Another Saab 9-3 - 2.8 V6 Turbo
Discussion
Alex_225 said:
It was actually just under 50l I could fit in it and the trader told me he'd two 2 litres in it. So I had 30 miles range showing on it when I drove it directly to the petrol station. It then shows around the 400 miles mark when you're on a run.
By contrast my diesel 9-3 will show nearer 800 miles to a tank but also double the mpg so seems that it's a small tank but I've never had to fill from nothing on that car. Online it indicates 62 litres but I definitely wasn't able to get more than 48l on that first fill up. Strange.
That does seem strange. By contrast my diesel 9-3 will show nearer 800 miles to a tank but also double the mpg so seems that it's a small tank but I've never had to fill from nothing on that car. Online it indicates 62 litres but I definitely wasn't able to get more than 48l on that first fill up. Strange.
The most I've ever managed to put in my Z4s was 50 litres, but they only have a 55 litre tank. The one time I managed 50 it took ages as the pump kept cutting out!
Mr Tidy said:
That does seem strange.
The most I've ever managed to put in my Z4s was 50 litres, but they only have a 55 litre tank. The one time I managed 50 it took ages as the pump kept cutting out!
Definitely an odd one but it'll do 400 to a tank it seems so I'm good with that. More costly than my TTID Saab but the engine is a bit more interesting. The most I've ever managed to put in my Z4s was 50 litres, but they only have a 55 litre tank. The one time I managed 50 it took ages as the pump kept cutting out!
Mapped 1.9ttid vs V6 turbo is interesting though. Both very punchy and more torque from the diesel but more revs in the petrol Off the line they good but not ground breakingly quick. In gear they're both surprising though. I do like the turbo lag on the petrol though, feels quite old school in that sense.
jamesson said:
What a lovely looking car. I really like those wheels too. Shame about the road tax but what's a few hundred pounds a year when it was a bargain purchase price in the first place?
Happy motoring, OP.
The wheels definitely set it off, the rest of the outside is smart but very subtle. Could do with a bit more noise but I like how subtle the looks are. Tax is a b*gger that's for sure but I may look to SORN my CL over winter as I just don't take it out in the bad weather, just in time for spring haha. Happy motoring, OP.
Thank you, hopefully it'll be fun and a bit sensible.
At last the weather has been decent enough (and I've had time) to give this 9-3 a proper clean, polished and protected. Managed to get into the engine bay and treat all the plastics.
It's overall a very straight car. Few minor marks that would come out with a machine polish and couple of tiny dings but for it's age and mileage I'm very pleased.
Engine bay cleaned up and plastics made shiny. Also fitted a brand new battery cover as the original was not in the best shape. I assume someone had stood on it or leaned on it as it was cracked in more than one place.
That protection should last the car a couple of months until the better weather and I can try and put more time aside to get the bodywork even better. Will go nicely along with a wheel refurb in a month or two.
It's overall a very straight car. Few minor marks that would come out with a machine polish and couple of tiny dings but for it's age and mileage I'm very pleased.
Engine bay cleaned up and plastics made shiny. Also fitted a brand new battery cover as the original was not in the best shape. I assume someone had stood on it or leaned on it as it was cracked in more than one place.
That protection should last the car a couple of months until the better weather and I can try and put more time aside to get the bodywork even better. Will go nicely along with a wheel refurb in a month or two.
-crookedtail- said:
Nice car OP, it scrubs up very nicely!
I had an 2006 pre-facelift for a few years, you know the one with the million button dash and loved it. Sadly someone hit it whilst parked and that was that...
It's always gutting when you get robbed of a car you liked. I had a little Renault 5 which was by no means the best car ever but I loved it as a runabout and it was lovely condition. That got rear ended and written off. My other half had the same with a Merc ML and despite the replacement being a nicer spec, lower miles etc. she still misses the original. I had an 2006 pre-facelift for a few years, you know the one with the million button dash and loved it. Sadly someone hit it whilst parked and that was that...
And yes the interior of the earlier 9-3 was very Saab-esque with the many many buttons. I loved the little display panel on the top of the dash the most, it's a shame they made that more conventional along with the lack of buttons. I like the exterior styling more on the facelift but the interior was more Saab in the earlier one.
I want to replace the headunit on this one but I want something that looks similar with more modern functionality.
Very quick clean today, haven't done many miles but roads been damp and as you probably know I'm quite particular haha
Managed to get some decent shots the other evening just before the sun dropped.
I've actually picked up a new head unit too but I'm struggling to find the right cabling for it. The car has a built in amp so I need to ensure it's wired up correctly to make sure it turns on. Plus I'd like the steering controls to work and the kit for that comes to about £100. Got the fascia and cage arriving soon.
Managed to get some decent shots the other evening just before the sun dropped.
I've actually picked up a new head unit too but I'm struggling to find the right cabling for it. The car has a built in amp so I need to ensure it's wired up correctly to make sure it turns on. Plus I'd like the steering controls to work and the kit for that comes to about £100. Got the fascia and cage arriving soon.
Been having fun with the Saab of late. I mentioned that issue with intermittent limp mode, well it came back as a one off the other day but no EML. Then behaved absolutely fine.
So I did some digging, asked some on a Saab FB group and the symptoms (some of which I'd not described) all pointed to a dodgy boost control valve. Apparently really common, and not expensive either. Apparently they will often show, 'Reduced Power' without actually going into limp mode and also give an overboost error which the garage read the other week. So £30 and 15 minutes of my time hopefully well spent.
Not been for a long drive but so far so good.
I also decided to change the headunit which was one of those jobs I almost wish I'd not started. I didn't want anything too fancy, double din and slightly reminiscent of the OEM unit. I'm not fussed by Appleplay and all that jazz, just Bluethooth streaming and a USB socket will do.
What I hadn't anticipated was the sheer variety of different possible combinations there were. Bose upgrades, amp, no amp, did I need to run additional power, steering wheel controls etc. etc. In short I ended up with this little bundle.
Spent almost the same on cables and interfaces as I did the headunit.
You also have to remove the two top vents which usually end up mangled to some extent in the process. So I ordered a spare mint one for once everything is back. Was interesting getting the unit in with this little lot behind it.
Much faffing, swearing and re-positioning later it's in and working. Well mostly, the steering wheel controls don't seem to work but apparently they can be flakey dependent on the headunit. To be honest I'm not too fussed. The green matches the interior, the sound quality is much improved and I think it looks quite smart.
I haven't clipped the vents in at the top fully in case I give the wiring another go and try and get the full controls working but for now I'm rather pleased.
So I did some digging, asked some on a Saab FB group and the symptoms (some of which I'd not described) all pointed to a dodgy boost control valve. Apparently really common, and not expensive either. Apparently they will often show, 'Reduced Power' without actually going into limp mode and also give an overboost error which the garage read the other week. So £30 and 15 minutes of my time hopefully well spent.
Not been for a long drive but so far so good.
I also decided to change the headunit which was one of those jobs I almost wish I'd not started. I didn't want anything too fancy, double din and slightly reminiscent of the OEM unit. I'm not fussed by Appleplay and all that jazz, just Bluethooth streaming and a USB socket will do.
What I hadn't anticipated was the sheer variety of different possible combinations there were. Bose upgrades, amp, no amp, did I need to run additional power, steering wheel controls etc. etc. In short I ended up with this little bundle.
Spent almost the same on cables and interfaces as I did the headunit.
You also have to remove the two top vents which usually end up mangled to some extent in the process. So I ordered a spare mint one for once everything is back. Was interesting getting the unit in with this little lot behind it.
Much faffing, swearing and re-positioning later it's in and working. Well mostly, the steering wheel controls don't seem to work but apparently they can be flakey dependent on the headunit. To be honest I'm not too fussed. The green matches the interior, the sound quality is much improved and I think it looks quite smart.
I haven't clipped the vents in at the top fully in case I give the wiring another go and try and get the full controls working but for now I'm rather pleased.
carinaman said:
Nice images, liking the mats and seat stitching and the green highlights. Good work diagnosing likely valve failure.
I don't think it's a sleeper. Black SAABs with Turbo badges and flash alloys haven't been sleepers since the 1980s.
Thank you, it's rather tidy so far. Few little bits to go. I don't think it's a sleeper. Black SAABs with Turbo badges and flash alloys haven't been sleepers since the 1980s.
As for the sleeper bit, I suppose the alloys may be a give away to someone in the know. Not a single badge on the outside says turbo or V6 though. Even with some of my more car oriented friends, they wouldn't have an idea it was quite as nippy.
That said Saab became associated with the word Turbo in the 80s sense of everything being a turbo haha
I've been playing with the V6 again haha
Firstly, I fancied a bit of colour under the bonnet so thought I'd have a go at wrapping. Now I was aiming to buy an induction kit with a red filter so I ordered some red wrap. The battery cover I have on the car is literally brand new, so I thought I'd experiment with a spare one I bought off e-bay.
Saab used the same battery cover across all the 9-3s at the time so the cover had a channel down the left for some cables (which are there on my diesel). Pointless on the V6 so I cut that off to make it easier to wrap. Also, my experience of wrapping anything was about 11 years ago on some tiny interior parts, so with the shape of the cover, this was a tad ambitious! haha
I'd bought some wrapping tools, sharp cutting knife and nabbed the mrs hairdryer. A fair while later and muttering to myself, I don't think it's turned out too badly. I admit the design is a bit marmite but let's be honest it's easily removed and at £20 for a fairly large roll, not going to break the bank.
With the design being busy, it does hide some of the imperfections which seem inevitable with the curves and shapes of this cover. Only so much they'll stretch.
I also went on the hunt for an induction kit for no real reason other than noise but on the flip side I didn't want to lose power by shoving on a cone filter and that's it. DO88 is a name that comes up a lot with Saab tuning and they do a very nice kit, and at £200 it's not too bad but to make it fit you have to buy an intake pipe that effectively doubles the cost. The alternative is the one I have bought from another Swedish tuning firm called BSR. Comes with a metal heat shield which minimises heat soak and from accounts I've read/seen videos on, the air intake temperatures aren't affected.
I had a bit of back and forth with the firm as they accidentally sent me the wrong filter, all the other kit was fine but to be fair they sent the right one out to me a day after I contacted them. The fit is spot on, uses the original airbox mountings and all lines up perfectly.
I've only had the chance to start the car up and let it idle but the sound is immediately better. I love how subtle this car looks on the outside but I like the idea of under the bonnet being less so and I like the car to sound a bit more purposeful, which this does.
It won't be everyone's taste but it's quite fun and easily reversed if I change my mind haha.
Next month or so I'll have the wheels refurbished as I think that'll set off the exterior nicely, re-map later in the year.
Firstly, I fancied a bit of colour under the bonnet so thought I'd have a go at wrapping. Now I was aiming to buy an induction kit with a red filter so I ordered some red wrap. The battery cover I have on the car is literally brand new, so I thought I'd experiment with a spare one I bought off e-bay.
Saab used the same battery cover across all the 9-3s at the time so the cover had a channel down the left for some cables (which are there on my diesel). Pointless on the V6 so I cut that off to make it easier to wrap. Also, my experience of wrapping anything was about 11 years ago on some tiny interior parts, so with the shape of the cover, this was a tad ambitious! haha
I'd bought some wrapping tools, sharp cutting knife and nabbed the mrs hairdryer. A fair while later and muttering to myself, I don't think it's turned out too badly. I admit the design is a bit marmite but let's be honest it's easily removed and at £20 for a fairly large roll, not going to break the bank.
With the design being busy, it does hide some of the imperfections which seem inevitable with the curves and shapes of this cover. Only so much they'll stretch.
I also went on the hunt for an induction kit for no real reason other than noise but on the flip side I didn't want to lose power by shoving on a cone filter and that's it. DO88 is a name that comes up a lot with Saab tuning and they do a very nice kit, and at £200 it's not too bad but to make it fit you have to buy an intake pipe that effectively doubles the cost. The alternative is the one I have bought from another Swedish tuning firm called BSR. Comes with a metal heat shield which minimises heat soak and from accounts I've read/seen videos on, the air intake temperatures aren't affected.
I had a bit of back and forth with the firm as they accidentally sent me the wrong filter, all the other kit was fine but to be fair they sent the right one out to me a day after I contacted them. The fit is spot on, uses the original airbox mountings and all lines up perfectly.
I've only had the chance to start the car up and let it idle but the sound is immediately better. I love how subtle this car looks on the outside but I like the idea of under the bonnet being less so and I like the car to sound a bit more purposeful, which this does.
It won't be everyone's taste but it's quite fun and easily reversed if I change my mind haha.
Next month or so I'll have the wheels refurbished as I think that'll set off the exterior nicely, re-map later in the year.
Mad Maximus said:
If you’re happy everyone else can sod off. Are these engines tuneable?
Haha that is very true. I just like the idea of the outside being very conservative and then under the bonnet being lairy. I've been watching many a Youtube video on these and there's some very quick ones about. A red one running 500bhp and another couple of guys running a big turbo set up that looks and sounds mad. I think that's 400bhp+.
Certainly a basic re-map should see 310bhp, intercooler, exhaust etc. would not doubt help. Doesn't feel slow as is though I must say as it's tuned for torque more than anything.
trails said:
I like the Darumas on the wrap
Yeah I quite like the wrap, it's a bit weird and interesting hahaCalza said:
Very.
Gear boxes become an issue with all the torque though!
You could probably tell me more about tuning options as I'm fairly new to this engine. I know it's the same as the Insignia VXR but I only know bits and pieces about how well these tune. Gear boxes become an issue with all the torque though!
Alex_225 said:
You could probably tell me more about tuning options as I'm fairly new to this engine. I know it's the same as the Insignia VXR but I only know bits and pieces about how well these tune.
I didn't go too deep. I used these guys who are well known and trusted.https://vermonttuning.com/
I combined the remap with a downpipe, front mount and sports cat and it pulled like an absolute train and had no issues going to the limiter.
Kudos for giving the wrapping a go, I think it's turned out alright! For those sort of shapes, Hydro dipping might be easier and give a better finish if you ever want to give that a try. Should be able to do that cover in a large plastic box with water, there are loads of designs very similar to what you've gone for with the wrap.
Aura Tuning are the go-to guys for remapping the 2.8 V6's, he's based at Castle Combe circuit. I know a weak point on the V6's are the coils so it might be worth changing those and the plugs before chasing more power. I've done them on my dad's V6, they're not the most pleasant job but it's doable, the front 3 are easy as they're right in front of you but access is a major pain on the back 3 made worse by brittle plastic pipes.
Calza said:
I didn't go too deep. I used these guys who are well known and trusted.
https://vermonttuning.com/
I combined the remap with a downpipe, front mount and sports cat and it pulled like an absolute train and had no issues going to the limiter.
That's always good to know, it seems a number of these tuners use DO88 parts too or BSR. There's still quite the following and availability of modified parts for Saabs, which is handy! haha https://vermonttuning.com/
I combined the remap with a downpipe, front mount and sports cat and it pulled like an absolute train and had no issues going to the limiter.
What kind of power did you get in the end?
C5_Steve said:
Kudos for giving the wrapping a go, I think it's turned out alright! For those sort of shapes, Hydro dipping might be easier and give a better finish if you ever want to give that a try. Should be able to do that cover in a large plastic box with water, there are loads of designs very similar to what you've gone for with the wrap.
Yeah I've been watching the hydrodipping, it's very very cool and like you say definitely lends itself better to the shape I've tried to wrap. I was trying to find a local place to me as I'd have a few of the parts done. I'm going to see how long this lasts and may go down that route in the future. lancer778544 said:
Aura Tuning are the go-to guys for remapping the 2.8 V6's, he's based at Castle Combe circuit. I know a weak point on the V6's are the coils so it might be worth changing those and the plugs before chasing more power. I've done them on my dad's V6, they're not the most pleasant job but it's doable, the front 3 are easy as they're right in front of you but access is a major pain on the back 3 made worse by brittle plastic pipes.
That is very handy to know as I'm about half an hour from Castle Combe, I'll look these chaps up. There is Simply Saab just outside Bristol who have helped me out with a couple of jobs on both my Saabs. So anything like coils etc. I'd have them sort for me. I won't go beyond a remap for the time being purely as I know the timing chain will need doing at some point. That's about £1k to get done!
the-norseman said:
Was going to say Aura are the guys! I had the Hirsch file on my 2.8 V6 FWD. Loved that car, really opened my eyes to SAAB as well.
I've definitely got the Saab bug I must admit. I mean I love my Renaults, then Mercs and no, the Saabs are not built the same as the Mercs but they are interesting, and so underrated it adds to their appeal. In an ideal world I'd chop my 1.9ttid convertible for a V6 convertible.
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