tow SAAB 9-5 2006 User Guide

141 Starting and driving
IB3878
Starting and driving
Ignition switch ________ 142
Starting the engine ____ 143
Important considerations
for driving___________ 146
Refueling ____________ 148
Engine Break-In Period_ 152
Gear changing ________ 152
Cruise control ________ 161
Braking ______________ 162
Electronic Stability
Program (ESP) _______ 165
Economical motoring __ 172
Driving in cold weather_ 174
Driving in hot weather _ 175
Towing a trailer




_____ 176 Driving with a roof rack
load________________ 181
Driving at night _______ 183
Driving with a load ____ 183
Driving with a spare
wheel fitted _________ 185
Driving with the trunk
lid/tailgate open______ 185
Driving in deep water __ 185
Towing the car________ 185
Jump starting ________ 188
Saab Parking
Assistance




________ 170
Parking brake ________ 167
Parking ______________ 168

Asterisk means: equipment not fitted in all cars
(can depend on model variant, engine variant,
market specification, options or accessories).
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145 Starting and driving
Useful tips on cold climate
startingIf the engine has failed to start after several
attempts in very cold weather, press and
hold the accelerator down to the floor and
run the starter for 5–10 seconds. This will
prevent the engine being flooded (exces-
sively rich fuel-air mixture).
Now start the engine in the normal way – do
not touch the accelerator.
If the engine stalls immediately after starting
(e.g. if the clutch was released too quickly),
do not touch the accelerator when restarting
the engine.
Limp-home modeThe engine management system has a
diagnostic feature that continually checks a
number of internal functions.
If, for example, a fault is detected in the
throttle valve, the engine management
system will go into Limp-home mode.This
limits:
 idling control,
 disables the cruise-control system and
 limits the capacity of the A/C compressor.
If the limp-home mode is in operation
(”Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)”
light on, see below) and the outside temper-
ature is close to or below freezing, you may
need to use some throttle on starting (some
pressure on the accelerator).
If the diagnostic system has detected a fault
in the engine-management system, the
”Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)”
light on the main instrument panel will
come on (see page 58), indicating that you
should have the car checked as soon as
possible by a workshop. We recommend
that you contact an authorized Saab dealer.
NOTICEIf the CHECK ENGINE warning light
starts to flash, ease off the accelerator
slightly. If the light does not cease to flash
within 5 seconds, stop the car in a suit-
able place as soon as possible and turn
off the engine. The car must be towed to
a workshop. We recommend that you
contact an authorized Saab dealer.
If the CHECK ENGINE warning light
flashes, it indicates that the engine is mis-
firing which can result in damage to the
catalytic converter.
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153 Starting and driving
Towing Towing of cars with manual transmission,
see page 185.
Automatic transmission





The electronic control module for the auto-
matic transmission receives information on
engine torque and road speed, and also
controls the hydraulic pressure in the trans-
mission to ensure that gear changing is as
smooth as possible.
The position of the selector lever is shown
by the symbols adjacent to the lever and
also by an indicator on the main instrument
panel. If manual mode (M) is selected, the
current gear is also displayed on the main
instrument panel.
The ignition key can only be removed when
the selector lever is in the P position.
NOTICEWhen the reverse gear is to be engaged
the car must be at a standstill with the
accelerator fully released. Lift the reverse
lock-out collar and push the gear lever
firmly to the right in neutral before easing
it into reverse.
WARNING
 Make it a habit to keep your foot on the
brake when selecting a drive position,
to prevent the car   creeping for-
ward (or backward if reverse is
selected).
 The car must be at a standstill before
P, R or N is selected. You have to have
your foot on the brake pedal to move
the lever out of P. If the car is still
moving when a drive position is subse-
quently selected, this could cause a
crash or damage the automatic trans-
mission.
 Never park the car with the selector
lever in a drive position, even if the
parking brake is on.
 If you want to leave the car with the
engine running, move the selector
lever to P or N and apply the parking
brake.
Selector lever
IB471
13
25
R
4
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155 Starting and driving
Lock-up function The automatic transmission has a lock-up
function, which can render the torque con-
verter inoperative in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears,
thus reducing the engine speed and fuel
consumption.
When the lock-up function comes into oper-
ation, it may give the impression of an over-
drive being engaged.Kick-downWhen the accelerator is pressed down hard,
a change-down to the next gear will be
effected to provide maximum acceleration,
e.g. for overtaking.
Following this, the next higher gear will be
selected at the optimum engine speed for
acceleration or, if you ease off the acceler-
ator, before reaching this.
Park Brake Shift LockThe transmission has a security function
known as Park Brake Shift Lock. To move
the gear selector out of the P position, the
brake pedal must be depressed at the same
time as the gear selector catch (detent) is
pressed in.
Shift Lock override
Check fuse No. 1 (see page 221). If the
problem was cured by changing the fuse or
battery, you do not have to contact a work-
shop.
If the fuse blows again as soon as the Shift
Lock feature is activated you should contact
a workshop. We recommend that you con-
tact an authorized Saab dealer.If the fuse is OK, check the battery regarding
the voltage.
1 Apply the parking brake
2 Make sure the key is in position ON
3 Use a small tool such as a screwdriver
and push the lever (see picture) down-
wards so that the detent button can be
pressed approx. 10 mm
4 Move the selector out of position P to N
5 Remove the tool
6 Release the parking brake if the car is to
be moved immediately; otherwise keep
it applied.NOTICEDue to electrical problems it may not be
possible to move the selector out of the
park position, even if the ignition is ON. If
for some reason the selector has to be
moved out of the park position (i.e. to tow
the car a short distance) do as described
below.
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156 Starting and drivingIf ”Automatic transmission
, fault indicator”
 appears on the main instrument panel,
the system has detected a fault in the auto-
matic transmission or its control module
(see page 62).
This also means that the Limp-home mode
has been selected, to guard against further
damage being done to the transmission. In
this mode, the automatic transmission
starts in 5th gear, and gear changes (if nec-
essary) will have to be made manually.
Stop the car in a safe place. Switch off then
restart the engine. If the fault is intermittent,
the transmission will operate as normal
despite the fault indicator being on. Have
the car checked at a workshop. We recom-
mend that you contact an authorized Saab
dealer.
It is not possible to select the SPORT or
Sentronic mode when the Limp-home mode
is active.
Gear changes must be made manually.
The following gears will be engaged in the
respective selector positions when the auto-
matic transmission is in Limp-home mode:
Overheated transmission fluid If the automatic-transmission fluid should
overheat, the following message will appear
on the SID:
”Gearbox too hot.
Make a safe stop.”
In this event, stop the car in a suitable place,
switch off the engine and open the hood.
Wait for several minutes then turn on the
ignition to check that the message has gone
out. When driving subsequent to the trans-
mission fluid overheating, select a gear in
which the engine speed is about 3,000 rpm.
Overheating of the automatic-transmission
fluid can occur when the car is towing a
heavy load, such as a camping trailer in hilly
country. High ambient temperatures can
also increase the temperature of the trans-
mission fluid or the oil cooler may be faulty.
Contact a workshop. We recommend that
you contact an authorized Saab dealer (see
also page 176).
Automatic transmission




,
fault indicator
Position R D M L
Gear Reverse 5th 5th 2nd
NOTICEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 5th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish.
Select position L to prevent unnecessary
wear on the transmission. The transmis-
sion then starts in 2nd gear. Once the car
is moving you can select position D.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a caravan or
trailer attached.
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157 Starting and driving
Driving on hilly roads with a
heavy loadThe transmission fluid can overheat when
the gearbox is strained, for example, when
driving with a trailer on hilly roads. To avoid
the transmission fluid overheating, always
drive in Normal mode. The adaptive gear
change patterns are then active.
High air temperatures or a faulty oil cooler
can also cause the transmission fluid to
overheat. Overheating reduces the service
life of the fluid. Contact an authorized Saab
dealer (see also page 176).
Towing Towing of cars with automatic transmission,
see page 185.
Descending hillsIf the speed of the car increases while
descending a steep hill, despite the acceler-
ator being released, the control module will
change down a gear when you brake. If you
desire more powerful engine braking, man-
ually select a lower gear.
WARNING
Remember to use engine-braking (selec-
tor position D or L) to spare the brakes
when you are driving on a long or steep
downhill slope.
Brake failure can result from overheated
brakes!
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163 Starting and driving

ABS brakes
ABS (antilock braking system) modulates
the brake pressure to the respective
wheels. Wheel sensors detect if a wheel is
about to lock, and the control module
reduces the pressure to that wheel and then
increases it once more until the tendency is
detected again.
The brake system is equipped with an Elec-
tronic Brake-force Distribution device
(EBD), which distributes the brake pressure
between the front and rear wheels, in such
a way as to achieve optimum braking perfor-
mance irrespective of the car’s speed and
load.
WARNING
 It is prudent to try your brakes from
time to time, especially when driving in
heavy rain, through water collected on
the road, in snow, on a wet road sur-
face or in salty slush. In such condi-
tions, the brakes may take longer than
normal to take effect. To rectify this,
touch the brake pedal periodically to
dry the brakes out.
 The same applies after the car has
been washed or when the weather is
very humid.
 Avoid parking the car with wet brakes.
Before parking, and if the traffic condi-
tions allow, brake quite heavily so that
the brake discs and pads warm up and
dry.
 The brakes are power assisted and it
should be kept in mind that the servo
unit only provides the power assis-
tance when the engine is running.
 The brake pressure required when the
engine is off,(e.g. when the car is
being towed) is roughly four times the
normal pedal force required. The
pedal also feels hard and unre-
sponsive.
WARNING
 The additional safety afforded by the
ABS system is not designed to allow
drivers to drive faster but to make
normal driving safer.
 To stop as quickly as possible, without
loss of directional stability, whether
the road surface is dry, wet or slippery,
press the brake pedal down hard-
without letting up (do not pump the
pedal), declutching simulta-
neously, and steer the car to safety.
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169 Starting and driving
Long-term parkingIf the car is not going to be used for some
time, e.g. 3–4 months, the following steps
are recommended:
 Run the engine to normal temperature
before long-term parking.
 Drain the washer-fluid reservoir and
hoses.
 Wash and wax the car. Clean the rubber
seals on the hood, luggage compartment lid and doors, and lubricate them with
glycerol (glycerin).
 After washing the car, dry the brake discs
by taking the car out on the road and
applying the brakes a few times.
 Fill the fuel tank with fuel to prevent con-
densation forming in it.
 Top up the coolant and check the anti-
freeze before the onset of winter.
 Park the car in a dry, covered and
well-ventilated building. Leave the park-
ing brake OFF!  Disconnect the negative (–) battery lead.
If frost is likely to occur during the
long-term parking, remove the battery
and store it away from the frost.
 Ideally, the car should be put up on blocks,
with the wheels off the ground. If this is not
possible, inflate the tires to about 43 psi
(300 kPa).
 Leave all the windows open a crack and
cover the car with a fabric tarpaulin – not
one made of plastic.
123
IB485
1Pointing downhill and
against the curb
– Turn the wheels into
the curb and edge the
car forward until the
wheels touch the curb.2Pointing uphill and
against the curb
– Turn the wheels away
from the curb and edge
the car back until the
wheels touch the curb.3Pointing uphill or
downhill – no curb
– Turn the wheels
towards the edge of the
road. If the car should
start rolling, it will not run
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170 Starting and drivingSaab Parking
Assistance




The parking aid system facilitates parking
and reversing. There are four sensors in
the rear bumper that detect objects up to
6 feet (1.8 metres) behind the car.The system uses four sensors in the rear
bumper. These emit ultrasound signals that
bounce back to the sensors off any objects
behind the car. The system, however,
cannot always detect small or narrow
objects or objects that do not reflect ultra-
sound back towards the car, such as pipes,
or the corner of a house or rectangular post.The system is activated automatically when
reverse is engaged or selected. When the
sensors detect an object within the moni-
tored area, the SID will display the text
"PARK ASSIST" and pulses of sound
(- - - - -) will be heard. The frequency of the
pulses increases as the car comes closer to
the object.
When the distance to the object is less
than 12 in. (30 cm), a continuous tone
will be heard.
WARNING
Responsibility always lies with the driver
when reversing.
 Saab Parking Assistance can facilitate
reversing at low speeds, such as when
reverse parking.
 Bear in mind that small and/or narrow
objects cannot always be detected by
the system.
IB1299
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
the side
IB1300
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
above
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173 Starting and driving
Driving technique To obtain the best running economy, not
only regarding fuel consumption but gen-
eral wear also, regular service is required.
 High speed, unnecessary acceleration,
heavy braking and much low gear work all
gives rise to higher fuel consumption.
 Frequent gear changing in traffic, starting
in cold weather, the use of studded tires
and roof racks, and towing a trailer all
increase fuel consumption.
 Do not run the engine when the car is sta-
tionary.
If idling, it will take much longer before the
engine becomes hot. Engine wear is
greatest during this warming-up phase.
Therefore drive away as soon as possible
after the engine is started and avoid high
revving. Driving in a low gear results in higher fuel
consumption than in a high gear because
of the higher engine speed for a given
road speed. Always change up to a higher
gear as soon as traffic conditions allow
and use the highest gear as much as pos-
sible.
 Check the air pressure in the tires once a
month. Incorrect pressures increase tire
wear. It is better to have slightly higher
pressure than lower.
 Check fuel consumption regularly.
Increased consumption can indicate that
something is wrong and that the car
needs to be checked by a workshop. We
recommend that you contact an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
Practical trials on the roads have demon-
strated that substantial savings in fuel con-
sumption can be made if the above advice
is heeded.
Road conditionsWet roads increase fuel consumption, as do
unpaved roads and driving in hilly country
(the amount of fuel saved driving downhill is
less than the additional amount required to
climb the hill).
WARNING
Never switch the engine off while driving
as the effect of the brakes and power
steering will be greatly reduced.
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