95 900S automatic transmission problems
03-31-2009, 01:58 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: indianapolis
Posts: 262
everything is easy if you pull the battery/tray,intake piping,coolant hoses, driver side fender well. you can make it a little easier by unbolting all engine/transmission mounts
and lifting/jacking the engine up a few inches
and lifting/jacking the engine up a few inches
03-31-2009, 03:00 PM
#12
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 6
i guess lol is it worth fixing? i love my car and its FAST! keeps up with the automatic stock turbos....i just need to know FOR SURE what the problem is u know? i have a CGB light on now and it wont go in gear AT ALL...i dont have a OBD-l code reader so i dont know what its tryin to tell me
12-28-2010, 09:48 AM
#13
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1
i just recently had this problem where all of a sudden i would be driving and i guess the tranny would fall out oh gear and i would have no power. i asked some guys at a repair shop and they said it probably got stuck between two gears.
07-28-2021, 01:39 PM
#14
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 1
What I learned about the 900 automatic Transmission
1995 Saab 900 Automatic
I had the gearbox light. Also gone through limp mode with no lights showing up. Also had slipping transmission where the engine was running fine, but the car would not go anywhere, it was as if in neutral regardless of which gear I put it in. Below are what I went through to fix it.
- Neutral safety switch./ range switch/ selector - depending on which country you live in, its the same part, called different names. Anyhow, contrary to what other posters state, the NSS is not your problem if your gears are slipping. However if your car won't start, or you have random gearbox lights, its worth pulling it out and cleaning the inside, in most cases you don't need a new one. I pulled mine and cleaned it several times, works fine, wasn't my problem. See other posts, there are several on how to remove and clean the NSS. Gearbox light is usually due to fluid issues.
- Bad transmission - this is the first thing a Saab mechanic will tell you when your transmission is slipping. However, it was not the case for me, even though 2 Saab shops said it would need to be replaced. Its about $2k to replace the transmission, I found no one who will rebuild it, checked most of So. CA. Fortunately, I pursued other ideas.
- Transmission fluid - this is where it gets good. So I drove my 900 around and got it hot, then drained the fluid and it looked like chocolate milk. It hasn't been replaced in 15 years. I read that after many years of not changing the fluid, condensation gets in and causes the fluid to break down ... into chocolate milk. I changed the fluid, three times after driving/warming car each time (this is how you have to do it unless you take the transmission apart). You only get about 3 quarts each time you drain, and the transmission holds I think 7.5 quarts. So you have to drain/fill fluid 3 times to get it all.
- BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHICH TRANSMISSION FLUID YOU USE, OR YOU HAVE MASSIVE SLIPPING ISSUES. Since these gearboxes use Dexron 2, I read since they don't make it anymore, you use the new Dexron 5 or 6. DO NOT DO THIS, OR YOU WILL END UP STRANDED WITH A TRANSMISSION THAT SLIPS AND WON'T MOVE. I learned this the hard way. The new Dexron is synthetic, and trust me, it won't work in the Saab 900 transmission. Other threads say it doesnt matter, these people are WRONG! I have had to drain and fill now about 8 times to remove all the Dexron 5 I used. Instead, use a Dexron 3 compatible fluid, which is not synthetic. I used one from Pep Boys called PROLINE DEXRON 3 & MERCON BRANDS. After 8 drain/fills with the correct fluid, I no longer get gearbox lights, no slipping, and no more limp mode. Runs excellent. BTW, if you or a shop puts the wrong fluid in, 3 drains/fills are not enough to remove all the synthetic fluid. It will slip when it gets hot. You really need to do it about 8 times.
I had the gearbox light. Also gone through limp mode with no lights showing up. Also had slipping transmission where the engine was running fine, but the car would not go anywhere, it was as if in neutral regardless of which gear I put it in. Below are what I went through to fix it.
- Neutral safety switch./ range switch/ selector - depending on which country you live in, its the same part, called different names. Anyhow, contrary to what other posters state, the NSS is not your problem if your gears are slipping. However if your car won't start, or you have random gearbox lights, its worth pulling it out and cleaning the inside, in most cases you don't need a new one. I pulled mine and cleaned it several times, works fine, wasn't my problem. See other posts, there are several on how to remove and clean the NSS. Gearbox light is usually due to fluid issues.
- Bad transmission - this is the first thing a Saab mechanic will tell you when your transmission is slipping. However, it was not the case for me, even though 2 Saab shops said it would need to be replaced. Its about $2k to replace the transmission, I found no one who will rebuild it, checked most of So. CA. Fortunately, I pursued other ideas.
- Transmission fluid - this is where it gets good. So I drove my 900 around and got it hot, then drained the fluid and it looked like chocolate milk. It hasn't been replaced in 15 years. I read that after many years of not changing the fluid, condensation gets in and causes the fluid to break down ... into chocolate milk. I changed the fluid, three times after driving/warming car each time (this is how you have to do it unless you take the transmission apart). You only get about 3 quarts each time you drain, and the transmission holds I think 7.5 quarts. So you have to drain/fill fluid 3 times to get it all.
- BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHICH TRANSMISSION FLUID YOU USE, OR YOU HAVE MASSIVE SLIPPING ISSUES. Since these gearboxes use Dexron 2, I read since they don't make it anymore, you use the new Dexron 5 or 6. DO NOT DO THIS, OR YOU WILL END UP STRANDED WITH A TRANSMISSION THAT SLIPS AND WON'T MOVE. I learned this the hard way. The new Dexron is synthetic, and trust me, it won't work in the Saab 900 transmission. Other threads say it doesnt matter, these people are WRONG! I have had to drain and fill now about 8 times to remove all the Dexron 5 I used. Instead, use a Dexron 3 compatible fluid, which is not synthetic. I used one from Pep Boys called PROLINE DEXRON 3 & MERCON BRANDS. After 8 drain/fills with the correct fluid, I no longer get gearbox lights, no slipping, and no more limp mode. Runs excellent. BTW, if you or a shop puts the wrong fluid in, 3 drains/fills are not enough to remove all the synthetic fluid. It will slip when it gets hot. You really need to do it about 8 times.
Last edited by Sob story; 07-28-2021 at 01:46 PM.
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