SAAB 9-3 2001 Manual Online
Manufacturer: SAAB, Model Year: 2001, Model line: 9-3, Model: SAAB 9-3 2001Pages: 260, PDF Size: 12.01 MB
Page 81 of 260

81 Instruments and controls
Defroster 
Floor 
incl. rear side windows 
Panel 
incl. rear center vent As the winter comfort setting we recommend that the distribution 
knob be turned two steps to the left from the Defroster position.
IB762
Settings for 
various weather 
conditions 
Summer - sunny  Summer - cloudy  Winter - comfort  Winter - defroster 
IB983IB984IB985
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82 Instruments and controls
The air conditioning is combined with the 
conventional climate-control system and is 
switched on by pressing the   button, 
provided that the fan control is in 
position 1-4. 
The incoming air is treated in three stages: 
first it passes through a filter; it is then dehu-
midified and cooled and, finally, if required, 
heated. 
The air conditioning can be used at outdoor 
temperatures down to 32°F (0°C). Condensation water When the A/C compressor is on, the incom-
ing air is dehumidified. The resulting con-
densation water is drained away through an 
outlet under the car. 
It is therefore perfectly normal for water to 
be seen dripping from this outlet when the 
car is parked. The warmer the ambient air 
and the higher the humidity, the more con-
densation will form. When the   button is depressed the 
regular air intake will be closed. In this posi-
tion, the air inside the cabin is recirculated. 
Use recirculation when you want rapid cool-
ing, at extremely high air temperatures. 
Switch the air conditioning (A/C) on first. 
Recirculation can be useful to activate man-
ually to prevent unpleasant smells being 
drawn into the car from outside. 
Note that recirculation should not be 
used when the outside temperature is 
lower than 50°F (+10°C) except briefly, 
e.g. to avoid unpleasant air from enter-
ing the car. Prolonged use of recircula-
tion could cause the windows to mist or 
ice up.
Air conditioning (A/C)
Recirculation
IB794
Air vent at rear side window 
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83 Instruments and controls
The button is located on the climate-control 
panel. An LED in the button is lit as long as 
heating is on. 
Switch off the heating as soon as the rear 
window is clear. It will go off automatically 
after about 10 minutes.
If the battery voltage is lower than 12 V the 
heating will be switched off earlier so that 
the battery can get the benefit of the alterna-
tor charge. 
Avoid placing sharp objects on the rear 
parcel shelf; the heater elements may suffer 
damage if such objects touch the rear win-
dow. Do not switch the heating on until you 
have started the engine. 
Recommended settings in 
severe cold On starting with a cold engine, set the fan 
switch to position 2 and select defrost to 
heat the cabin and defrost the windshield as 
quickly as possible. 
When the engine is warm enough for the 
reading of the temperature gauge to start 
rising, fan setting 3 may be chosen. Once 
the windshield is clear, the air-distribution 
control should be shifted two steps to the 
left. 
The warm-up time of the engine depends on 
the kind of driving. Town driving in high gear 
with a low RPM gives a longer warm-up time 
than highway driving with a higher RPM. 
Do not use position 4 on the fan switch, as 
this is mainly intended to provide rapid cool-
ing in hot weather. 
Fault diagnosis and care of A/C sys-
tem, see page  232. Electrically heated rear 
window/external mirrors
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84 Instruments and controlsAutomatic climate 
control (ACC)The air is drawn in through an intake at the 
bottom edge of the windshield. It passes 
through an efficient filter before being 
routed through the climate-control system 
and into the cabin. The cabin discharge vent 
is located on the right behind the rear 
bumper. The air discharge vents should be 
kept free of snow and ice in the winter.
ACC (Automatic Climate Control) automati-
cally maintains the desired cabin tempera-
ture, regardless of the weather outside. 
The system will achieve the desired temper-
ature in the quickest possible way. 
Note that heating or cooling is not 
speeded up by setting the temperature 
higher or lower than you really want. 
For the ACC system to be most effective, all 
windows, and the sunroof if there is one, 
must be closed, and the panel vents must 
be open. 
The incoming air is treated in three stages: 
first it passes through a filter; it is then dehu-
midified and cooled and, finally, if required, 
heated. The temperature interval within which you 
can make adjustments is 58-82°F 
(15-27°C). Outside it, there is the HI position 
(max. heat and high fan speed) and the LO 
position (max. cooling and max. fan speed).
The displayed temperature is not the actual 
temperature but corresponds to the comfort 
level normally experienced at that tempera-
ture after allowance has been made for the 
air flow, relative humidity, solar radiation, 
etc., currently prevailing inside the car. 
 The most usual temperature setting is 
66-74°F (19-23°C), depending on per-
sonal preference and what clothing is 
worn.  It is recommended that changes in the 
temperature setting be made in steps of 
2°F (1°C). 
 Conversion between °C and °F is done in 
the SID unit; see ”Units and language ver-
sions”, page 74. 
 During the cooling phase in warm 
weather the panel vents must be open.
 Do not manually select recirculation in 
cold/wintery weather. The reduced air 
flow can cause misting and ice on the 
inside of the windows.
IB794
Air vent at rear side window 
IB032
Dash vent 1 Adjusting the direction of the air flow. 
2 Adjusting the air flow 
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85 Instruments and controls
The system uses five sensors: 
 Outside-air temperature.
 Cabin-air temperature.
 Sun sensor.
 Blended-air temperature (located in the 
heater unit).
 Coolant temperature.
The sun sensor is centrally located on the 
dashboard panel between the defroster 
nozzles. Note that if anything is placed over 
the sun sensor the ACC system will not 
function properly. 
Condensation water When the A/C compressor is on, the incom-
ing air is dehumidified. The resulting con-
densation water is drained away through an 
outlet under the car. 
It is therefore perfectly normal for water to 
be seen dripping from this outlet when the 
car is parked. The warmer the ambient air 
and the higher the humidity, the more con-
densation will form. 
IB763
1 Sun sensor 
2 Interior-temperature sensor 
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86 Instruments and controlsFunctions The function you have manually selected will be locked in, while 
other functions remain automatic. 
Temperature maintenance, except in positions HI and LO, is, there-
fore always automatic. The active function is shown in the display. 
A manual selection is cancelled by pressing AUTO or by repeated 
pressing of the button used to make the manual choice. For further 
functions, see ”Programming II”, page 91.  
Button Display 
When the system is set to AUTO, the 
temperature, air distribution, fan 
speed and recirculation will be con-
trolled automatically. 
The air conditioning is activated auto-
matically if the outside temperature is 
above 32°F (0°C). When AUTO is 
depressed again, all automatically 
selected settings are shown on the 
display. 
Button Display 
Setting the cabin temperature   
1 Switch on the ignition. 
2 Set the desired cabin tempera-
ture using the two buttons. 
3 The temperature you have now 
chosen will be stored, remaining 
in the memory even when the 
ignition is switched off, unless 
ACC has been programmed with 
a different "ON" setting. See pro-
gramming, page  90. 
IB764
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87 Instruments and controls
Button Display
One touch: 
When Defroster is manually selected 
you will get demisting of all windows 
(the air flow to the rear side windows 
will be shut off) by high fan speed. Air 
will be routed to the defroster noz-
zles. Normal temperature control, 
recirculation and ECON will be 
switched off but the electric heating 
of the rear window and outside mir-
rors will be switched on. Current set-
tings will be shown on the display and 
AUTO will go out.   
The demister function remains oper-
ative until another selection is made, 
but the heating of the rear window 
and the outside mirrors will be 
switched off after a certain time, 
depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Two touches:
Two touches on the defroster button 
routes the air to the windshield with-
out any increase in fan speed and 
without switching on the rear-window 
heating.
To revert to the previous setting, 
press the AUTO button. 
Button Display
Panel (and center rear vent) 
Floor, front and rear (and rear side 
windows) 
Defroster - floor (front and rear) Press 
simulta-
neously 
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88 Instruments and controlsButton Display
Panel - floor (front and rear) and 
center rear vent
Electrically heated rear window/elec-
trically heated door mirrors are con-
trolled automatically, though they 
can also be programmed for manual 
control; see 
”Programming II”, page 91.
The temperature, air distribution and 
fan speed will still be controlled auto-
matically.
Press  or  to 
increase/decrease the fan speed 
(the fan setting is shown on the dis-
play).
To revert to automatic fan control, 
press AUTO. Other manual selec-
tions will revert to automatic control 
at the same time. Press 
simulta-
neously 
Button Display
Recirculation is controlled automati-
cally, but there is also manual 
ON/OFF control. 
When this function is activated the 
A/C compressor will be shut off. 
Reconnection can be made with one 
press on AUTO or pressing ECON.
The function can be programmed for 
automatic A/C disconnection when 
the outside temperature falls below 
57°F (+14°C), see "Programming II", 
page 91.
The temperature, air distribution and 
fan speed will still be controlled auto-
matically. 
After you have depressed OFF there 
will be no control. 
You can re-activate by pressing 
AUTO or by again pressing OFF, 
which gives the latest setting. 
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89 Instruments and controls
Starting in cold weather: The automatic 
climate control system selects the defroster 
position, max. heating and low fan speed to 
begin with. 
As the engine temperature rises, the fan 
speed is increased and air is routed towards 
the floor.
As the temperature inside the car nears the 
selected value, both the fan speed and the 
heat will be decreased to a level determined 
by the system. 
Starting in hot weather: The automatic cli-
mate control system selects air to the panel 
vents and high fan speed. Recirculation is 
switched on about 30 seconds after starting 
if the selected cabin temperature is mark-
edly lower than the actual temperature. 
Unless the ECON button has been 
depressed, the A/C compressor is always 
switched on at outside temperatures above 
32°F (0°C) in order to cool and dehumidify 
the incoming air, unless the ECON button 
has been depressed. 
As the temperature inside the car nears the 
selected value, the fan speed will be 
decreased to a value determined by the 
system. 
Action to be taken in special types of 
weather Normally, misting and icing problems on the 
windows do not occur other than in extreme 
situations, e.g. when you are driving in 
heavy rain or severe cold in combination 
with high air humidity or when those travel-
ling in the car are sweaty and wet. If you 
have trouble with misting or icing in such 
cases we suggest the following counter-
measures: 
1 Select   and temperature 70°F 
(21°C). 
2 Select  . If this is not enough ... 
3 Increase the fan speed. If this is not 
enough ... 
4 Select a higher temperature. 
Air to the rear side windows is supplied by 
the floor ducts. To demist these windows 
you should therefore select a defroster/floor 
combination by pressing both buttons at the 
same time. 
IB793
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90 Instruments and controlsCalibrationIf the battery has been disconnected or has run flat, the system will 
recalibrate automatically.
Manual calibration:
1 Start the engine. 
2 Press   +   at the same time. The ACC display flashes 
once to indicate that calibration and self-testing have started. 
During calibration the display indicates the figure 0 or the fault codes 
(01-23) that have been found. 
Calibration and self-testing takes about 30 seconds. 
Programming IThe manual selections you have made can be saved so that the 
ACC system always starts up on these selections every time the 
ignition is switched on. But notice that the ignition must have been 
off for at least 10 minutes before you try out the saved setting. 
1 Select the desired settings. 
2 Press   +   at the same time. 
(The ACC background lighting flashes to confirm that the informa-
tion has been stored.) 
Example: 
If you want the ACC system to distribute the air to the dash vents 
from the start, proceed as follows: 
1 Start the engine. 
2 Press the button  .
3 Press   and   at the same time.
4 Shut off the key.
5 The system will memorize this new program 10 minutes after the 
key is shut off.Cancelling program I A saved setting is deleted only by pressing    +  at the 
same time.
(The ACC display flashes to confirm that deletion has been 
effected.) 
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