Burning oil

[happyandy]

try pressure testing the cooling system. if it is loosing pressure it has to be going some where. Also I have heard of a trick for helping stuck rings common on saturn engines, I've never tried it but I can't see any harm in it. Pull the spark plugs and pour some seafoam engine cleaner into the cyls and let it sit overnight or longer. If there is carbon in the ringlands that should loosen it up. but then again if its a problem with oil rings that probably won't do much for it.
Also, I personaly don't endorse this but, I have seen a head gasket leak stopped by barsleaks head gasket sealer. I don't know how long it lasted but it did work as advertised.

[bam2002]

Ok I used a cleaner called B 12, a engineer friend has used it and really likes its chemical compounds.

I Also borrowed a coolant system pressurizer. I pumped it up to 14 lbs and it will leak down to about7 in 2 min then stays at 7 for about 10 min. and slowly drops. But I can hear a small leak where the cap fits on the overflow container. Re where I hook up the pump.

I have the plugs out and was thinking if water is actuall leaking into the cylinders then when I turn over the car I should get a mist coming out of the spark plug hole.. I am getting nothing. So still at a loss

I plan to soak the rings one more night with the sea foam and then change the oil and filter and see what happens.

Hope every one had a merry Xmas.. and got some new cool tools.

Barry

[Geoff]

I've put PB Blaster into the cylinders and let it sit overnight, cranked by hand, added some more, then some Marvel Mystery oil. All to clean up the junk. Of course doing that while the head is off will allow you to wipe any junk away that accumulates on top of the pistons. The compression you're getting sounds OK to me and I don't think that the few PSI of leak over 25+ minutes sounds bad to me, but I don't really know what it should be.

What does the smoke smell like? Can you tell if it smells more like coolant, oil, or fuel? I had a 900 once that blew white smoke because the fuel pressure regulator was bad and was over pressurizing the injectors. This was on a later car ('85 16 valve) with the Bosch LH injection system but I think a similar situation could occur in the CIS system with either too much pressure from the regulator, the fuel distributor having something stuck in it, the fuel injector(s) being stuck open, or even the cold start injector (on the throttle body) being stuck on. You can clean the fuel injectors by removing them and soaking the tips in a good fuel injector cleaner for a while. Check the spray pattern by putting the injectors in a clear jar and jumpering the pump or CIS system (I forget which now) and pull up slightly on the fuel distribution plate to watch the spray pattern. Then after shutting it off look for leaks from the tips of the injectors.

The 900s had the "B" motors and thus the same heads as the 99s in '79 and '80. The "H" engine was introduced in 1981 and has a slightly different head (with cam driven distributor and different timing chain end).

Check the waterpump by replacing the thermostat (you're in FL I think? so an 82°C unit would be a good choice) and cranking the engine while the thermostat is out. You should start to see fluid rise in the thermostat housing but it won't necessarily go shooting out. You may want to get the radiator cleaned. 99s are known for overheating easily but will be fine with a healthy cooling system. I think you're supposed to use a 7psi expansion tank cap. I'm sure NAPA tells you 14psi but pressure that high can cause the waterpump seals to leak. I think I have a 10 or 12 psi cap on my summer car right now and I need to change the water pump seals this spring But that might be because the engine I put in was sitting in someone's garage for years...

[bam2002]

Well I had a busy day. I replaced the air filter ( Guess Saab didnt know about quick release tabs, VS all this screws.) , changed oil and filter after letting the Seafoam sit for 2 days.
The brake pdeal was sticking, so I pulled the lower dash cover and removed the pedal assembly and greased it, only to discover the area it was binding was under the hood. So I got that freed up.

Took the car out for a spin. Discovered the coolant temp switch on the top hose was bad. The tab had rotted away, so solved the overheating issue. Fan is now on all the time untill I get a replacment part.

Drove the car around to 10 miles. Seemed to smoke about 75% less than before. Still smokes under accelration, but its bearable. Ill start to drive it for a while and see what Happens. So next step is to get the 2 rust holes in the fender welded up and the front fender filled and shaped. then repaint a few spots and start to drive it.

The passenger door wont open from the outside so I need to take that apart. Also fix the hood release.

Thanks aagain for all the suggestions.. Hope every one had a good New year..
Post some photos of the winter Rally..

Night.