Saab F25

Saab's five-speed manual transaxle — in the NG900 and the 9000.

Saab mounted its engines the other way up for years and its transaxles are unlike anyone else's, which is the practical point: a generic transverse-manual procedure does not describe one, and Saab specialist knowledge is where the real information is.

Its recurring complaint on the turbocharged cars is the differential and the input bearings, which is what a lot of torque through a front-drive transaxle finds first. The noise rises with road speed and is present in every gear, including with the clutch pressed while rolling — which separates it from gear noise and from a wheel bearing.

Shift quality complaints are the linkage, and on these the cable ends and the bushings are a known wear item that reads exactly like a worn gearbox.

The clutch's hydraulics fail more often than the clutch, producing a pedal that sinks or a gear that will not engage when hot.