SAAB 9-3 2000 Workshop Manual

51 Convertible
Trunk Pass-Through in the rear
seatback for long, narrow loadsA trunk pass-through is provided in the rear
seatback support so that long narrow
objects can be carried. Before using this
trunk pass-through, the rear seatback must
be lowered.
Suspend the top storage bag by means of
the hooks as previously described on page.
50.
Cleaning the soft top, 9-3
Convertible
NOTEThe trunk pass-through can only be used
when the top is raised.
If you attempt to lower the top with the top
storage bag suspended from the hooks or
with a load pressing against the top stor-
age bag, the SID will display the message
"CHECK SOFT TOP STORAGE" (see
page 48).
NOTE Note that some automatic car washes
can damage a textile soft top. This
applies to washes that have mechani-
cal feelers in contact with the body-
work.
We advise against washing a Saab
9-3 Convertible in automatic car
washes.
 Park in the shade if possible. Long
standing in strong sunlight can affect
the color and material of the soft top.
 Never use strong bleaches or abra-
sive cleaning agents, since they can
damage the textile soft top.
 Wash bird droppings off at once, since
they can have a corrosive effect on the
textile soft top and paint.
 During prolonged parking, especially
winter storage, the soft top should be
up to give optimum airing of the fabric.
 Do not wash the fabric soft-top with a
high-pressure jet.
 Strong detergents and solvents can
damage the flame retardant treatment
of the soft top.
IB857
Pass through for long loads
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52 ConvertibleUse mild soap, lukewarm water and a
sponge for washing.
Rinse the top thoroughly with plain water to
get rid of all the soap. Flush the cleaning
agent off the bodywork as well, since it can
cause discoloration if it is left to dry on the
paintwork.
If further cleaning is needed after soap and
water have been used, a mild shampoo may
be employed. First rinse the soft top, then
use shampoo on the complete top and
scrub with a small soft hand brush.
Add water as needed until the cleaning
agent lathers. Use a rag or sponge to
remove dirt, so as to avoid working it into the
cloth. Thoroughly rinse the whole car with
plain water and make sure that cleaning
agents are not allowed to dry on the paint-
work.
Cleaning the rear windowThe rear window can be cleaned with a
window cleaner or a mild soap solution and
a soft, anti-static cloth.
Since the rear window is made of glass,
when necessary, you can use an ice
scraper on the outside. Never use a scraper
on the inside!Interior lightingThe front light is located on the front roof rail.
The rear lighting consists of two lights built
in to the side panels adjacent to the rear
seat. The switch is on the center console
between the front seats, see also page 121.
Certain variants have a mirror and lighting
built into the sun visors.
Manually opening the
fuel filler doorConvertible If the fuel filler door, controlled by the central
lock, does not unlock take the following
action:
Check fuse 25. If it is defective or blows
again after changing, the locking motor can
be detached from the flap by pulling a wire.
The wire, marked with a yellow arrow at the
end, is located in the trunk inside the open-
ing in the upholstery in front of the
right-hand rear light.
NOTEAfter washing, the soft top must be given
time to dry completely before being folded
down. A wet or damp top that is folded
down can be damaged by mold.
IB861
Wire for manual opening of fuel filler door
(Convertible)
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53
Instruments and
controlsWarning and indicator
lights ............................... 54
Instruments ...................... 59
Trip computer SID ............ 62
Switches ........................... 71
Wipers and washers ........ 74
Manual climate-control
system ............................. 76
Automatic climate control
(ACC) ............................... 80
IB946
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54 Instruments and controlsMain instrument panel
Warning and
indicator lightsA number of warning and indicator lights will
come on when the ignition is switched on
prior to starting (see page 58). Under
normal conditions, these should go out a
few seconds after the engine has started.
Warning, oil pressure (en-
gine oil)
This symbol comes on together with if
the oil pressure in the engine is too low. If
the symbol flashes or comes on while you
are driving, stop as soon as possible and
where it is safe to do so, switch off the
engine and check the engine oil level, see
page 172. NOTEThe car must not be driven under any cir-
cumstances when the warning lamp is on.
Too low oil pressure will damage the
engine.
IB1356
Main instrument panel 1 Tachometer
2 Indicator and warning lights
3 Speedometer
4 Indicator and warning lights
5 Pressure gauge 6 Fuel gauge (tank volume:
17 gallons (64 litres)
7 Engine temperature gauge
8 Trip meter reset button
9 Odometer and trip meter
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55 Instruments and controls

Warning charging
This light comes on together with if the
battery is not charging. If it comes on while
you are driving, stop the car as soon as pos-
sible and switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
179). If the belt has broken, the engine may
overheat (cooling system will not function
properly), the belt is slack or broken, battery
charging will be poor and engine cooling
unsatisfactory.
Brake warning light
This light will come on together with if
there is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir, see page 176.
If the ABS warning light is on at the same
time, the ABS system may be inoperative
because of a fault (see anti-lock brake warn-
ing).
Parking brake warning
light
The light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 151.)
If the car driven with the parking brake on,
will also come on and a chime will
sound.
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
WARNING
Never drive the car when these warning
lights are on. Danger of brake failure!
Have the brake system checked at once
by an authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
• Always apply the parking brake when
parking
 Always apply the parking brake before
removing the ignition key
 Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving (see page 151)
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56 Instruments and controls
Anti-lock brake warning
This light together with and indi-
cates that a fault has occurred in the ABS
system. Conventional braking without the
ABS function will still be available.
For safety reasons, stop the car and check
the level of the brake fluid (see page 176).
If the level is normal, depress the brake
pedal firmly two or three times. Now check
the level again. If the level is still normal, you
may drive the car, with considerable cau-
tion, to the nearest authorized Saab dealer
to have the brake system checked.

Airbag warning light
This light together with will come on if
a potentially serious fault has occurred in
the airbag system.
This light will come on for about three sec-
onds when the ignition switch is turned to
the Start or Drive position. It should go out
after the engine has started.

Indicator, fuel
This light comes on when there is less than
about 2.5 gallons (10 litre) of fuel left in the
tank.
WARNING
 If the ABS is inoperative, there is a
danger of the rear wheels locking up
on hard braking
 If the level of brake fluid in the reser-
voir is below the MIN mark, the car
should be towed to an authorized
Saab dealer
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly.
 The airbags in your vehicle may not
inflate in a crash, or they could even
inflate without a crash.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
NOTEIf the car runs out of fuel, air can have
been drawn in with the fuel, which, in turn,
can cause the catalytic converter to be
damaged by overheating.
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57 Instruments and controls
Central warning light
This light comes on and a chime will sound
if a fault has been detected in any system
that is critical to safety. Any of the following
can activate the central warning light and
alarm:
 Airbag system.
 Low oil pressure in engine.
 Parking brake is on (when car is moving).
 Brake fluid level low.
 Fault detected in ABS system.
 Engine overheating.
 Alternator not charging properly.
The symbol and the chime will also sound if
the ignition key is turned to the ON position
but the engine is not started within 10 sec-
onds.
Cruise Control
indicator light
The symbol is lit when cruise control is
active.
Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)
This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system. The car
may still be driven with care and with some-
what diminished performance.
SPORT Mode Indicator
On cars with automatic transmission the
indicator light comes on when you press the
SPORT button on the gear-lever knob.
In SPORT mode, the transmission remains
longer in the (D, 3, 2, 1) gears before
upshifting.
Quit Sport mode by again depressing the
SPORT button; see also page 147.
WINTER Mode Indicator
On cars with automatic transmission the
indicator light comes on when, in the D posi-
tion, you press the WINTER button on the
center console next to the gear selector.
When the car is in the Winter mode it starts
in 3rd gear, which gives a better grip in
slippery conditions by reducing the ten-
dency to spin the wheels.
Quit Winter mode by again depressing the
WINTER button; see also page 147.
WARNING
An illuminated CHECK ENGINE indicator
light indicates a serious engine-related
problem. While your car may be able to be
driven with the CHECK ENGINE indicator
light illuminated (limp-home mode), you
are advised to have your car serviced at
an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Continued driving without this problem
being corrected might cause serious fur-
ther damage to your car and create
unsafe driving conditions. The operator
should be prepared to take action if such
unsafe conditions arise (e.g., apply the
brakes, disengage transmission, turn off
the ignition etc.).
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58 Instruments and controls
CHECK message
indicator
This light indicates that there is a message
in the SID. A chime will also sound
(see page 63).
Automatic transmission
fault indicator
On a car with an automatic transmission,
this warning symbol is illuminated if a fault
has been detected in the transmission.
Switch the ignition off and on again to check
if the fault persists.
Even if the fault persists, it is still possible in
most cases to drive the car (see page 144).
Have the automatic transmission checked
by an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Rear fog light Indicator
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 73).
The rear fog light is switched off automati-
cally when the engine is switched off. When
the fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
High beam Indicator
The symbol is lit when the high beam
is on.
Open door Indicator
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or trunk).
Autochecking of lights,
main instrument panel The above warning and indicator lights
should come on when the ignition is
switched on. They go out after about 3 sec-
onds.
The following lamps light up until the engine
starts, as long as no faults exist:
Central warning light .
Oil pressure warning light .
Charge warning light .
NOTEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 4th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish. To overcome this, move the
selector lever to position 2.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a trailer attached.
IB1279
1 Cars with automatic transmission
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59 Instruments and controls
Instruments TachometerThe tachometer indicates the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute. The
needle may be allowed to enter the broken
red zone on the dial only for an instant.
A safety cut-out function (in the fuel system)
prevents the engine speed exceeding
approximately 6,200 rpm (2.0 Turbo) and
6,400 rpm (2.3 Turbo).
Odometer and trip meterThe odometer records the distance trav-
elled in miles on U.S. vehicles and on Cana-
dian vehicles the distance indicated is in
kilometres, and the trip meter in miles and
tenths (kilometres and tenths of kilometres
on Canadian vehicles). Reset button The button is located close to the right of the
odometer and trip meter in the main instru-
ment panel.
The reset button has two functions, deter-
mined by whether the ignition is ON or OFF.
 When the ignition is ON, the button will
reset the trip meter.
 When the ignition is OFF, the button will
bring up the display for 20 seconds to
allow the odometer and trip-meter read-
ings to be viewed.
Speedometer (U.S. speedometer
shown)The speedometer receives signals from a
wheel sensor in the ABS system.
If the NIGHT PANEL mode has been
selected, the scale will be illuminated up to
87 mph (140 km/h). The remainder of the
scale will be illuminated if the speed of the
car exceeds 84 mph (135 km/h).
IB340
IB341
IB606
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60 Instruments and controlsTemperature gaugeThe temperature gauge shows the temper-
ature of the coolant. The needle should be
in the middle of the scale when the engine
is at normal operating temperature.
If the needle enters the red zone, the
warning light will come on and an alarm
chime will sound. If the needle approaches the red zone,
which can occur in very hot weather or when
the engine is under a heavy load, drive in the
highest gear possible, keep the engine revs
low and avoid shifting down.
Check fuse 3 (radiator fan) in the fuse panel
under the hood, see page 191.
If the needle repeatedly enters the red zone,
stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so and
check the coolant level by looking at the
level visible through the plastic tank - do not
remove the cap.
If the coolant level falls below the MIN mark,
the SID will display the message ”FILL
COOLANT FLUID”.
Pressure gaugeThe pressure gauge indicates the pressure
in the induction manifold. Under low load
and while the engine is braking there will be
vacuum in the induction manifold.The
needle of the pressure gauge will then move
within the white zone. At higher engine
speeds and higher loads, the turbo-com-
pressor produces an overpressure in the
induction manifold. The needle will then
enter the orange zone. Normally the needle
should not enter the red zone, since a mon-
itoring system sets limits to the charging
pressure and protects the engine.
NOTEIf the needle, despite the above action,
enters the red zone, stop the car immedi-
ately.
If the needle stays in the red zone, stop
the engine.
WARNING
Never open the coolant expansion tank
cap when the engine is hot. It contains hot
coolant under pressure. Failure to heed
this warning may result in personal injury.
IB343
IB344
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