tell me what else to look for to confirm this?. He just tuned her with a gasp...k&n filter , which I would put a paper element back in to spare the air flow meter the oil drip onto the hot wire. I’d dolly her back to NYC but I'd rather drive her If it doesn't pan out, I'll get back on the bus and move on to the next one. I don't have a problem with that.

Courtshark

haha, I'm selling a 9000 Aero, too. What year's yours? I'm also possibly selling my shark. No crunches here.

4liter

Wow, it's a small world Courtshark... it's a '96 Scarab Green w/ black interior w/5 speed. My other baby is a 2000 9-5 Aero Espresso Black w/ black interior 5 speed too. PCV#6 updated and oil pan cleaned w/ full synthetic and I may be selling her too if I get a 928...I'll need the cash for some basic repairs that I'll have to perform. I'll pick up a 900 CVT to keep as a get around car; I'll take my time on the car from Ohio if I decide to buy her. It's more DIY friendly than the 9-5 which I'm sure that you know by now LOL! I see that you like Saab's too! I've owned 13 of them and they were all great cars. So are you getting another 928?

dprantl

I stopped at the '91 9000T before the '94 engine redesign and sludge-deaths. 26psi is nice... until I hit the LH fuel cutoff, ouch!

Dan
'91 928GT S/C

4liter

91 9kt, those were slick. I had 2 of them. Great car 1st auto which coolant leaked into tranny from cooler then 2nd 5/speed smashed by sanitation truck while parked in 2002 blizzard. That sludge thing... yeah it's a pain...won't happen to my car though. 3,000 mile oil changes w/ full synthetic, newer PVC update and debris and varnish free oil pain and pick up screen, you can't go wrong.

Richard S

Don't worry about the K&N filter, the 82 doesn't have a hot-wire LH air flow meter....if a US model it has L-jet, if Euro then CIS. So K&N is just fine.

Rich

brutus

Jump right in the 928 is a great car and if that is a Euro S you will love the 300 HP.

4liter

Thanks Richard, that's good to know. It looks like some more reading up on the forums is next. I really would like to keep it stock and stick to the essentials, it already is a fast car I really do like my driver's license. However there is that serious exhaust note of a 928 my neighbors will love in stock form and they'll love it even more once I put the FLOWMASTER ON IT...hehehehe! I had a muffler shop open up my '87 560 SEC's exhaust up and replaced the rusted out center mufflers with straight pipes and then it sounded like it should have in the 1st place. They'll fall back in love with me again.

Courtshark

helps to have a brother who's a Saab mechanic. I've had too many to count... I want to say I'm up around #20 right now. I bought a few to fix and sell over the years, so that adds to the total. Sounds like a nice set of Aeros you got there. Weird how we have almost identical cars. I just sold my 92 900 turbo convertible. Wish I could have kept it... that thing was sweet.

The 928 sounds like an interesting pick up. Depending on the price, I'd strongly consider getting a PPI. Plenty of Porsche mechanics in the NYC area. And no need for flowmasters... just get a RMB and an X pipe. My exhaust (3.5") is TOO big right now, in that I think it's causing a power loss. Definite torque loss down low, but more than expected.

Good luck...

Mike Frye

Did I wander into the Saab forum?

Hey 4liter, Welcome!

Check out the New user thread for things to look for and definitely get a PPI. The 5 speed is definitely the way to go IMNSHO but the synchro issue might be a deal breaker. If you can get the price down to where the cost of a rebuilt trans will not price it beyond reason then it might be a good catch.

If it's a Euro 5 speed you're gonna like it from what I hear.



Turn key, grin, let out clutch and hang on!

hacker-pschorr

A 3rd gear issue is kind of odd even for these transmissions. Usually second gear is the first to go.

I'm a firm believer most early car syncro issues have as much to do with misaligned clutches as weak syncro's. My 81 still has the original 5-speed after 100,000+ miles. It never grinds unless my clutch is out of whack.
I’ve had a replacement in the garage for over two years now, waiting for this one to show any signs of its life ending. Even with over 400hp going through it I still have no reason to swap it out.
Before purchasing my 79, I was using this car for DE events and autocross.

Sorry

4liter

For sure Courtshark! They are nice thanks. That exhaust thing sounds like you're losing too muck back pressure. Maybe you can try a 2.75 exhaust I could be wrong because I'm uncertain of the intake/exhaust principles of the 928, but it may work better for a N/A car..I know it sounds awesome though!

dprantl

I may get flamed, but w/e. If you're looking for a 5-speed, I would not get anything earlier than an '85. Those have the newer transmissions with the Borg-Warner synchros that are nearly indestructible (I should know, I had an '86 for 70k miles that I shifted *hard* almost every day). The US '85 also has the 32valve engine 290hp and 302lb.ft torque and is definitely the best value 928 you can buy. The '85 also has LH 2.2 w/ MAF and EZF for ignition timing, as opposed to the inferior (IMO) L-Jet with air-flow meter and mechanical door to measure flow. The only plus I see on the pre-'85 US models is that they don't bend valves if the timing belt breaks. And the thing is, they US '85 and '86 are very similar in price to the earlier US models.

Then there's the Euro S cars with 300HP ('80 - '83) or 310HP ('84-'86). Again, I would not consider anything earlier than '85 due to the transmission synchros. Personally, I also think that the slight HP increase (but torque loss too) is not worth the extra price the Euro fetches. It is a little lighter, but not enough to make a substantial difference in performance. These also have shorter gearing, but I'm not too much of a fan of that either. 1st gear on a US '85 is plenty short for doing a burnout if that's what you want.

If you want the new body style, '87 and up is it. But keep in mind that these are usually much more expensive than the earlier US models. The newer models also come with bigger brakes. The bigger brakes actually started with EuroS '86 and US '86.5 models (last 4 VIN digits 1000 and up). Again, though, those may be substantially more expensive.

Dan
'91 928GT S/C

4liter

Thanks Mike, I've gotten him down to 2K because of the synchro issue but that's over the phone with emailed pics without even physically seeing or driving the car. It may be disappointing when I do see it but maybe it won't there’s always a chance that it could be a good catch. I know there is no such thing as a QUOTE budget 928, but a budget must be created to own one END OF QUOTE. It's a world of a difference to what I'm currently driving or ever driven. This would be my 1st 928 I'm cutting my teeth with, and I didn't want a 924 or 944. Not to say they aren't great cars but the 928 is what I've lusted for a very long time. I'm confident that I can do most of the stuff myself with help of the forum and my own skills and I too can bring my findings to the table as well. This will be an experience.

4liter

Thanks Hacker-Pschorr, I will investigate the clutch and engine mounts, most cars suffer this from misaligned gears from bad mounts.