The following questions were asked by Jim TenCate, in a letter
that he sent me a few weeks ago. I thought that I would post them on
the net for others to peruse....
>What do your speaker grills look like?
My speaker grills look exactly like as shown in the upper left
frame of p. 106 in the Roadster Factory catalog. The color is black,
with the center being the electrical schematic symbol for a
loudspeaker, in silver.
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I have since replaced the speaker on the passenger door with a
Sony unit because the original got blown out by persons unknown and
just sounded awful. The original speaker on the driver's door sounds
much better than this new one--better bass response, better high end.
I still want to try and fit the original grill on the Sony speaker, but
haven't gotten around to it just yet.
>What (or where) on the temperature gauge does your car run at?
In cool weather, the temperature gauge normally runs between the
1/4 and 1/2 marks on the gauge. In summer weather, it frequents the
1/2 way mark as yours does, and occasionally rises above the 1/2 way
point. About the time it hits the 1/2 mark, the low speed fans kick
in. I have only heard the high speed fans kick in once--that was
before I changed the thermostat (the old one was stuck wide open) and
the temperature indication was between the 1/2 and 3/4 marks.
>Which thermostat did you put in?
I don't remember, but I think that it was a 82 degree C unit. The
only markings on the unit that I removed were "WAXSTAT" and "F80". I
guess that this means 180 F or 80 C. I bought a Robertshaw thermostat
from the local autoparts store that was supposed to be for the TR-8,
but it didn't have the little jiggle pin in the face of the unit. I
drilled out a small hole and used the old jiggle pin in the new one.
See p. 104 in the Repair Manual. The jiggle pin has a rubber sealing
face on the engine side of the thermostat, with a T-shaped projection
on the radiator side. I guess this is to allow air/water flow back
from the radiator as you fill the system, or so the coolant can flow
back into the engine from the radiator as it cools and contracts. My
SAAB thermostat has the same arrangement.
>Wonder what a winter thermostat is?
Winter thermostats are usually of a higher temperature so that more
heat is available inside the car from the heater core. They tend to
run 89 C and up. My old Saab thermostat was 82 C, the replacement unit
was 89 C. (This was for a 1983 900.)
>Have you ever taken out the carpet on your TR-8?
I've taken out just a small section under the seat to retrieve a nut
and bolt, but that's all. It came out very easily--it wasn't glued in
like my old Rabbit's carpeting was.
>Any oil recommendations?
I haven't heard of anything special, but I know that Saab
specifically warns you not to exceed their recommended oil change
intervals even if you use a synthetic oil. I keep my 8 in the garage
during the winter (with only comprehensive insurance on it) and try to
drive it only during nice (convertible) weather. I've used only Quaker
State 10W30 in it so far--only 2000 miles last year and about 2500 the
year before, so I haven't done too many oil changes. You mentioned
getting significantly better mileage with the Mobil 1--do you attribute
it to the 5W30 oil or using a synthetic oil? What kind of mileage do
you get? I average between 16 and 18, with a high of 22 on my trip
back from Utah. I suspect that my poor mileage is due to the fact that
it's so much fun to put my foot in the throttle!
I hope that these questions and answers have been of some help...
Happy Motoring!
Tim Buja Cherry Valley, IL
(The sun is setting when...
a small man casts a giant shadow)
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