saab sludging. MUST READ!

Now if you have a 2.3 N/A motor you could skip this thread, but if you are driving and 2.0 turbo or a 2.3 turbo (you lucky viggen drivers) than you need to read up.  There is a big problem with oil sludge in these cars.  And by sludge I do not mean that gooey stuff that can get dissolved.  I mean ROCKHARD carbon deposits in the oilpan.  This becomes a problem somewhere past 80K miles if you had your oilchanges done at about 4K and never missed a change.  What happens is this: these deposits start blocking the oil pick-up screen and once the screen is completely blocked the engine dies from oil starvation.  Now don't run away from a saa, please.  This is easily cleaned up if you get your oilpan taken off and the pick-up screen cleaned.  It may seem like a difficult job because you HAVE TO at least unbolt the front of the suframe, but in fact it only sounds big.  Took me about 3 hours with a lift, without a lift could take you may be 5 hours.  There have been updates to the PCV system that are supposed to help with avoiding sludge which should get installed as soon as you get a chance.  The only easy way to tell if you have a problem with sludge is to pull your valve cover (get a new gasket before you start and while it's off it might be a good idea to retorque the head bolts) and see if there are any carbon deposits there. 
 
This is not something that should make you not get a saab.  This is just something that you should be aware of when getting one)))

Hi
 
Your right about the oil strainer blocking up, but you do not have to remove the sub frame. Have a look at "How to remove oil strainer 9-5,sump" Des. As you said you should also change the breather pipes, approx, £25.
Be careful if you retorque head bolts on an Aluminium engine ????
 
Regards
Des

You have a 95:)))) You can't take the oil pan off on a 9-3 without undoing the subframe)))) And retorquing head bolts is only if you have the correct specs and a torque wrench.

Saabs all ship with Mobil 1 now and requier it at every change. Synthetic oil will not leave carbon deposits.

hehe...synthetic might not leave as much deposits, but it can still turn into sludge if ran long enough...but it's good to know that saab is going all synthetic.

I'm not sure what kind of oil the previous owner put in but I'm afraid it's cheap mineral oil ,so knowing the problem of oil sludge i think i should replace oil and probably do the engine flush,but what brand and type of synthetic oil works best for saabs?

knowing your engine I would not stop at that.  To REALLY prevent problems you should pull the oil pan off and get the screen cleaned. 

wow imma have to get this checked out at my next oil change

Do you know where to ge the oil pan gasket?Couldn't find it online.

there is no gasket...it's silicone...

i have a oil change in like 500 miles and ive been saving my money to have the oil sludge removed...wanna do a complete engine tune up...everything cant wait to see this bill

Can you describe step-by step procedures of removing oil pan?

that's what i found i carsurvey.com, ithink it might be useful.
OK, I here your problems and maybe I can offer some solutions to people who haven't had the sludge problem yet. First, when you buy a used car, have everything flushed and cleaned with some sort of engine flush solvent!!! And tell the auto dealership that you want to watch the work and you will sign any safety waiver you need to sign to be in the garage. Second, go to a local muffler shop and have them either remove the cat converter, move it to a different location, or have them wrap it in a high temp insulation material (remember the oil is cooking into sludge). Third, only use synth oil in the car and replace it often - after all your own a 40k car. Fourth, have a dealer install a direct flow oil injector into the turbo, allowing it to be cooled better. It costs about 300 but it is better than a new engine. Fifth, replace the oil pan with a better metal pan. Saabs aren't the only cars that can run hot, get a pan that can handle the heat, from the cat which is below the pan. Sixth, only use the best oil filters (fram) and change with every oil change!!! It is the life line in these cars. And last, but not least, add some kind of additive to the car's engine. I used the one they advertised on tv when they ran the engine with out oil. Well, I did a test using that stuff on a VW golf which the fan wasn't working. I wanted to destroy the car. Ran it without oil until I sold it to a friend of mine who replaced the oil pump that was bad. The engine won't seize if the heat isn't there. Lesss friction will reduce heat, and prevent the mental shavings from becoming metal shavings. I have owned a 9000 turbo, a 900 turbo, and also an orange 99 saab in the past. The cat converter is the problem, nothing else, if your having this problem right now ADDD THIN OIL NOT REGULAR OIL - THIN THE SLUDGE UNTIL YOU CAN GET THE ENGINE FLUSHED AND RESTORED!!! Class action suits sound great, but just having some grease monkey move the cat will solve the problem - leave it to the welder - and pay him in cash - I believe messing with the muffler system is illegal, but so is speeding.