The Saab freewheel originated out of necessity - Saab originally used
two-stroke motors where the oil was mixed with the gas. If you were racing
down a hill at high revs and let off the gas, there would be no lubrication
and the engine would seize. Not good. The freewheel allowed the engine to
go back to idle. When they went to the 4 stroke Ford motor they kept the
freewheel, but did add a lock device to lock it out. It was available
throughout the V4 era, and it was an option on the first few years of Saab
99s too.
Kevin Rhodes
Former 69 Saab Sonett V4 owner
At 09:55 04/19/2004, Joe Curry wrote:
>SAAB had a freewheeling device back in the 60's. I don't know how long
>it was used but the way it worked is quite cleaver. There was a drum
>that had ramps built into the inner sides. An inner shaft turned on
>roller bearings that would travel up the ramps and lock into place when
>the engine RPM was greater than the transmission RPM. So it would spin
>free when the engine rpm was the same as or below the transmission rpm.
>One could shift every gear both up and down without using the clutch.
>
>It was engaged by pulling out a handle in the middle under the dash.
>
>Joe
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