The DD 1988 Saab 900 SPG has been trying to kill me lately. I commute in Atlanta traffic 32 miles each way in rush hour. And the car has decided to randomly completely shut down for (at least) several seconds and then restart. This is very highly inconvenient and rather hazardous. I suspect the 27 year old distributor and have been seeking a parts kit. No luck so far with the usual parts joints including napa. Any suggestions for sourcing?
I was perusing C900 parts on ebay a few hours ago and saw this No clue if it's the right one as I'm not C900 fluent yet, but this guy is local to you.
I've found that old European cars really like to have all the electrical connections in the fuse box and all the grounds cleaned up.
A quick google seems to indicate that's the really simple Bosch system with a pickup in the distributor and the 7 pin ignition module. Check the ground to that module, caused me all sorts of trouble in the Yugo(same system). Maybe try a different one if that doesn't fix it. There's nothing in the distributor itself that could cause a problem like that, EDIT: except the two pickup wires, I forgot that moved and was prone to breaking.
If it is the old Bosch straight up electronic ignition, the parts there are practically bulletproof. They used the same system on 240 Volvos, and I changed maybe two ignition boxes and one pickup since I started working on them at the dealership in 1981.
I second the tracing of every electrical connector. When a Volvo lost ignition, 99 times out of 100 it was a corroded connector, often at the ballast resistor, or at a bad ceramic fuse.
In reply to XLR99: Thank you.I know the seller and may end up buying one. I do worry about replacing old parts with old parts though.
De nada, just by coincidence I was looking thru all of his listings & then saw your post. I agree about questioning putting in used parts. I think everyone else is on the right track with cleaning up grounds and connectors first before throwing any parts at it.
Blurp! And she left me on the side of the road. Old F250 to the rescue. Again. At least the problem is no longer intermittent.
Start it in the driveway, leave it idling. Now start wiggling wires. When it stumbles or dies, zero in.
Wiggle the hall effect wire a good bit. Ive found several failures there, on both sides of the seal.
My '88 c900 turbo has had both fuel and ignition system issues that have led to no-start or severe miss fire problems.
First, have you confirmed a no spark condition? I've found, and repaired bad wire connectors near the coil. Also, the plastic plug on the distributor on mine is broken, which lead to one of wires from the plug to the internal pick up chaffing and creating a short to ground.
On the fuel side, it had a very difficult to diagnose Fuel Pump Relay problem. There was nothing wrong with the relay or fuel pump, the terminal block that the relay plugs into had a terminal with a bad crimp from the factory. Sometimes it had continuity, sometimes it didn't. After fixing that, the fuel pump hasn't missed a single beat.
Woody wrote:
Whenever I see european electricals in older cars, this is what comes to mind:
Well then. The plastic surround on the positive electrical connector at the fuel pump had crumbled into little bits. So the connector was basically just sitting there. Sometimes connected sometimes not. I have no idea how it ran. And to make it more interesting, the wire was just sitting in a nice puddle of gasoline. God is good.
This is why there is a small fire extinguisher in all of my cars, even the ones that aren't prone to catching fire.
Wow, that could have been extra exciting! 
Sounds exactly like the problem I'm having with my '96 Subaru Legacy. I even told my fiance when I shot some starting fluid into the throttle body that the fire extinguisher was on the wall behind her if it went up in flames!...she's a keeper
I keep an extinguisher in the garage and will now mount one in the SPG.
this brings back nightmares of my '86 c900 catching fire at a friends house while we were checking a no-start condition.
Hey no big deal. with a steady liquid flow of gasoline over the wire, it was keeping the connection and preventing a fire. 
see? no problem!
Have you tried Matthews in Birmingham, AL. They lots of NOS stuff They sell on Ebay and have a six story slaughter house converted into a parts house. I got the 10 cent tour years ago and was amazed at all the stuff they have. 1221 2nd Ave N Birmingham, AL 35203, (205) 251-5800
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