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"hey are 98 99 saabs reliable"
Not particularly good or bad. Much of the Saab specific engineering is gone at that point. The coil packs are a known weak point and oil sludge was a problem for cars not maintained the way you or I would maintain a car. The trannies were finally pretty bulletproof but the the cabin electrics are even more a problem as there are so many of them.
None of these would deter me, but this always does...they are a FWD car with a VERY tight engine bay. this makes them a challenge to work on. I would rather pull the head on the a read block than change a water pump on a GM-era Saab.
"is there any circumstances that valves would bend or score pistons if started ?"
There are possible scenarios where valves could bend such as a dropped valve (which could also hole the piston) but these are extremely rare. Now ramming a valve into a wad of rope being compressed by an upward moving piston...that is a very real possibility.
You do not score pistons...you score cylinder walls. This is unlikely in your scenario.
If nothing else, pull the head which costs you nothing. If you find damage, a used head is cheap and now you know how to pull one at the PnP...really cheap because they rarely fail...and a the required gaskets are not that much.
Would I do it for an 88 740...probably not but I do not like that era of of the 7-series. If replacing the car is more than a $1500 endeavor, have a shop do the head gasket replacement with your used head (depending on where you live, HG replacement is $1000-2000 in labor and materials in a good indy shop).
As I have a stated on other threads, there is nothing about replacing a head gasket that is difficult but it is very detailed with lots of little steps that have to be done in order. It take time and organization with only one tool most folks do not have...a torque wrench.
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