2000 SAAB 9-5 air condition

3
Instrument panel
IB1080
Indicator and warning lights ______ 46
Speedometer _________________ 53
Odometer and trip meter ________ 52
Fuel gauge __________________ 53
Engine temperature gauge ______ 53
Parking lights ____________ 61
High/low beam __________ 61
Daytime running lights _____ 61
Rear fog light ____________ 62
Instrument illumination _____ 62
Changing bulbs _________ 182High/low beam control stalk 61
Turn signal and lane change
indicator _______________ 62
Cruise control __________ 145Front fog lights ___________ 63
Ashtrays ___________________ 112
Cigarette lighter ______________ 112
Tr i p c o m p u t e r
(Saab Information Display, SID) __ 54
Night panel __________________ 59
Clock _______________________ 60
Traction Control (TCS) Switch 51, 147
Wipers and washers ______ 65
Washer fluid ___________ 180
Replacing wiper blades __ 180Audio system ___________ 77
Steering-wheel controls____ 94Hazard warning lights _____ 63Climate control system:
automatic _____________ 67
Air conditioning: simple
fault diagnosis _________ 206
Seat heating controls __________ 106
Ventilated front seats ___________ 105Audio system steering-wheel
controls ________________ 94
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27 Safety
How do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force - to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat. When do the front airbags inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal collision,
depending on such factors as the force and
angle of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is possi-
ble.
What won’t trigger the front airbags? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end collisions. For instance, if the car
has hit something relatively soft and yielding
(e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid
object at a low impact speed, the airbag will
not necessarily be triggered. How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
you could experience a buzzing noise in
your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all - all they remember is the noise of the
crash.
Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under can be injured or
killed by the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.Are the smoke and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several min-
utes complained only of minor irritation of
the throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possible
getting dust on your skin as there is a risk of
skin irritation.
If this trouble persists, you should consult a
doctor.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.
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28 SafetyWhat should I do if the AIR-BAG warning
light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Side airbags Side airbags are housed inside the back-
rests of the front seats and are designed to
protect the driver and front passenger in the
event of a side impact.
In a side impact, only the airbag on that side
will be activated, and only then if certain pre-
determined conditions are met such as the
force and angle of the impact, the speed of
the car on impact, and at which point on the
car’s side the impact occurs.
The sensors, which are fitted in the front
doors, sense the rise in pressure caused by
the door panel being pressed in during an
impact condition. The side airbag trigger will
be commanded based on the characteris-
tics of this pressure rise.
WARNING
When an airbag is inflated there is dust in
the air.
Because the dust sometimes contains
particles of a substance resembling dish
detergent, the following precautions
should be taken:
 As soon as possible, wash any
exposed skin using a mild soap and
water.
 If there is irritation of the eyes, flush
them liberally with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
IB422
Side airbag inflated
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49 Instruments and controls

Engine malfunction
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 (see page
132).
Indicator, fuel
This light comes on when there is less than
about 2.5 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank.
Indicator, cruise control
This light shows when the cruise-control
system is active (see page 145).
Indicator, high beam
This light shows when the headlights are on
high beam (see page 61).
Indicator, rear fog light
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 62).
The rear fog light is switched off automat-
ically when the engine is switched off. When
the fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
The rear fog light consists of one light so it
should not be mistaken for rear light.
Indicator, open door
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or tailgate).
WARNING
An illuminated “Engine malfunction” indi-
cator light indicates a serious
engine-related problem. While your car
may be able to be driven with the “Engine
malfunction” indicator light illuminated
(Limp-home mode), you are advised to
have your car serviced at a qualified facil-
ity 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.).
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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76 Instruments and controlsCondensation When the A/C system is running, the intake
air is dehumidified, and the resultant con-
densation is drained off through two outlets
underneath the floor of the car, in the vicinity
of the front doors.
It is therefore perfectly normal for water to
be seen dripping from these outlets when
the car is parked. Greater amounts of con-
densation will result in warmer, more humid
ambient air.
Formation of ice and mist in
extremes of weather It is only in the most extreme conditions that
icing and misting of window glass are likely
to be a problem, e.g. in torrential rain or
severe cold coupled with high relative
humidity, or when passengers are perspir-
ing heavily or wearing wet clothes.
The following measures are recommended
if such problems should occur:
1 Select AUTO and 70
°F (21°C) for both
temperature zones.
2 Select Defroster.
If this is not enough...
3 Increase the fan speed.
If this is not enough...
4 Select a higher temperature.
The following measures are recommended
if the occupants feel that it is cold and drafty
in the car:
1 Make sure that all the air vents are fully
open, including the center rear vent.
If this is not enough...
2 Direct the air flow away from the body.
If this is not enough...
3 Raise the temperature setting a degree
or two. If this is not enough...
4 Lower the fan speed.
Fault diagnosis and maintenance,
see page 206.
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113 Interior equipment and trunk
To refit, line up the slots on either side and
slide it closed.
Rear ashtrays
Open the lid to use ashtray.
To remove the ashtray, fully open the lid and
lift the ashtray straight out.
To refit the ashtray, make sure it engages
the two square recesses in the door trim.
The cigarette lighter sockets can also be
used for accessories (e.g. to charge a
mobile phone) when the ignition is ON.
Glove compartment The glove compartment can be cooled by
the air conditioning (ACC) system. Cold air
can be directed to the glove compartment
for keeping drinks chilled, etc.
Slide the cover towards you to admit cold
air.
Additional storage facilities are provided
(see next page).
WARNING
The maximum combined load for the two
cigarette lighter sockets is 240 W (20 A).
WARNING
Keep the glove compartment closed
when not in use. The lid could cause
injury in the event of an accident.
I B 111 5
1
2
Glove compartment 1To lock
2 To unlock
IB434
Rear ashtray
IB1286
Sliding cover in glove compartment to
admit cold air
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132 Starting and drivingUseful tips on cold climate starting If 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 car’s engine-management system
includes a diagnostic function that checks
numerous internal functions after the
engine has been shut off. If a fault is
detected in the throttle system, the
engine-management system puts the throt-
tle system into the limp-home mode. This
limits idling control, disables the cruise-con-
trol system and limits the capacity of the A/C
compressor.
If the limp-home mode is in operation
(“Engine malfunction” light on, see below)
and the outside temperature 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” light on the main
instrument panel will come on (see page
49), indicating that you should have the car
checked as soon as possible by an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
Important
considerations for
drivingThe engine-management system in the
Saab 9-5 is called Saab Trionic T7. The
system manages the ignition, fuel injection
and turbo boost pressure.
The Trionic T7 system developed by Saab
is an intelligent engine-management
system designed to achieve optimum driv-
ability under differing driving conditions.
The system makes adjustments automati-
cally, for instance, if the car is being driven
at altitude (oxygen-deficient air), for differ-
ent grades of fuel (AON 87–93) and for dif-
ferent load conditions.
1 Starting and driving
 Refrain from using full throttle before
the engine has warmed up (before
needle in mid-range on temperature
gauge).
 A safety function prevents the engine
from revving faster than 6,000 rpm by
limiting the induction air.
2 Stopping the engine
 Do not rev the engine immediately
before switching it off - stop the engine
when it is idling.
3 Regulating the boost pressure
 The system is optimized for fuel with an
octane rating of AON 90. One of the
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134 Starting and drivingTo ensure that the catalytic converter con-
tinues to function properly, and also to avoid
damage to the converter and its associated
components, the following points must be
observed:
 Have the car serviced regularly in accor-
dance with the service program. The fuel
and ignition systems are particularly
important in this context.
 Always be alert to any misfiring of the
engine (not running on all cylinders) and
any loss of power or performance. At the
first sign of a malfunction, reduce speed
and take the car to an authorized Saab
dealer as soon as possible.
 If the engine fails to start (in very cold
weather or if the battery is flat), the car can
be jump started (manual gearbox only) or
started using jump leads to a donor bat-
tery. However, as soon as you have
started the engine, it is important that it
runs on all cylinders. If it is misfiring, allow
i t t o i d l e f o r u p t o f i v e m i n u t e s t o g i v e i t t i m e
to settle and run smoothly. If, after this
time, the engine still fails to run properly,
turn off the engine and get in touch with an
authorized Saab dealer for advice.  Never park the car on dry grass or other
combustible material. The catalytic con-
verter gets very hot and could therefore
start a fire.
 Never drive off if the engine is misfiring.
 If you jump start the car when the engine
is already up to normal temperature, the
engine must start to run on all cylinders.
Stop jump-starting if the engine fails to
start immediately.
Failure to follow these directions could
result in the catalytic converter and associ-
ated components being damaged, and
could represent a breach of the warranty
conditions.
V6 engine: When starting the engine from
cold an electrical pump is activated. This
pump pumps air into the exhaust system so
that the catalytic converter will reach its
normal operating temperature more rapidly.
The pump is active for 30-60 seconds.
RefuelingAlways use the correct grade of fuel:
unleaded AON 87-93.
Saab recommends:
 AON 90 for 4-cylinder engines
 AON 93 for V6-engines and 2.3 Aero,
(see page 228).
If fuel containing a mixture of alcohol is
used, the following restrictions apply:
Methanol: max. 5% by volume.
Ethanol: max. 10% by volume.
MTBE: max. 15% by volume.
The fuel filler cap is located in the right rear
quarter panel.
Switch off engine.
Open fuel door
Insert the fuel-pump nozzle beyond the
flange on the filler pipe. Do not withdraw the
nozzle while filling is in progress.
Cease refuelling the first time the pump
stops.
Fuel-tank capacity: 18.5 US gal. (70 liters)
Screw on the filler cap and keep turning until
it has clicked at least three times.
The most effective way to prevent conden-
sation forming in the tank (and thus avoid
NOTEIf the car runs out of fuel, it is possible for
air to get into the fuel system. If this
happens, the catalytic converter may
overheat and be damaged.
NOTEDo not overfill. Fuel should not come right
up the filler pipe as expansion room is
needed.
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