I just bought a 2002 Saab 9-5 Station Wagon w/a 3.0 six cylinder. I really like the car and it runs great, except that it nearly slams into gear when I put in drive. The transmission fluid level is a little high and it smells slightly burnt. I plan to take it to get the oil and trans fluid changed tomorrow, but I somehow doubt that is going to solve the problem. Any ideas, I hope it doesn’t need major trans work. I know I should have had the car checked out by a mechanic, but I really liked it and I got it cheap. Thanks
Do not take this vehicle to a ‘Quicky Lube’.
Find a tranny shop that knows these transmissions.
The problem may or may not be a faulty soleniod or valve, so play safe.
I agree with Roadrunner, and I will add;
There’s no such thing as a cheap Saab. You bought it, now you have to live with it.
I hope your transmission is not damaged, and just needs some fluid, or a fluid change, or a valve, as Roadrunner suggests.
REALLY. I hope that fixes it.
Good luck!
I had the transmission fluid changed and took the car to a Saab repair shop, the fellow at the Saab place recommended a transmission shop. I haven’t taken my car there yet because the the car doesn’t slam into gear anymore. I guess the new fluid helped. I know I’m not out of the woods yet, and I’ll probably need tranny work done, but I think I’ll wait till after the holidays. Thanks
for what it’s worth, after I changed the trans-fluid a second time (I plan on changing it a 3rd time) and the transmission problem is gone. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. One other thing though, I don’t see an air filter, anywhere, is it because of the turbo? Does Saab somehow manage to not need one?
Trust me, there is an air filter. The Owner’s Manual will show you where it is located, as well as how to open the housing. Or is this one of those used cars whose manual is missing? If that is the case, buy a manual a.s.a.p. because you will definitely need one, especially with a quirky make like Saab which tends to do things a bit differently.
When you locate the manual, read it thorougly and be sure to refer to the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, in order to see what maintenance is due at your next service interval. Also, bear in mind that if the car came with no maintenance records, you have to assume that many major service items have not been done in the past.
If you wish to keep this car for the long term, you should invest in very thorough maintenance at this point, even at the risk of duplicating services that may have been done. In other words, if you cannot verify that a particular maintenance prodedure has been done in the past, you need to have it done now. That is why I will not buy a car that does not come with complete records of its maintenance.
Thanks, I do have a manual but it says only to use a Saab air filter. I did find it under the car behind the fog lights, it looks pretty clean. Thanks for the advice about maintenance issues. I’m going to switch to synthetic oil, (because of the turbo) I’m also going to change the heater bypass valve before summer because I’ve heard they go bad. I don’t think I have to worry about the timing chain, the owners manual doesn’t mention it.