Questions and Answers

Saab Convertible Money Pit Q. The car is a 1994 Saab Turbo Convertible 16 valve engine 4 cylinder multiport fuel injection, ABS brakes. The oil pressure warning light flickers when almost coming to a stop. I have taken it to the mechanic and he informed me that they don't see a leak. It all began when my car was overheating about five months ago and they did this overnight pressure test to try to figure out why it was overheating.

After that my car started leaving oil marks on my driveway. So they replaced the radiator because it seeped coolant and the cylinder head gasket and resealed the oil pump/R & R crankshaft pulley. They also found a leak in the transmission shifter shaft seal and shift coupler which was also fixed. My power steering reservoir was replaced. All of these expenses have come up to about $3,500.00. And my car is still not working properly.

The bottom of the car is soaked with oil from the engine all the way to the gas tank. It smokes like crazy sometimes. I am afraid it is going to catch on fire. Could it be oil left underneath from all the gaskets replaced? It doesn't leak on the driveway when I have not been driving it, but the minute I drive it for a few minutes, it leaves some oil marks on my driveway.

I have been taking my car to these people for a few years now and they have always done a good job. But now, it is one thing after another. The car has 104,000 miles. Do these type of cars not last longer than 100,000 miles? Am I just wasting my money? I was hoping to be able to drive it without trouble for another couple years, specially now that I have spent so much money repairing it.

Am I dreaming? Should I try to get a new car now? I don't want to replace the clutch or fix the turbo when it breaks. If you could share some light on the situation it would be greatly appreciated. Hope you can help.

Thank you...

A. Know why it's called Saab? Because every week when a new repair bill comes in, the owners SOB. That was a small joke... very small.

Anyway, at this point there is so much oil covering everything that the only way you're going to find out where it's coming from is to completely clean the engine and transmission so you can see where it's coming from. And for safeties sake, the exhaust pipes, catalytic converter and mufflers.

It could be oil that had leaked out before the repairs still dripping, or it could be new oil. Also, there is a florescent dye you can put in the oil and trace the oil leak with a black light. This, too, will reveal where the oil is coming from.