Saab 4433801 stories

80 and 90er cars often suffer from electronics problems. When a brand from the Cologne area, the wiring harnesses dissolve. At a Bavarian supplier, electronic defects drive the driver crazy. Saab has relatively little to do with it. What else can you expect from a manufacturer who paid homage to the redundancy, and preferred to use 2 instead of just a single bulb in turn signals and taillights?

A Saab 9000 or an earlier 9-5 are relatively easy - with a few minor details. It started with Paul, our project Saab. On the way towards the hangar, at a late hour on the country road, the high beam strikes. Aha, I think the 4433801 module. I had that on the 9000, months earlier.

There it was exchanged for a used part, the 9000 behaves inconspicuously since then. With the intention to take a new relay on my next visit to Frankfurt, I turn off the Saab in the hangar.

A few days later. We have visitors. As a greeting, he tells me that the lights are on in the carport of a Saab. Light? Saab? Actually impossible. It's Anna who makes the sunny day even brighter. Light switch on, light switch off. Ignition on, ignition off. No reaction.

The 9000 is stubborn. So bonnet open, relay box open. The 4433801 module is extremely hot! Not good. What could have happened if you had not noticed the defect in time? I do not even think about it. Relay out, the lights go out. Insert again, the magic starts again.

Well, now I have two Saabs without high beam. Time to act.

4433801 = replica or original?

Orio still has leftovers of the original goods in stock. They cost around €80,00 and are definitely worth the money. Since I won't be coming to Frankfurt in the next few days, but would like to move the 9000 at night, I'll investigate at Skandix. There you offer replicas for half the price. Normally, I always prefer Saab-Original, but the case is acute. Skandix delivers extremely timely, that's crucial this time.

The next day the two 4433801 relays are there. They are visibly flatter than the original parts and fit perfectly into the relay box. Noticeable: a designation was abolished at the top. What was originally imprinted there? Volvo maybe? Everything is possible. The relays have been working for weeks, and if they last 10 years instead of 20, they've made their living.

Anna now flies through the night without any problems. The high beam that the H1 headlight puts on the road is downright sensational for an 20 year old car. By now it's getting hotter every day. Temperatures are rising to more than 30 degrees. How does the aged, Scandinavian lady beat herself in European extreme summer?

Every car is as reliable as its owner. And if you ignore things, it will take your revenge at the wrong time. The Saab has a surprise for me, and chooses a really hot day for it.

Sequel follows…