ignition SAAB 9-3 2004 Owner's Guide

123 Interior equipment
Interior lightingThe interior lighting consists of one front and
one rear roof light, floor lighting, and cour-
tesy lights in the doors (certain variants
only). The light switch for the interior lighting
is located on the roof console by the rear-
view mirror.When the switch is in the mid-position (door-
activated), the interior lighting will come on:
 When the car is unlocked.
 When a door is opened and the ignition is
OFF.
 When the remote control is removed from
the ignition switch.
The lighting goes out:
 When the car is locked.
 When the ignition is turned on.
 Approx. 20 s after closing all doors.
The lights are dimmed out gradually.
If a door is left open and the light switch is in
position 2 or 3 and the ignition is OFF, the
interior lighting will be switched off automat-
ically after 20 minutes to save the battery.The glove compartment lighting is switched
on and off automatically when the glove
compartment is opened and closed.1 Interior lighting always off
2 Interior lighting controlled by the doors
3 Interior lighting on continuously
Rear lighting1 Reading lights
2 Roof light
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124 Interior equipmentSun visorIlluminated vanity mirrors are provided on
the sun visors. The lighting comes on when
the cover is raised.
Trunk lightingThe trunk lighting is switched on and off
when the trunk lid is opened and closed.
If the trunk lid is left open, the lighting will be
switched off automatically after 20 minutes
to prevent the battery from running flat.
Cup holderCup holders are provided in the fascia, in
the center console compartment between
the front seats and rear seat cushion. The
cup holder between the seats can be raised
if you wish to use the compartment for
storage.
WARNING
 The cup holder should not be used to
hold cups made of china or glass as
these can cause personal injury in the
event of a crash.
 Use only paper mugs, plastic bottles
or aluminium cans.
 Avoid spillage, particularly of hot
drinks.NOTICETake care not to spill any liquid on the
audio system , the ignition switch or the
like when using the cup holders. Soft
drinks in particular can cause malfunc-
tions.
Sun visor with vanity mirror
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130 Interior equipmentInterior rearview mirror with garage
opener, autodimming function and
compass (certain variants only)
Retain your original garage door opener
(transmitter) for future programming proce-
dures (i.e., new vehicle purchase). It is also
suggested that upon the sale of the vehicle,
the programmed garage opener buttons be
erased for security purposes, see page 132.Preparations for first-time programming
Before programming the garage opener for
the first time, you must delete any factory
codes.
Press and hold the two outer buttons until
the indicator light begins to flash-after
20 seconds. Release both buttons. Do not
hold for longer that 30 seconds. The garage
opener is now in the train (or learning) mode
and can be programmed at any time begin-
ning with "Programming" - step 2.
Programming
The garage opener can record and store the
frequencies of three different remote con-
trols.
The battery in the remote control should be
fairly new for programming to work well.
Do not repeat "Programming" - step two
to train additional devices to a second or
third button. Begin with "Programming" -
step three.
1 Turn the ignition ON.
2 Press and hold the two outer buttons
(buttons one and three) - releasing only
when the indicator light begins to flash
(after 20 seconds). Do not hold the
buttons for longer than 30 seconds and
do not repeat step two to program a
second and/or third hand-held transmit-
ter to the remaining two buttons.
3 Position the end of your hand-held
transmitter 1-3 inches (5-14 cm) away
from the button you wish to program
while keeping the indicator light in view.
WARNING
Make sure that people and objects are out
of the way of moving door or gate to
prevent potential harm or damage.
When programming the garage opener,
you may be operating a garage door or
gate operator. Therefore it is advised to
park outside of the garage.
Do not use the garage opener with any
garage door opener that lacks the safety
stop and reverse feature as required by
federal safety standards. (This includes
any garage door opener model manufac-
tured before April 1, 1982.). A garage
door opener which cannot detect an
object, signaling the door to stop and
reverse, does not meet current federal
safety standards. Using a garage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
Buttons for garage opener, autodimming
and compass1–3 Garage opener
4LED
5 Autodimming/compass ON/OFF
6 Compass bearing
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139 Starting and driving
Ignition switch ________ 140
Steering wheel lock ____ 142
Starting the engine ____ 142
Important considerations
for driving __________ 144
Refueling ____________ 147
Engine Break-in Period _ 151
Manual transmission___ 152
Automatic transmission 153
Cruise control ________ 159
Braking ______________ 160
Traction Control System
(TCS) ______________ 163
Electronic Stability
Program (ESP) ______ 165
Parking brake_________ 167
Parking ______________ 167
Saab Parking Assistance 170 Economical driving _____ 173
Driving in cold weather__ 175
Driving in hot climates __ 177
Towing a trailer ________ 178
Driving with a roof rack
load ________________ 182
Driving with a load _____ 183
Driving with the trunk lid
open________________ 183
Driving in deep water ___ 183
Driving at night ________ 184
Towing the car _________ 184
Driving with the compact
spare tire ____________ 187
Jump starting _________ 187
For long trips __________ 190
Starting and driving
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140 Starting and drivingIgnition switchThe ignition switch is located on the center
console between the front seats. In cars
with automatic transmission, the remote
control can only be removed when the
selector lever is in position P.NOTICETake care not to spill drinks or to drop
crumbs over the ignition switch. If dirt or
liquid gets into it, the switch may not
operate properly.
If snow from clothing falls into the ignition
switch and melts, the ignition switch can
seize (freeze). Brush snow off clothing
before getting into the car.
WARNING
• Always remove the remote control
before leaving children unattended in
the car.
 Apply the parking brake before remov-
ing the remote control.
 Never remove the remote control
while the car is moving. This will acti-
vate the steering wheel lock and make
it impossible to steer the car.
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141 Starting and driving
To allow the various systems in the car time
to register that the remote control has been
inserted into the ignition switch, do not turn
the remote control for roughly half a second. LOCK position
The position lights, hazard warning lights and interior lighting can be
turned on.
Cars with automatic transmission: Move the gear lever to P.
The gear lever is locked in position. This is the only position in which the
remote control can be removed.
Cars with manual transmission: The remote control can be removed
regardless of the position of the gear lever.
OFF position
Parts of the electrical system are operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the OFF position with the engine
not running as this could cause the battery to run flat in a matter of
hours.
Cars with automatic transmission: The gear lever is not locked. See
also page 154.
ON position
The entire electrical system is operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the ON position when the engine
is not running.
Turn the remote control to the OFF position to disconnect the electrical
system.
When you turn the remote control to ON, some indicator and warning lights
will come on in the main instrument panel. These should go out after about
3 seconds.
ST - starter position
The starter motor operates (automatic transmission: selector lever must
be in P or N) when the remote control is turned to this position. When
released, the remote control will spring back to the ON position.
The car has an electronic restart lock. If the engine fails to start, the remote
control must first be turned back to a position between OFF and LOCK
before the starter motor can be operated again.
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142 Starting and drivingSteering wheel lockThe steering wheel lock is electronic. The
lock engages when the remote control is
removed from the ignition and unlocks when
the remote control is inserted. A click can be
heard when the steering wheel lock locks
and unlocks.
If the car is parked with one front wheel
touching the curb, for example, you may
need to turn the steering wheel slightly
when you insert the remote control to allow
the steering wheel lock to unlock. If you do
not succeed on first attempt you must
remove the remote control before trying
again. Turn the steering wheel and insert
the remote control into the ignition switch.
If the steering wheel lock does not disen-
gage it will not be possible to turn the remote
control in the ignition switch.
The following message is shown on the SID:If a fault arises affecting the steering wheel
lock, the following message will be
displayed on the SID:
If the steering wheel lock malfunctions while
the remote control is in the ignition switch,
this may prevent the removal of the remote
control or prevent the car from being
restarted once the engine has been
switched off.
If you have to leave the car, lock the car by
pressing down the lock buttons on the
doors. Lock the front left door from outside
with the traditional key (see page 42). The
car is now locked but the alarm is inactive.
Starting the engine
Steering wheel locked.
Pull out key, turn steering
wheel. Try again.
Steering lock malfunc.
Make a safe stop.
Contact Saab dealer.
WARNING
 When starting the engine:
- Sit down in the driver’s seat.
- Depress the clutch pedal fully. If the
gear lever is not in the neutral position,
the clutch pedal must be fully
depressed or the car will jump
forwards or backwards, which may
cause a crash.
- Never start the car from outside the
vehicle, e.g. through a window that is
down. This could lead to serious
personal injury.
 Cars with automatic transmission:
select position P to remove the ignition
key. The key can only be removed in
this gear position.
 Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless,
odorless, poisonous gas. Be alert to
the danger of CO – always open the
garage doors before starting the
engine in the garage.
 Do not rest or sleep in the car when
parked with the engine running. There
is a risk of depressing the accelerator
which could lead to engine damage.
 There is also a danger of CO poison-
ing if the exhaust system is leaking.
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143 Starting and driving
Starting the engineAvoid racing the engine or loading it heavily
before it has warmed up. Do not drive away
before the warning and indicator lights have
gone out.
The engine has an automatic choke and
should be started as follows:
Cars with manual transmission
To start the engine the clutch pedal must
be fully depressed.
1 Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2 Depress the clutch pedal but do not
touch the accelerator.
3 Start the engine. Let the remote control
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.Cars with automatic transmission
The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
1 The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
2 Keep your foot on the brake pedal.
Note! Once the engine has started, the
brake pedal will sink. This is perfectly
normal.
3 Start the engine. Let the remote control
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.
Useful tips on starting the engineIf the engine has failed to start after several
attempts in very cold weather, proceed as
follows:
1 Turn the ignition switch to ON (it is
essential that you turn the ignition to
ON before depressing the accelerator).
2 Press the accelerator to the floor and run
the starter motor for 5-10 seconds. This
will prevent the engine being flooded
(fully depressed accelerator cuts off the
fuel supply).
3 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.
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144 Starting and drivingImportant
considerations for
driving1 Starting and driving
 Do not use full throttle until the engine
is warm, so as to avoid unnecessary
wear. If the needle of the turbo gauge
repeatedly enters the red zone, the
engine may suddenly lose power, due
to the initiation of a monitoring system
that limits the boost pressure. Contact
a Saab dealer as soon as possible.
 Under certain barometric conditions
(high outside temperature and/or high
altitude) the needle may enter the first
part of the red zone without necessarily
indicating that a fault has arisen.
 A protective function (interruption of the
fuel supply) limits the engine speed.2 Stopping the engine
 Do not rev the engine immediately
before switching it off - stop the engine
when it is idling.
3 Regulating the charging pressure
 The system is optimized for AON 90.
One of the advantages of boost pres-
sure regulation is that the engine can
also be run safely on gasoline with a
lower octane rating, although not lower
than AON 87. Severe engine damage
will occur if gasoline lower than 87
octane is used. However, engine
performance will fall slightly and heavy
loading and laboring should be
avoided. For optimum performance,
use the recommended grade of fuel.
 The maximum boost pressure is regu-
lated according to the tendency of the
engine to knock. Short-lived knocking
is perfectly normal. This can occur
when the engine is running at about
3,000 rpm under a heavy load. The
extent of this knocking will depend on
the grade of fuel in the tank.
 Isolated instances of knocking can
occur with low-octane fuel. This
controlled form of knocking, followed
by a reduction in the boost pressure, is
a sign that the control system is work-
ing normally, and is perfectly safe for
the engine.
Limp-homeThe engine management system has a
diagnostic feature that checks a number of
internal functions. If a fault is detected in the
throttle valve, the engine management
system will set the throttle system to the
limp-home mode. This means:
 idling control will be poor (uneven idling
since regulated by ignition and fuel
supply)
 engine performance will be reduced
 the cruise control will not function
 the capacity of the A/C compressor will be
limited.NOTICE If the engine sounds strange there is a
malfunction. Contact a Saab dealer
immediately.
 The use of fuel with too low an octane
rating can cause serious engine
damage.
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156 Starting and drivingLimp-homeIf the transmission malfunctions, the control
module will activate limp-home mode. In
this mode, only 2nd and 5th gears are avail-
able. Select 2nd gear when driving at low
speeds and 5th gear at higher speeds. 2nd
gear must be selected manually. Select 5th
gear manually or move the selector lever
to D (see page 158).
The following message is shown on the SID:Temporary override of Park Brake Shift
Lock
1 Apply the parking brake.
2 Lift up the rubber mat in the storage
compartment ahead of the selector
lever.
3 Under the floor of the storage compart-
ment is a yellow plastic lever. Use a thin
tool, such as a screwdriver, to press and
hold the plastic lever while moving the
selector lever from P to N.
4 Remove the tool.
5 Release the parking brake if the car is to
be moved immediately, otherwise it
should remain on.
Check fuse 6 in the engine bay fuse box.
If the fuse is OK the battery may be dead.
Contact a Saab dealer to have the problem
checked and rectified. Gearbox malfunction.
Limited performance.
Contact Saab dealer.
NOTICEDue to electrical problems it may not be
possible to move the selector lever out of
the park position, even if the ignition is
ON. If for some reason the selector lever
has to be moved out of the park position
(i.e. to tow the car a short distance) do as
described below.
Temporary override of Park Brake Shift
Lock
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