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SwedishWrench
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Saab oil sludge 2.0-liter I-4; 2.3-liter I-4 1999-2003 |
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As of June 3, 2005 Saab has announced that they will be replacing customers engines under a "special policy" that have been damaged by excessive oil sludge. Vehicles covered on this policy are as follows: 9-5 models w/4 cylinder 1999-2003 If you have one of these cars I would suggest that you do all recommenced maintenance and keep all records. Just because your car does not fall under the policy I am still warning you about oil sludge and the need to change oil on a regular basis. This oil sludge problem can happen to any car. Saab states they will only honor this policy of engine repair if oil change service records are complete. Saab states things that make the problem worse are short driving trips of 5 to 10 minutes, stop and go driving, dusty driving conditions and low grade oil. Saab is making good on customers that have had this problem in the past as well. You still must document all services and apply to Saab for this "special policy". This special policy covers engine components up to 8 years after the in service date with unlimited mileage. ( The day it was first sold) If you have a problem with this, Saab can be contacted at 1-800-955-9007. Signs that the sludge is in advanced stages include Engine noise and oil pressure warning light coming on. If you have one of these cars with the oil sludge problem you can check it by removing the valve cover. If your car has the problem you will see a large amount of dark brown jell like sludge. If you find this I suggest you contact your local dealers service department and let them know. If you have one of these cars I suggest changing the oil every 3K miles. If you have found the beginnings of sludge build up you can try and aggressive oil change schedule that may clean out your engine. If you follow my advice on this I can't guarantee Saab will honor it's special policy so check with Saab before you attempt any maintenance changes. Once your car starts the sludge build up it is hard to completely clean out, but it is worth it to try this to keep things from getting worse. I suggest changing the oil and filter every 200 miles and check under the valve cover to see if things are clanging up. Depending on the severity you will have varied results. Once the engine has cleaned up you can start to add 1/4 of a quart Dextron ATF to the oil. Auto transmission fluid is very high detergent and will aid in keeping your engine clean. The issue is if you get too much detergent too quickly you will break up oil sludge sending it throughout your engine. This may cause damage as well, and is up to the on hands mechanic to determine. I have run ATF mixed in my engine oil changes for years and have kept my engines spotless. Like I stated above if you follow my advice on this I can't guarantee Saab will honor it's special policy so check with Saab before you attempt any maintenance changes.
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(This article is meant to educate a consumer,or as a guideline for professionals. You can cause serious damage to your vehicle and/or cause yourself injury. Only those qualified should attempt repairs. I do my best to assure that the above info is correct but take no responsibility for any damages incurred.)
Feel free to e-mail with any tech questions
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