Practically Classics Forum

Why did Neil have to splice in the new crank sensor wire on the lovely Saab ? Was it a universal type? Would it not have had a plug on it to unplug, and plug in the new one?

What is the reason for some car makers such as Saab 900s and I believe the Renault 4 to install their engines backwards? What advantage is in it?

In a SAAB, you wouldn't be be able to get the distributor cap off if the engine was the other way round. To get round this, they made the engine revolve the other way, then designed a clutch which could be changed in 20 minutes if you stopped for a cup of tea.

There is no right and wrong way round. There is only what works.

The sensor from SAAB has been obsolete for a number of years. Try getting "pukka" bits for a 99, let alone a 900.

P45.

Penguin45 wrote:In a SAAB, you wouldn't be be able to get the distributor cap off if the engine was the other way round. To get round this, they made the engine revolve the other way, then designed a clutch which could be changed in 20 minutes if you stopped for a cup of tea.

There is no right and wrong way round. There is only what works.

The sensor from SAAB has been obsolete for a number of years. Try getting "pukka" bits for a 99, let alone a 900.

P45.

So what you are saying is that unlike modern day car makers, Saab actually built their cars to make it easier for the owners, not harder .Now theres an idea that the present makers could take on board.

Neil did mention that the sensor was not available for a good period of time, I thought it would have been the same as the old one,just curious to know, thanks

Begging your pardon, P45, but the Slant 4 rotates the same way in both the 99 and the Dolomite/TR7. The reason that the 99 doesn't go everywhere backwards in spite of there being an idler is that the differential's crownwheel sits at the other side of its pinion compared to other North-South FWD transaxles. As for the distributor, that and the water pump are in the same holes in the top of the crankcase that they occupy in the Dolomite so in the Saab application the distributor is still at the flywheel end, which puts it at the front of the car. The water pump is just as easy to get at in the 99 as it is in the Dolomite so swapping its position with the distributor wouldn't have made either part any more or less accessible. While they're a quick clutch job - same book time as a Maxi, easier in the real world - try changing timing chains in a 99 and a Dolomite and see which is done first!

The R4 engine is also back to front and that too rotates in the same direction as every other one apart from those found in some Hondas, the small Renault is equally nasty to do a chain swap to and changing the clutch on the 4 is just slightly less awkward to do than a 12 where the engine is in front and facing forwards, the radiator, both hubs, the gearbox and sundry other bits still need to come out unlike the clever arrangement in the Saab. Many people would change the R4's chain by removing the dashboard and cutting a hole in the bulkhead. Animals!