Thread: Dropped all of its oil on the road

I had a 5 door 99 series Saab Turbo in 1979 (made in 1978) - although those dates might be out a bit ... I'm guessing the technology was pretty crude in that motor. But I had the oil changed etc., picked the car up, drove to Melbourne Uni, did an early evening lecture and then left the underground car park, drove through the short distance from the car park to Swanston St, probably there was a speed hump (I forget) and then turned right onto Swanston St heading towards the city, and the red light for oil pressure came on and I turned the motor off, pretty much straight away. There was a long trail of oil behind me ... I got the car towed to the service place ... the oil plug had fallen out of the car.

But no damage was done to either the motor or the turbo. I did have a turbo failure much later and that was due to my own stupidity.

With that car, unfortunately an architect Norman Glxxxxll (now well gone) did a U turn while driving past the red light district in St Kilda Rd - yes they had a red light district in prestigious ST Kilda Rd in 1983), in the wet, I could not stop in time and I hit his car. He just careered across the tram tracks into my path. He was so drunk he could barely walk. His Jaguar XJ6 did not look at all bad. My Saab 99 never really recovered from that smash. I kept it for another year or so I think ... shame as they only made 100 5 door 99 series turbos. But they are not worth much at all ... and I do look for them ... but they seem to not have been kept going ... their major fault was that their interiors faded in our Sun, and I think that is why peopled do not seem to have kept them going in Australia. They were the first mass manufactured turbo petrol car - while the model 2002 BMW turbo was earlier, they didn't make many of those at all. I think those BMWs were a marketing exercise. It took BMW a long time to get serious about turbos in petrol motors.

I recall once I was with a friend who had a bolt on Turbo in his Alfetta coupe, and we were driving out towards Yarra Glen on fast roads at night, we pulled over and I lifted the bonnet on the 99 Saab, and the trees near the road were illuminated by the bright red orange glow of the car's quiet large and visible turbo. That thing got really hot!!

Oh for those days when one could leave early in the morning and for instance, drive the Hume Highway at the speeds such a road deserves. With our speed limits it makes more sense to have a Disco and be able to go off road. We have the sports tourers of today IMO.

Hopofully your motor will not have been effected. Mine wasn't.

Doug

Originally Posted by 16PMark

Oh god. Had a mate with a Starion, and I had a Cordia. Bloody hell, there's some memories there.
EDIT, just trying to find an article about the Starion and the Cordia....from back in the day..
Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo: The Starion'''s Forgotten Little Brother

Hah, the "Starion". Japanese for "Stallion"