check engine SAAB 9-3 2009 Owners Manual

6Engine bay, 4-cylColor code______________ 292
Engine number __________ 292
Gearbox number _________ 292
Warning labels __________ 8
Vehicle identification number 292Ignition system __________ 287
Alternator_______________ 215
Drive belt _______________ 215
Exhaust emission control __ 154
Simple troubleshooting (ACC) 273
Spark plugs _____________ 287
Turbo gauge ____________ 88Engine oil: checking level __ 208Automatic transmission _________ 162
Manual transmission ___________ 161
Battery ______________________ 214
Jump starting _________________ 197
Battery charge ________________ 214
Oil grade and viscosity__________ 286
Engine: description ____________ 203
Engine: technical data __________ 286
Important considerations for driving 153
Wash/wipe stalk switch____ 103
Washer fluid ____________ 217
Washer jets ____________ 217
Topping-up fluid _________ 217
Power steering ________________ 213
Fluid: checking/topping up _______ 213
Coolant: checking/topping-up ____ 210
Driving in hot climates __________ 187
Radiator _____________________ 286
Temperature gauge ____________ 88
Fuse table _____________ 238
Changing a fuse _________ 233
Fuses _________________ 233
Relays ________________ 238ABS brakes_____________ 170
Brake pads _____________ 212
Brake system ___________ 287
Brake fluid______________ 212
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7
Engine bay, 2.8 V6Power steering___________ 213
Fluid: checking/topping up__ 213Vehicle identification
number ________________ 292
Color code ______________ 292
Engine number __________ 292
Warning labels___________ 8
Gearbox number _________ 292Ignition system __________ 287
Exhaust emission control __ 154
Drive belt _______________ 215
Simple troubleshooting (ACC) 273
Alternator_______________ 215
Turbo gauge ____________ 88
Spark plugs _____________ 287Automatic transmission _________ 162
Manual transmission ___________ 161
Oil grade and viscosity__________ 286
Engine: description ____________ 203
Engine oil: topping up __________ 208
Engine: technical data __________ 286
Important considerations
for driving ___________________ 153Engine oil: checking level________ 208
Battery ______________________ 214
Jump starting _________________ 197
Battery charge ________________ 214
Wash/wipe stalk switch ____ 103
Topping-up fluid _________ 217
Washer jets_____________ 217
Washer fluid ____________ 217Fuse table ______________ 235
Changing a fuse _________ 235
Fuses _________________ 233
Relays ________________ 238ABS brakes_____________ 171
Brake pads _____________ 287
Brake system ___________ 170
Brake fluid______________ 212
Cooling system, coolant capacity__ 286
Coolant: checking/topping-up ____ 210
Driving in hot climates __________ 187
Temperature gauge ____________ 88
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66 9-3 ConvertibleRaisingThe following conditions must be fulfilled for
raising the soft top:
 Vehicle speed must not exceed
20 mph (30 km/h).
 Battery voltage must exceed 10 V.
 The trunk lid must be locked.
1 Start the engine and let it idle. Clearance
for soft top operation: height, min. 7.2 ft
(2.2 m); behind car, min. 2" (5 cm).2 Press and hold the soft top button until
the soft top is fully raised and the soft top
cover closed. Completed raising is indi-
cated by a chime. If there is a malfunc-
tion a text message will be shown on the
SID. Refer to page 71.
Do not press any of the buttons on the
same section of the instrument panel as
the soft top switch while raising the soft
top. This will cause the soft top to stop
and then sink after about 20 seconds.
Check that the hooks in the soft top hold it
securely to the upper edge of the wind-
shield.
Raising
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78 9-3 ConvertibleTo openSoft top raised – The windows open individ-
ually.
Soft top folded – The button for the front
window opens both side windows.
Automatic opening
Press the button all the way down and
release it. If the soft top is folded, the rear
side window is also lowered.
To closeSoft top raised – The windows are operated
individually.
Soft top folded – The button for the front
window closes both side windows.
Automatic closing of a front side window
Raise the button all the way and release it.
The rear side window must be fully closed.
Pinch protection3 is available for the front
side windows.
For further information on the electric win-
dows, refer to page 119.Deactivating the passenger door
window buttonWith the button on the driver’s door,
you can deactivate the window button on
the passenger door.
The illuminated switch will change color
from green to amber (deactivated).
Calibrating front electric
windows with pinch protection3The window lifts should be calibrated if auto-
matic closing does not work or if the battery
has been disconnected. The pinch protec-
tion will not work if the windows are not
calibrated.
Perform calibration as follows:
1 Make sure the soft top is raised.
2 Make sure the doors are closed.
3 Let the engine idle.
4 Make sure the rear side windows are
closed, then operate each front window
switch for moving the corresponding
window fully down and fully up, repeat
up to 3 times depending on conditions.
Keep switch pressed a few seconds in
fully up position after each "up" move-
ment. When a chime is heard, the cali-
bration is completed.
If calibration fails twice in a row, have the car
checked and rectified. We recommend that
you contact a Saab dealer.
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83 Instruments and controls
This light comes on when the battery is not
being charged by the alternator. If the light
comes on during driving, stop as soon as
possible and switch off the engine.
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
Check the drive belt, see page 215.
The light illuminates if the tire pressure in
one or more tires is too low or if a fault has
arisen in the system, see page 253.
Below is an example of the message simul-
taneously shown on the SID:This light will come on if the engine oil pres-
sure is too low. If the warning light flashes or
comes on while you are driving, stop imme-
diately in a safe place, switch off the engine
and check the oil level (see page 208).
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
This light indicates a malfunction in the fuel
or ignition system.
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to
fully install the cap. See Fuel cap on
page 157. The diagnostic system can deter-
mine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
Charge warning lightBattery not charging.
Make a safe stop.Warning, tire pressureTire pressure low,
rear left. Check tires.
Warning, oil pressure
(engine oil)
NOTICE
Never drive the car when the oil pressure
warning lamp is on. Low oil pressure can
cause serious engine damage.
Oil pressure low.
Make a safe stop.
Service Engine Light also
known as CHECK ENGINE
WARNING
An illuminated Service Engine Light also
known as CHECK ENGINE indicator light
indicates an engine-related problem.
While your car may be able to be driven
with the “Service Engine Light also known
as CHECK ENGINE” indicator light illumi-
nated (limp-home mode), you are
advised to have your car serviced at an
authorized Saab dealer as soon as possi-
ble.
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. brake
smoothly, engage neutral, stop in a suita-
ble place, switch off the engine, etc.)
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84 Instruments and controlscap will allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the light off.
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
If the light is still on the car may still be driven
with care but the performance of the engine
will be somewhat diminished (see
page 153).
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
This light shows when the high beam is on
(see page 99).This light indicates when the front fog lights
are on (see page 100).
The front fog lights are switched off auto-
matically when the engine is switched off.
When the fog lights are next needed, they
will have to be switched on manually.
This light should come on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to ON. If it doesn’t come
on, have it fixed so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem. This light indicates
when the brake fluid level is too low (see
page 212).
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):For safety reasons, stop the car and check
the level of the brake fluid (see page 212).
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 workshop to have the
brake system checked. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer. Tighten fuel filler cap.
Reduced engine power.
Contact service.NOTICEThe car should be checked immediately
at a Saab dealer to prevent more serious
faults from arising.
High beam Indicator
Front fog lights3
Brake warning lightBrake fluid level low.
Make a safe stop.
WARNING
 Never drive the car if these two lights
are on at the same time. Danger of
brake failure!
 If the level of brake fluid in the reser-
voir is below the MIN mark, the vehicle
should be transported on a recovery
vehicle.
 Have the brake system checked
immediately at a Saab dealer.
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87 Instruments and controls
Autochecking of lights, main
instrument panelThe warning and indicator lights shown
above should come on when the ignition
switch is turned to ON. They should go out
after about 4 seconds once the engine has
started or after the fault-free self-diagnosis
of each system or function.
InstrumentsTachometerThe tachometer displays the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute.
A protective function (interruption of the fuel
supply) limits the engine speed within the
red zone.
Speedometer (U.S. speedometer shown)
Cars sold in U.S.: The speedometer dis-
plays the speed of the car in miles per hour
(mph).
Cars sold in Canada: The speedometer
displays the speed of the car in kilometres
per hour (km/h).
It receives information about vehicle speed
from the ABS’s wheel sensors.
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88 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 goes into the red zone (which
can occur at high outside air temperatures
or under heavy engine loads), choose the
highest possible gear ratio and the lowest
possible engine speed, and avoid shifting
down.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 (see page 210).
Turbo gaugeThe turbo gauge indicates the air volume
used for combustion, which is equivalent to
the engine load.
At low loads and when the engine is used for
braking, the needle will move within the
white zone.
Under certain barometric conditions the
needle may enter the first part of the red
zone without necessarily indicating that a
fault has arisen.
NOTICEIf the needle, despite the above action,
enters the red zone, stop the car in a suit-
able place and allow the engine to idle. If
the needle continues to rise, switch off the
engine.
WARNING
Never open the cap of the expansion tank
completely when the engine is hot, open
with care. The pressure in the cool-
ing-system can cause hot coolant and
steam to be released. Failure to heed this
warning may result in personal injury.
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98 Instruments and controlsThe parking lights can be turned on irre-
spective of the position of the ignition
switch. If the parking lights are on and the
driver’s door is opened, a reminder to turn
them off will sound.
Do not use the parking lights alone while
driving.
When the switch is in the position, there
is no automatic shift between low beam and
DRL.
When it is time to turn on low beam the fol-
lowing message appears in SID:Low beam headlights are turned on when
the ignition switch is turned to ON and
turned off when the switch is turned back to
LOCK.
If the switch is in the position, there is
no automatic switch between DRL and low
beam. Low beam comes on when the igni-
tion switch is in the ON position.
Headlight levelling3Cars with xenon headlights are equipped
with an automatic headlight levelling sys-
tem, which self-calibrates each time the
vehicle is started.
If a fault arises in the automatic headlight
levelling system, the headlights will be
angled down to avoid dazzling drivers in
oncoming traffic. Adjust your speed accord-
ingly as the range of the headlights will be
reduced. Check fuse 20 in the engine bay
fuse box (see page 238).
A fault in the system will produce the follow-
ing message on the Saab Information Dis-
play (SID):
Special equipment is required for adjusting
the basic headlight alignment.
Parking lightsTurn on the lights.
Headlights
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
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154 Starting and drivingThe light comes on in the event of an engine
or gearbox fault (cars with automatic gear-
box), which may cause driveability prob-
lems but that does not affect exhaust emis-
sion. The car can still be driven but perhaps
with limited performance.
Contact a dealer whenever an opportunity
occurs. We recommend that you contact a
Saab dealer.
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.
If the diagnosis function detects a fault in the
engine management system, the light
"Service Engine Light also known as
CHECK ENGINE" indicator light in the
instrument panel will come on (see
page 83). Have the car checked at a work-
shop as soon as possible. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer.
Important considerations with
catalytic convertersThe catalytic converter is an emission con-
trol device incorporated in the car’s exhaust
system. It consists of a metal canister with a
honeycomb insert, the cells of which have
walls coated in a catalytic layer (precious
metal alloy).
NOTICE If the engine sounds strange there is a
malfunction. We recommend that you
contact a Saab dealer immediately.
 The use of fuel with too low an octane
rating can cause serious engine dam-
age.
Limited performance.
NOTICEIf "Service Engine Light also known
as CHECK ENGINE" indicator light warn-
ing light starts to flash (indicating that the
engine is misfiring and the catalytic con-
verter can be damaged), ease off the
accelerator slightly. The light should go
out or start to shine constantly. If the light
continues to flash despite easing off the
accelerator, you may continue to drive the
car but at the minimum throttle permitted
by the current traffic situation. Have the
car checked as soon as possible. We rec-
ommend that you contact a Saab dealer.NOTICEUse only unleaded gasoline. Leaded gas-
oline is detrimental to the catalyst and
oxygen sensor and will seriously impair
the function of the catalytic converter.
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