Saab: 5 speed manual 1999 saab 93, Saab gearshift lockout

Question
Hi,

I have a 5 spd manual 1999 saab 93 (120000 miles) running well. It all happened all of a sudden when one morning I could not move the clutch from the reverse position and aslo was not able to steer the key in the ingnition contact. They both seem "blocked".The steering wheel can move without any problem though.

Thank you,

Bogdan

Answer
Bogdan:
 The most likely cause is a broken hairspring in the shift console's "reverse lockout lever". This is something you can fix yourself, but you will need to remove the console completely, take it apart, and either replace the spring or as I have done with an older car, remove the entire lockout lever, losing the security feature of locking the shift lever in reverse. The procedure requires too many steps to be described here, so I recommend getting a manual (Haynes is a good one), or alternatively, subscribing ($25/year) to a website <alldatadiy.com>.
   Hope this helps,
               Jerry