2000 Saab 9-3 SE COnvertible Drivetrain Problem
 

I have a problem with the drivetrain on my 2000 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible. I got in an accident with most of the damage being around the left fender, left turn signal, bumper and hood. To make things worse, The wheels are all screwed up. I don't know what the problem is. I will try to explain this as clear as possible..... The wheels turn in different directions. For example, if I turn the steering wheel right, the left wheel turns right, but the right wheel turns to the left. The problem that I stopped at is that it could be the drive shaft or steering rack. Everything seems to be intact, since it was a pretty low speed hit. The control arm and tie rod are good because the wheels are connected to each other...for example if I hold one wheel and turn the other, both wheels are moving at same time. I am really bummed out because I got a hold of all the body parts that are needed, getting the frame pulled and straightened at a shop, and getting it painted. This is the only problem that I am stuck at. Like I said, no parts appear to be broken or out of place, and power steering has no noise or anything. Please help a fellow Saab lover get on the road. Thanks. Any help would be appreciated.

Well, it most likely isn't the steering rack. You you look at it closely you will see that what you're describing is not possible due to a steering rack problem. It has to be in the suspension somewhere.

Thanks for responding. I checked it out even further, taking the left wheel off, and it seems to be something with the spindle i'm guessing. Because like I said, it can't be anything else, because everything is intact and doesn't seem to be broken/bent. Could the spindle need to be replaced?

I highly doubt it's the spindle. If anything this could be and issue with the ball join/control arm/subframe.

I don't think that its the control arm, because the wheel moves freely and without any noise or odd movement, everything seems to be good. After I checked it out, it could be the ball joint or some other part dealing with the whole shock part of the wheel. I.e. the spindle or ball joint. Thanks for the help, I am getting the spindle off another Saab, and I will see if that fixes any problems. I will keep an update. So you saying it could be the ball joint?

Well if you post a video of what exactly it is doing I'll be able to tell.

I fixed it today!! It was the strut itself, it shifted towards the inside of the car. I took off a strut off another Saab, and bam! it's golden. Now all I need is to get the frame pulled and straightened out, painted, and oh ye.....i also need fog lights. And that's it!! Soo pumped.

You're in MA, which probably means you can drive over to eeuroparts and get whatever you need quickly :)

Should I try Goldwing? Or is it going to be too costly. I'm trying to get them as cheap as I can. Any tips or who to contact or where to look?

If you're looking for used just go to car-part.com and find it in local junk yards. Goldwing is good too, but can be more costly.