help needed 99saab

[Rocky31186]

Valve cover gasket?

[Cordell]

It is in fact red which I have been told they go by color as well. Where would the oil have come from and how do I stop it?

 

Valve cover gasket, most likely, if you call for parts just ask if it has spark plug seals in addition to the valve cover gasket.

[wnaplay1647545503]

The valve cover was loose I noticed last week. I tightened it then, so maybe that should take care of it.

[wnaplay1647545503]

Update. I spent the day searching for this coil pack and was only able to find one that was priced were my brother could afford it locally but it looked like hell. I got ahold of a guy who fixes saab's and he is reluctantly allowing me to put on one of his used coils to test with and if it fixes the running rough issue than I will go ahead and buy it from him. I hope the repeated starter replacements were caused by him continuously cranking on it when it wouldnt start because of another issue and not something causing them to fail almost instantly. If this coil pack fixes the running rough issue then I will be left with a not starting when hot issue, if not it will probably just be sold for parts or traded in on something else. I am hoping the starting when hot issue is either the neutral safety switch or maybe a cam/crankshaft position sensor. I will clean off the oil around the spark plug holes, torque the valve cover down to the right specs, put new plugs in and replace the dryrotted vacuum lines.

[Crossle]

Possible that the old bad starter would not work due to heat from the engine.

[wnaplay1647545503]

What about the 2 other brand new ones that it was replaced with? Are you suggesting excessive heat caused by the engine running so poorly or by a bad coil pack?

[Rocky31186]

Have you put the coil pack on yet?

 

What makes sense to me is...

 

The coil pack went bad.. causing the saab to run like shit..

 

The starter went bad due to age and over cranking.

 

The new starter went bad because it was a REMAN, Ive had it happen before

 

 

Fix the vacuume lines, replace the coil pack, replace the spark plugs, and see how it runs.

[wnaplay1647545503]

Thats the game plan. Hopefully by tomorrow this thing will be back home and I dont get a call in a day saying it wont start again. I have never worked on a car or tried to diagnose one with multiple issues that seemingly arent related. Not fun.

[Rocky31186]

They are all connected in some sort of way.. Ide say the base of the issues, is the running condition.. And over cranking the motor to get it running..

[wnaplay1647545503]

Well hopefully this is a done deal. I drove the car on the freeway over to the guy selling the cassette coil. I honestly didnt think I was going to make it it was running so bad. Put the part on and it was like a whole new car. For safe measures I went with a new crank position sensor and new vacuum lines.

 

Thanks for everyones advice and encouragement.

[Cordell]

Cool, glad you got that thing figured out.

[Rocky31186]

Cool, glad you figured it out... Those coil assemblys always go bad..

[Crossle]

Nice work!

[wnaplay1647545503]

it's running good but he stated it shut off a few times at a light. it always started right back up.

[Rocky31186]

May be the computer learning how to run "correct" again.

[Cordell]

it's running good but he stated it shut off a few times at a light. it always started right back up.

 

May be the computer learning how to run "correct" again.

 

Maybe, if it keeps doing stuff like that it may just be all carboned up. Cleaning the throttle body and such would be a good idea since it ran bad for a while anyway.

[Rocky31186]

Unless there's another vacuum leak possibly.

 

I bet that piston is full of build up from not being fired properly.

[wnaplay1647545503]

I dont get it. The car ran fine all day. He gets in it to go home and it wont start. Somewhere between then and the time I get a phone call, he's managed to fry another starter. Thats 4 starters in 2 weeks. What is wrong with this car. Ughhhhhhhhhh

[Crossle]

New codes?

[wnaplay1647545503]

I have to get another starter on it so I can take it to the auto store to borrow the reader. Could this starter need shimmed? The bad thing is, I dont know if he's cranking the piss out of it until it happens or what. He says he's not but damn, he almost has to be right?

[acklac7]

The bad thing is, I dont know if he's cranking the piss out of it until it happens or what. He says he's not but damn, he almost has to be right?

 

If he was cranking the piss out of it I would tend to think he would wear down the battery to the point it wouldn't crank the starter, thus saving it from death by over-cranking. Now if he was repeatedly cranking the starter as the car was being jumped then different story.

[Rocky31186]

Not sure why my post didn't post.

 

 

Even if the starter needed shimmed, the solenoid would not just go bad. You would hear noise from the flywheel teeth.

 

Are the starters being tested when returned?

 

You made have some sort of electrical issue that is shorting the coil assembly and starter solenoid. But I would think you would have more issues than you have if that were the case.

[wnaplay1647545503]

I have them tested before I take them and once returned. They dont engage once returned.

[wnaplay1647545503]

Put another starter in and it fired right up. I went the added step and put on new battery terminals as the old ones werent tightening down completely. This starter was from a different rebuilder and store, maybe I was just getting a bad batch hopefully.

[wnaplay1647545503]

The car made it 24hrs without a starter going out, knock on wood. It is still randomly shutting off at idle both in gear and in drive. Any ideas on that one?