[TR] Free Wheel Def

[Rick Patton]

Bill

Joe and Jim are correct about free wheeling Saabs mainly because of the 
2 strike engines.  60's 3cylinder Saabs had two stroke engines and you 
needed to add oil to the gas tank when filling up just like a chain saw 
mix. These cars all made the same blue smoke as a chainsaw too! Anyway 
the only lube oil to the crankcase was carried by the gas/oil mix. Fine 
for normal driving but when rolling down that big hill with your foot 
off the gas at 3K rpm there was no oil supplied to the bearings. With 
the throttle plate closed the engine only got a hint of gas/oil. So the 
choice was to use free wheeling and rely on your brakes or risk damaging 
the engine. It could be pretty scary coasting downhill as it picked up 
speed as the brakes were nothing special either.

Those old Saabs were popular here in the Northeast and great in the snow 
because of the front wheel drive. Earlier models even had suicide doors!

Rick Patton
Brunswick Maine
75 TR6 sci
74 TVR 2500M project


Joe Curry wrote:
> I am thinking that this is something akin to what SAAB was using in the 60's
> and perhaps before.