Front wheels binding at sharp low speed turns - saab 9-7x arc

[buttons252]

Hello,

I just picked up a cheap 9-7x friday -- I knew it would take some wrenching to fix but its not as simple as i had hoped. I did some research before i bought the suv and i was falsely under the impression i could manually disengage the awd and just drive it RWD. Anyway here is the two symptoms I have which i believe are separate issues.

1.) At low speed sharp turns you can feel the front wheels binding, without throttle it comes to a complete stop in drive and if you apply any throttle it almost feels like your going over a speed bump. "crow hop"? I unplugged the electrical connector to the encoder motor and that changed nothing. I have two quarts of auto-trek II thats going to replace whatever is in there tomorrow.

Other issue is a vibration or rumble at speed. the vibration peaks intensity at 45mph. going slower or faster it decreases -- sounds like driving over a rumble strip. I replaced both front wheel bearings today which i think helped some, but not much. All tires are 245/60/18 but the front tires do have less tread depth, tire dealer says it should be within spec though. fronts are at 50% life, rears are 75% since the vibration is worst at 45mph wouldnt that rule out a bad or out of balance tire ? I would think that would continue to get worse the faster i went ? maybe bad u-joint ?

while doing the wheel bearings i couldn't find any play in the ball joints, control arms, drive shaft, etc -- didnt check the rear yet

 

[blazinlow89]

An out of balance tire could be the cause of the second problem. It is cheap to get a tire balanced and some places have lifetime balance when you get the tires on. It could also be a whole range of other components, ball joints, bad alignment, etc. I am sure someone else will chime in with more info and hopefully and answer to your first question.

 

[buttons252]

An out of balance tire could be the cause of the second problem. It is cheap to get a tire balanced and some places have lifetime balance when you get the tires on. It could also be a whole range of other components, ball joints, bad alignment, etc. I am sure someone else will chime in with more info and hopefully and answer to your first question.

Yeah, today im dropping it off to have them check out the tires and U-joints today. I work 8am-6pm and i hate working on cars in the dark, plus its cold. It does have new ball joints too.

Does anyone know if I can just remove the encoder motor, turn the shaft with pliers to force 2wd, then test to see if my binding / crow hop symptom disappears ?

 

[The_Roadie]

Does anyone know if I can just remove the encoder motor, turn the shaft with pliers to force 2wd, then test to see if my binding / crow hop symptom disappears ?

Yes. Unless your problem is grabby or damaged clutch plates inside due to some idiot running it dry because they ignored the required 50K fluid change interval.

Reading: Offroadtb.com Transfer Case Operation: NVG 226 (NP8)

You have the NVG126 transfer case, which is essentially the same as the 226, except the 126 has no low range or mode control switch. And the encoder motor has only 5 pins instead of 7 because it has no brake.

 

[buttons252]

well firestone found the vibration culprit at least one of them... the rear driveshaft / u joints are wobbling really bad. im going to try and replace the transfer case fluid tonight after work. got the two quarts of autotrak II and a hand pump.

 

[buttons252]

Well, finally found time to work on the saab. Drained the transfer case, it had about 3-4oz of black ooze and some chunks came out. pumped in 2qt of autotrak II. Then removed encoder motor and shifted the transfer case to 2wd. My saab no longer binds or makes groaning noises at low speed turns. rolls much easier, a lot less vibration on deacceleration. Then I replaced both ujoints on the rear driveshaft. they were pretty rough with plenty of play. Now it rides smooth as butter.

Now i noticed another issue, the rear passenger side sits about 1.5" lower then the rear driver side, darn air ride.... is that unique to saab or does the buick, gmc also have that ? I got my 06 9-7x for $6500, i have $260 into repairs so far but thus far really happy with it.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Wonder if you can just rotate your sensor on one side and get it to level out.

 

[buttons252]

Wonder if you can just rotate your sensor on one side and get it to level out.

thats an idea, before i throw money at a shock/spring conversion kit

 

[Fleetwoodstac]

Hey I'm in the process of fixing the exact same thing on my wifes bravada. Pm me for details on what I've done so far

 

[Wooluf1952]

Hey I'm in the process of fixing the exact same thing on my wifes bravada. Pm me for details on what I've done so far

Or you could just post here so we can all be educated and for the future.

 

[Fleetwoodstac]

Ok. It's a lot of info kinda. I bought an 02 bravada with a small front diff leak. Unfortunately, my good buddy at the caddy dealer told me that the carrier bearing adjuster gets loose, makes the carrier bearing loose, and makes leaks from where the axles go into the diff. Now, my bravada was binding and crow hopping on low speed turns also, and replacing the $200 4 wheel drive motor helped but didn't correct the problem 100%. So i figured i would fix it eventually because i figured it would be cool for a while, which it was for a few months, until the day the front drive axle decided to come out of the front diff. Long story short, the worn bearing caused the drive axle to sit tilted, and slide past the snap ring which holds it in the bearing. It also WORE A GROOVE INTO THE SPIDER GEAR!!!!!! I have since removed all of the front wheel drive items until i can rebuild the front diff and find a set of spider gears. I believe the worn bearing caused the excessive crow hop. I will update this when i finish the repairs

 

[buttons252]

Ok. It's a lot of info kinda. I bought an 02 bravada with a small front diff leak. Unfortunately, my good buddy at the caddy dealer told me that the carrier bearing adjuster gets loose, makes the carrier bearing loose, and makes leaks from where the axles go into the diff. Now, my bravada was binding and crow hopping on low speed turns also, and replacing the $200 4 wheel drive motor helped but didn't correct the problem 100%. So i figured i would fix it eventually because i figured it would be cool for a while, which it was for a few months, until the day the front drive axle decided to come out of the front diff. Long story short, the worn bearing caused the drive axle to sit tilted, and slide past the snap ring which holds it in the bearing. It also WORE A GROOVE INTO THE SPIDER GEAR!!!!!! I have since removed all of the front wheel drive items until i can rebuild the front diff and find a set of spider gears. I believe the worn bearing caused the excessive crow hop. I will update this when i finish the repairs

My long term goal is to remove all the front wheel drive drivetrain, change the transmission tailshaft, custom drive shaft to just have a rear wheel drive only. Some weight savings to be had, but a lot less headaches in the long run. Granted i live in Michigan and AWD could be nice on occasion ... id rather not have to worry about it. We are planning to move down to North Carolina or Florida anyway...

 

[Fleetwoodstac]

Well, I'm hoping that I will only have to rebuild this diff once. I'm in Cincinnati and all wheel drive will help in the winter months

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Well, I'm hoping that I will only have to rebuild this diff once. I'm in Cincinnati and all wheel drive will help in the winter months

Might be willing to part w my spare front diff. What gears you have?

 

[Fleetwoodstac]

I think the 342s

 

[Pittdawg]

I think the 342s

It feels as if my abs is being applied rather abruptly and roughly at low speed turns. Is that the same sensation as front wheel binding? I'm 2wd so it can't be the transfer case. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[The_Roadie]

Pull the ABS fuse to test this theory.

 

[navigator]

could it be your traction control? Do you have traction control?
Once you try the ABS fuse, try turning off your traction control (hold the button about 12-15 secs until the light flashes) and then try to reproduce it.

 

[Pittdawg]

I contacted my local dealership and informed them I believed it was a result of rusted/faulty wheels sensors and they indicated if it is in fact the wheel sensors those are part of the wheel hub assembly and would be covered by warranty so I'll think I'll make an appt. and let them deal with it.

 

[Pittdawg]

I contacted my local dealership and informed them I believed it was a result of rusted/faulty wheels sensors and they indicated if it is in fact the wheel sensors those are part of the wheel hub assembly and would be covered by warranty so I'll think I'll make an appt. and let them deal with it.

My baby has been at the dealership for two days and they cannot figure out the cause I authorized the mechanic to drive my baby home with him and data log as this is supposed to help narrow down the potential causes.

 

[TollKeeper]

My Envoy did the same thing when I bought it. It was in fact the front wheel speed sensor. They replaced the single faulty unit, and the problem has been gone since then. It does only occur at low speeds, and does not set a ABS or traction light.

 

[Pittdawg]

The couldn't "replicate the problem" so no fix. I told them I know its the wheel speed sensors just replace them. "No we can't, there is no abs code and there is no play in the wheel hub, sorry".

At least they waived the $57 inspection fee.

They told me the only codes they could find (after much searching) was C0131 valve block and C0455 steering sensor.

 

[TollKeeper]

Then I would suggest finding another dealer. Its not a hard problem to replicate. When it was bad on mine, they went to take it out of the parking lot on the test drive. They turned around at the end of the lot they got it to replicate so fast.