In my "Rumbling" post I referenced a transmission problem.  It is this: If I exceed 40 MPH and the car decides to shift into 4th, the car winds out like it’s in neutral.  I get no forward traction at all with the engine.  If I pull the shifter back to "3", the tranny catches and I can proceed, but doing 55 winds it out to 5000 RPMs.  Not good.

I’ve been dreading a diagnosis, fearing that the car having sat for 2.5 years did some kind of damage.  Transmissions in general are NOT cheap.  Saab transmissions are even MORE not cheap!  Last night I Googled for a couple of hours, prowled forums, and came up with nothing conclusive.  Just before going to bed, on a lark I e-mailed North Country Imports in Glens Falls and told them of my problem.  The sales guy called me this morning and said he’d spoken with the Service Manager who said I needed to check the "Electronic Downshift Motor" to "make sure the lever and cable are free."  Great.  Wherever THAT is!  (Hey, at least he didn’t leap straight to "new transmission, bring it in!"!  So after lunch today I pop the hood and start snooping around.  Behind the engine, on the firewall there’s this motor-looking thingy.  On the end of the thingy is a rotor-ma-bob with nothing attached to it.  Two inches from the rotor-ma-bob is the end of a cable, just sort of dangling out in space; lonely, looking for a hook-up.  (Sounds pathetically familiar…)  I snap a couple of pics with my phone and E-mail them back to Sales Guy.  He calls me back, says my pics were very clear and that I need an $8.00 clip.  Parts Guy ordered one up for me and will ship it as soon as it arrives.

Whoo-Hoo!!!
Here’s one of the pics, in case you care: