Vintage transmission
The Pre-99 model cars all used the same basic transmission design, although it went through a few design iterations. It started out a 3 speed column shift with mated to the SAAB two-stroke engine. When the V4 was released, the transmission was upgraded to a 4 speed. On the Sonett III, the transmission had a floor shifter, but on other models it was column shifted.
Clutch Problems
The hydraulic system is only as good the weakest part of it.
Note: In cars with a brake booster, an air bubble gets trapped in the arch of the steel line above the master outlet. You have to pressure bleed the line with air.
- Clutch Doesn't engage until the floor
- Assuming you can get the proper freeplay (1/8") there are several possibilities:
- You haven't got all the air out of the hydraulic line.
- The pressure plate is weak.
- The rubber section of the hose is swollen and balloons as you apply pressure to the system, rather than pushing the slave outward.
- The flywheel was not cut the same depth between the deck and the step that the pressure plate bolts to.
- There is excessive wear in the pedal mechanism. (More common in 99/900's than V4s)
- If you cannot get the proper amount of freeplay, it is possible the clutch disc is too thick.
Homemade Pressure Bleeder
Take an old master cylinder cap, and cut a hole in it big enough for a tire valve, but not too big. Press a tire valve into the whole, screw the cap onto the reservoir, and use a bike pump. Do not overpressurize the reservoir, 30psi is the max.
