Slow Fleet – Saab 9000 August 2014 Update (Part 1)
Saab 9000
Latest Costs: £113.77
Miles this month: 2102
After the successful trip to Le Mans, and me failing to have any other suitable vehicles it was necessary to get the 9000 back to France, for two weeks. As noted the squeak was there and rather noticeable something definitely needed doing about it. So I got onto the task of fitting the new serpentine belt and two pulleys. One on the tensioner, the other an idler. Using a breaker bar, and a 19mm socket I was able to compress the gas damper that Saab used to keep the belt in check. Only of course after I removed the two piece wheel arch liner.
This object wasn’t fitted as well as I’d have liked and it might have moved out of place over the years. So, it took an extraordinary amount of time to re-fit. The condition of the bearings in the two pulleys wasn’t great and the belt had started to perish. It had been on there a while…
The new belt and pulleys installed easy enough, but I didn’t want to repeat this any time soon so I was pleased when a trip out of 60 miles and all was quiet.
I had also noticed that the wiper blades didn’t stay put as well as I’d liked at high, err, I mean the speed limit on the Autoroutes. So I invested in some of those aerodynamic Bosch types. I had seen some on another car and though they were better.
The trip to France was again uneventful, the first day saw us leaving the Midlands and heading around the M25 from the M1 to the Darftford crossing. Opening the window to pay the toll and the squeak was back… a slightly different sound, but definitely belt related. Which meant the wheel arch liner would have to come back out and I’ll probably do the water pump next, seeing as I still have one.
From there to Dover to take the boat this time, something I haven’t done in years, which was a fairly pleasant experience. Good for the driver to get out of the car and do something else for an hour and a half. Being early too meant we could pay the extra and go on the earlier crossing, which turned out to be a good idea as there was quite way to go.
It did mean that the Paris Périphérique would be tackled at about 4pm, and seeing as I drove onto it at its most northerly Porte and exited at the southernmost I drove half of it. Luckily though it was ‘Fluide’, which means moving, and was no problem at all. The junctions for each of the Portes aren’t very far apart and they can be easily missed. It was pretty dense traffic wise and for the passengers the sights of Paris just inside the ring road were worth seeing. Don’t try to look if you are driving, unless you are stationary of course, which can happen quite often…
The total distance for day one was a bit over 550 miles from home to this rather incredible Chateau near Salbris. The Chateau de Rivaulde was well worth the drive to get there, and luckily knowing a rather brilliant French artist means that Jalopy get to stay in such lavish accommodations.
Many miles were accumulated throughout this first week, visiting new places and of course the incredible historic buildings. Central France and the Loire really is unspoilt. One highlight was going to Chevernay, what I know as Marlinspike hall, which was completely by chance and hadn’t been given much consideration. I thought it looked familiar as I was looking at it, the giveaway was another building with a Tintin exhibition in it….
Unfortunately I couldn’t park outside this one too.
To be continued….
Simon
