Page 84 of 256
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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Page 85 of 256
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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Page 87 of 256
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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Page 88 of 256
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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Page 89 of 256
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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Page 92 of 256
92 Instruments and controlsUseful tips: If the ACC system is not functioning
satisfactorily the following should be tried
before you take the car to an authorized
Saab dealer.
If the indication AUTO does not light up
after starting (the ignition must have been
switched off for at least 10 minutes): See
“Cancelling program I”, page 90.
If you think that the ACC system is not
functioning satisfactorily you should:
1 Check that the cigarette lighter plug is in
its socket (since if the socket is empty
heated air can flow out and affect the
cabin sensor).
2 Recalibrate: See the section headed
Calibration, page 90.
If the battery has been disconnected or
has died, the ACC system should be reca-
librated: See Calibration, pag 90.
Programmed settings are not deleted if the
battery has been disconnected. Extinguishing the lighting in ACC See section Night panel, page 73.
ACC - 9-3 Convertible When the soft top is folded down the ACC
system goes over to manual temperature
setting.
Between HI and LO there are eleven (0-10)
fixed temperature steps.
The system adjusts itself as follows:
AUTO is turned off.
Heating, air distribution and fan speed are
not affected.
Recirculation and electric rear window
are turned off.
A/C assumes the same setting (ON/OFF)
as it had when the soft top was last folded
down.
All manual selections are possible with the
exception of electric rear window.
Saab recommends leaving the ACC setting
on ECON when the soft top is folded down
to improve fuel economy and unnecessary
running of the A/C compressor.
When the soft top is raised the system
reverts to the AUTO mode and the previous
set temperature.
Fault diagnosis and care of A/C sys-
tem, see page 226.
IB795
ACC display with soft top folded down
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Page 94 of 256
94 Saab 9-3 Audio SystemSaab 9-3 Audio SystemThe Saab 9-3 Audio System comes in two
levels, Premium and Prestige. They are
specially adapted to the cabin space in the
Saab 9-3.
The Saab 9-3 Audio System consists of a
main unit with a radio and an in-dash CD
player. There is a also a CD player and a CD
changer for 6 CD discs available as an
accessory.
The Premium Audio System has two loud-
speakers at the front and two at the rear.
Output is 4x20 watts.
The Prestige Audio System 3 has two addi-
tional loudspeakers. They are mounted in
the front doors and reproduce bass tones
below 200 Hz. These subwoofers have their
own amplifier of 2x40 watts. The Audio Systems are interconnected with
SID (Saab Information Display) which is
located above the radio in the instrument
panel. The Audio Systems uses the display
of the SID instrument to show text/charac-
ters and indications.
Indicator
AS Radio is in Autostore mode
RDM Random playback of CD
tracks when CD player
selected
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Page 129 of 256
129 Interior equipment, trunk
Electrically heated front seats
(option on some model vari-
ants/markets)Both front seats can be equipped with heat-
ing for the seat cushion and backrest. It is
switched on and off using the buttons on the
instrument panel.
The heating is thermostatically controlled. It
comes on when the temperature of the seat
cushion goes below 79°F (26°C) and turns
off when it reaches 97°F (36°C).
Shut off the heating once the seat is warm.
IB810
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