Saab!

[BrianWC]

Are there bad UOAs or failures linked to dino or non-ACEA A3 quality 30 weights in the 2.3 n/a now or is this just preference? I used to push the 40 weight based on the issues w/ the 205/235 series engines. That was the reason I put together the Saabcentral oil stickies, at least. Andrews of Princeton put together those great articles for Nines magazine on the sludge issue and this was at the same time I left my 900 for a 9-5 so it became a critical issue for me personally. So I linked to them and based on what I was seeing on here (My 9-5 auto-rx thread was a fun one) and tried to put together the recommended oil list.

I've been much more infrequent over there since trading off the 9-5 a few years back. I tried to get a 98 900 off eBay other day but as fate would have it I ended up in the Honda dealer the next day and wandered out w/ an Si, lol. Till then I'll just stare at all my spare saab parts and dream I guess...

But back to the OP's original question, which I failed to answer, I have tons of Valvoline Maxlife Synth 10W30 based off the fact that, at least a few years back, the 10W30 WAS spec'd ACEA A3, which was SAABs recommendation for the turbos back then. Of course, at least through the model year of my 9-5, the recommendation, even for the turbos, was the current API certification (can't remember if it was SJ or SL at that point) OR ACEA A3. I can't remember when or if they backdated any recommendations. I know it was more stringent for the 9-3 sedan...

 

[vmcboss]

I have owned 3 of the Saab 900s' and a 2004 Saab 9-5 Turbo. I recommend Shell T5 10W30 semi-synthetic. It is found at many big box stores and is relatively inexpensive.

 

[saabmon]

The island is 2 miles wide and 4 miles long. So most every thing is a short trip.Every so often I drive to Miami( There is no Walmart or Pep boys or Autozone or anything like that in the Keys) to go to Wal mart or Target or Cracker Barrel or something like that (anything to get off this rock). It is about a 330 mile round trip with about 210 miles with a speed limit of 45mph. In the past year I've driven less than 3,000 miles. That brings me to another point. Would full synthetic oil age better than dino oil? How often would you change the oil if the car doesn't get driven that much? thanks for your help.

 

[saabmon]

Brian! I have been on Saabcentral for years. The reason I came on BITOG is that the guys on Saabcentral seem to get upset when you ask a specific question about oil.They always say go to the stickies,which I have done. But they seem to generalize.This is MY baby we are talking about. The people on BITOG are more helpful,and pardon me for saying so,less rude.
The owners manual calls for 10W30,10W40,5W30 or 5W40. But of course the manual was written in 1995.I switched to Maxlife mainly because you said it was a quality product,and you were absolutely correct. I switched to Valvoline Synpower synthetic 5W20 in my wife's 2005 dodge neon SRT4.It made a world of difference,especially at start up.No valve noise or anything whatsoever. My Saab has a slight valve clicking for about 20 seconds after cold start up.
What I would like to do is put in Valvoline Maxlife 5W30 full synthetic.I have been using Maxlife synthetic blend 10W40. Do you think this would be a good move? I really value your opinion. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

[BrianWC]

Lol it's bc there are few people that know or care too much anymore! Heck i dont know that much but paranoia and enough spare time to be on bitog are a dangerous combo! Did you say 5w30 or 10w30? I don't know if they make a 5w30 full synth maxlife or if it is as thick and meets the same spec. But gosh in the keys you could probably go as thick as you want. But...on short trips thinner oil should warm up faster...Lol you have to make it difficult!

 

[saabmon]

Maxlife makes 5W30 full synthetic. They make a Maxlife 5W40 full synthetic (which would be perfect), but it's only available in Europe. What I guess I want is a full synthetic high mileage with the 5 weight rating for the great lubrication when starting. The car sits for days on end, and it seems like a good idea to have the lubrication when starting after sitting idle for long periods. Well you can't always get what you want. Maybe I'll try something else, like ???? who knows. Maybe I'll just let it sit.

 

[BrianWC]

I'm sure it'll be fine w a 5w30 max life synth! I still don't think the n/a motor is that picky!