Saab 900 auto box no drive

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Thu 25 Jan 2007 15:31
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Phil1000
i have a '93 saab 9000 2.3i. Sometimes, particularly when the car is hot especially after say being on a motorway then slowing down, when moving off from a standstill drive is lost then suddenly comes in with a bang and we're off. The other day in traffic it got so bad that i could not get up a hill and had to leave the car for 20mins before it cooled down and drive was regained. The fluid level in the gearbox is slighly above the high mark and is a light yellow colour. I have had a similar problem on another auto but that was a fuid leak and easily recified by topping it up!

Any idea?
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 16:16
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Number_Cruncher
Simple, cheap, and quick checks;

Make sure that correct procedure is being followed for checking oil level - some autos are a bit odd in this respect
Check the linkage between the lever in the car and the gearbox isn't worn or badly adjusted.

When the loss of drive happens, do you lose drive in all gear selector positions, - i.e., what happens if you try reverse?

Number_Cruncher
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 16:28
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Phil1000
Hi number,

pretty sure that the linkage is fine as it's a gradually worsening problem as the car get hot, for instance it was perfectly fine this morning on the 20min drive to work. When it happened that i couldn't get up the hill was after bombing down the M1 (apart from the roadworks), from Milton Keynes then crawling through London for over an hour.

Yes have tried all gear positions with the same effect.

I noted that the geabox dipstick has a high and low level for hot and one for cold, seems slightly high in either case.

Thanks again

Phil
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 20:07
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Aprilia
The auto trans is the worst feature of the 9000. Its a ZF 4HP series box and not really up to the job. The fact that you have no drive in any gear suggests front clutch fault. Probably its rebuild time.
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 20:39
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Number_Cruncher
I don't know the layout of this gearbox, but Aprilia's post finishes off where I was heading to in my previous question about the different selector positions - sometimes, you can understand which part of the gearbox has failed by a process of logical deduction - by which clutches/bands work in which gear.

>>seems slightly high in either case.

If this hasn't been overfilled at some point, is the car losing engine coolant?

Number_Cruncher
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Fri 26 Jan 2007 11:32
Saab 900 auto box no drive - Mike H
Try posting in the Saab 9000 forum at www.saabscene.com/forum/# - plenty of experts there!
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