1999 SAAB 9-3 SE from North America - Comments

"I had missed one oil change and Saab won't cover the damage."... Isn't that like saying "I only shot him in the head once & he up and died on me"???!!!

Death by sludge. DOA December 2006. It happened to me. 1995 900se with 76,000. I have had the oil changed regularly, but whammo sludge everywhere. My convertible rest in peace. Saab doesn't care about owners.

Oil changed regularly - How often? Did you used synthetic?

Missing one oil change should not kill the engine (in a properly designed auto). It would also depend on how many miles past the oil change interval. It's just a poor design and no matter what we do sludge will pay us a visit at some point. My car is currently in great shape. I have yet to drop the oil pan though, it's not an easy task mind you. There are other vehicles besides Saab that has sludge issues.

I've seen the results of a "missed" oil change in a Ford Explorer. 16,000 miles between oil changes, the oil looked like Lisa Douglas's coffee on Green Acres.

Missing an oil change can certainly kill an engine!

I just wanted to comment on everyone else's comments. I bought my 99' 9-3 Saab from the original owner with 157,000 miles on it. I have had no problems out of this car, as the previous owner insured me of the same. It's a great car, and beautiful inside and out. Sorry about everyone else's bad luck, but this doesn't say much for Saab, and it has given me no problems! GREAT CARS!

Believe me there are plenty of satisfied Saab owners out there like you. Count me among the fully satisfied with my Saab too!

I wish I had known about this before I bought a '02 9-3 a month ago - now I get to worry about this mess.

I have to disagree with the postings blaming the owners for only following the owner's manual service schedule & having their engine sludge up & die long before its time. If the Saab manual recommends 10,000 miles between oil changes under normal conditions & then the engines are sludging up and seizing I think the fault is with Saab.

Go to http://www.saabservices.com/saab_engine_failure.html to photos of what a 60,000 mile engine looks like starting to sludge. This dealer has some ideas on how to prevent the problem, "MANY SAAB 4 cylinder engines are failing. You can prevent this from happening.

First, be sure your oil pressure light works.

This is done by turning the ignition key to the run position without starting the car.

Many people believe the failures occur due extended oil change intervals, and a compromised crankcase ventilation system.

For sure, if you changed the oil every 3000 miles from new, you most likely would never have a problem.

SAAB has its own litigiously correct opinion.

HOWEVER, we maintain that normal carbon deposits are being trapped in the oil pan by an excessively fine mesh oil pickup screen.

We believe these particles are formed in the turbo, and at the point where oil is sprayed on the underside of the piston, for cooling.

Certain of these points approach 700°F, and as the oil's additive package decays, the oil begins to break down.

The particles shown are quite soft and will crumble under finger pressure. If the screen mesh were larger as in pre (Prue, pare) 1994 SAAB engines, these particles would end up in the oil filter and be disposed of during routine oil changes. Unless the screen is modified, restriction of the oil pump pickup will eventually occur, resulting in possible engine failure. One of the biggest problems with a restricted oil pump pickup is that the oil pressure warning lamp may not turn on until it is too late. We routinely remove the oil pan and modify the oil pickup to prevent the carbon particles from being trapped in the pan. This usually costs less than $400.00 or $800 if we replace the main and rod bearings.

One commonly held belief is that moisture causes or accelerates the formation of sludge.

We do not disagree, and we wonder if Saab's trouble with leaking head gaskets contributes to the moisture content in the crankcase.

We also wonder if the relative increase in the length of the crankcase ventilation "circuit" is preventing the removal of combustion gases in the crankcase.

I have had contact with one person who was refused an engine replacement due to "carbon clogging the oil pickup screen", so be sure to call your problem sludge, and tip your service writer generously."

Here's a link to photo showing the oil pick up tube sludged at 16,000 miles! http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/members/gallery.html?user=SWEDECAR&do=show&id=172

Those of you who said NO MORE SAABS and went to buy a supposedly perfect Toyota might want to know that, "Faced with a consumer revolt over low mileage engine failures caused by oil sludge buildup, Toyota has begun to notify 3.3 million owners of 1997-2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles with 3.0-liter IMZ (IMO, DMZ) V-6 engines and all 1997-2001 Toyota vehicles with 5SFE 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engines that it will cover the cost of sludge-related repairs for eight years from date of initial sale." read about it here http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=&did=566

No matter what you're driving out there - good luck & hope the sludge monster doesn't get you.

It just seems bizarre to me that in the 21st century you still have (expensive) cars that need to be treated like 1960 British Austins.

I really love Saabs, but I can't bring myself to own one since I don't want to be worrying that simply by driving it (or not driving it) it's going to kill itself anyway.

I've owned five BMWs, different models and years, and never had such issues.

This is a brand that doesn't deserve to die, but I think it will.

As I write this, my '99 Saab 9-3 turbo is sitting in a cafe parking lot with a seized engine, waiting to be towed. I have owned this car for 11 months, and 5,000 miles. It now has 80,000 miles on it. It has had a head gasket leak prior to this, as well as numerous electrical issues. Of course, the previous owner stated that this car was in excellent condition, and needed to sell it for $ for a knee operation. I think he knew what was coming. I was so excited to own a Saab before this, but NEVER AGAIN.

I don't have the sludge problem (god willing), but I am no stranger to expensive repair costs on my 99 9-3. But I have noticed that the dealerships will always tell you what has to be done to make the car perfect. Doesn't hurt that it's their wallet getting fatter, while yours is getting slim.

I finally got fed up when they quoted me over $1300 for a new ignition cassette and alternator, and took it to a reputable, independent, Saab mechanic. The guy is a miracle worker! The alternator issue was really just a bad wire ($50, instead of $650 in parts), and he also ruled out a lot of other, less critical, problems that Saab had mentioned. Having a good mechanic who won't gouge you on parts and labor is critical!

Also, regarding oil... the Saab dealerships in Minnesota recommend 50/50 synthetic, and I was told that the car can be driven around 7000 miles between oil changes. My thought is that they are probably not advising fully synthetic because even though they'd make more money upfront on oil changes, they'd make a killing on damaged engines and such later. And they are Saab-certified service! I don't trust any of them, and I will never take my car to a dealership again.

Hope things work out for all of you... I agree that if you delay and oil change, that should not spell doom for your engine. Especially when that engine is in what used to be known as a reliable make of car.

I am the original owner of a 1999 Saab 95 wagon with 74,000 miles that is the latest victim of this oil sludge problem. Despite a major electrical problem this past summer, my wife and I have absolutely loved our Saab.

However, that love has now turned to resentment. About two weeks ago my car experienced the same symptoms as mentioned above: engine noise, oil pressure light, etc.

I took my car to an independent Saab mechanic who informed me of the letter that Saab USA had published in 2005. After doing some research I had my car towed to a Saab dealer and filed a claim with Saab USA. My engine is not completely gone, but the turbocharger must be replaced. Total cost for repairs, to include dropping the oil pan and cleaning out the sludge, is over $3000. And as of yesterday, Saab USA has stated they will provide no compensation because the failed turbo has no connection to the oil sludge (because that's what the dealership mechanic stated).

Despite the fact that I changed my oil at least every 5000 miles with synthetic oil, I would not have such an issue with the repair cost if Saab USA had not issued their letter admitting they had built a flawed engine and that the recommended service schedule in the owners manual was inadequate.

As a US Soldier that has served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the word HONOR is a code that I live by. My biggest beef with Saab USA is that they published a letter offering compensation for their mistake, but apparently it was an offer they had no intention of honoring.

I currently have an attorney reviewing my case and plan to pursue this through the local courts. I'll let you know how it turns out. If anyone is still pushing for a class action suit, you can count me in on that too.

Yep, just got my 01 Saab 9/3 convert with 91,000 miles back from the dealer after "engine sludge meltdown" $5500 for new engine. Never missed an oil change (done by jiffylube last 3 yrs), car was in dealership about every 3 months for one problem or another since new (fuel pump, new ac compressor, computers, etc). After being diagnosed with sludge by service advisor, mechanic that installed new shortblock said my engine was absolutely clean with no sludge. When asked why it failed, he stated it happens a lot on cold days (it was -3 that morn in michigan). So a swedish car can't take cold weather? Car had semi-synthetic (recommended in owners manual) oil, but saab changed recommendation to full synthetic in '05, but no one ever told me, even when car was in for service (did they ever hear of a registered letter?). Call in to SAAb customer care, but I know how that goes, they denied my leaking fuel pump claim vehemently 2 yrs ago then issued a recall for the cars 6 months later... I spent almost 40G for this car and while a hoot to drive, its reliability is on par with a yugo ($8000 now in repairs)...new engine has updates to improve oil circulation---Please someone initiate a class action lawsuit on this piece of crap motor. Sign me up! Ralph in Lake Orion Mich.

I bought my 99 9-3 in 2002, it had 45,000 miles on it. It has been a great car to drive and I have had no major issue until now. Mind you, I change the oil and filter every 3k to 5k miles. I use 5w30 semi-synthetic. I drive this car daily and have put 144,000 miles on it.

Two weeks ago, I had the transmission fluid and oil changed at a national branded company. I specified 5w30 semi-synthetic oil. I put less than 250 miles on the car and the oil pressure light flickered on while driving down the hi-way.

I was in route to Quincy, IL from St. Louis, MO. and made it about 1/3 of the way there when this happened. I checked the oil and it was full. The light did not come back on when I restarted the car. I continued on my way. By the time I was 20 miles from my destination the oil pressure light would only go off above 3000 RPMs. I got to my destination and parked the car. Thinking that perhaps, the oil pressure relief valve in the filter was bad, I changed the oil and filter again. Drove the car about 10 miles with the same results. However, when I was draining the oil I noticed a reddish tint to the oil and the filter housing was red on the inside after removing the filter. I suspect that they inadvertently put Automatic Tranny fluid in my crankcase. I am having the oil tested now. Saved the oil and filter just in case. My engine now sounds like a sewing machine. I know that ATF is loaded with detergents and could have loosened any existing sludge to create a bigger problem. I have never seen oil that dirty after so few miles on an oil change.

I did not know about any sludge problems until this happened.

The Saab dealer said they get a couple of cars in every so often with this problem. He also said to drop the pan and clean the sludge from it and the oil pick up. I have not done this yet, but intend to. He said that once this is done there should be no problems with it.

At this point, I don't know what situation I have. But, after doing some research it appears that no one knows why the sludging problem really occurs. I suspect that it is a combination of problems. The most reasonable is the one stated a couple of pages ago about the very fine oil screen on the pick up tube. I also feel that GM/SAAB should lower the recommended oil change interval in the manual. After all,

most purchasers view that as the bible for their car care. Even synthetic oil breaks down and that's what traps the other dirt, carbon etc to create the sludge. So it is also an oil problem. Even after GM/SAAB called for the use of Mobil 1 oil exclusively, they never informed the car owners.

I still feel they had a duty to inform the owners of the change in recommendation. Most owners would follow the new recommendation.

Hoping I don't have to replace the engine. It has been a fun car to own. The only other gripe is the rear tire wear, due to the camber.

OK, To all the people who missed one oil change. I have one thing to say that isn't that big of a deal. Here's why, oil never wears out. Its true and to the people pointing fingers well do some research. You change your oil for one reason the detergents and additives. now these things work much like dish soap they carry the metal particles away from places they could damage. The life of detergents and additives in regular motor oil is marginal, but the life of the detergents and additives in synthetic oil is out standing. Synthetic oils resistance to heat makes it a better choice for the turbo vehicles. It can also break down into smaller particles cleaning you engine better and keeping it cooler. I have to say changing you oil is cheap and easy, so why not do it. If you miss a service by a thousand miles or so big deal you car shouldn't break down on you.