2003 SAAB 9-3 check engine light

163 Starting and driving
Driving with the trunk lid
openAvoid driving with the trunk lid partly or fully
open, since exhaust fumes can be drawn
into the cabin.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open,
close all windows and the sunroof (if fitted)
and set the cabin fan to its highest speed
setting.
Driving in deep water Driving at night
Bear in mind the following points, especially
when driving at night:
 Nighttime driving requires your full
concentration
 Do not rush. Count on your journey taking
slightly longer.
 The number of drivers under the influence
of drugs is likely to be greater at night than
during the day.
 Do not stare at the headlights of oncom-
ing vehicles.
 Avoid driving at night if you have poor
eyesight. Night vision deteriorates with
age.
 Keep your car’s headlights, windows and
mirrors clean. Also, if you wear glasses,
make sure they are clean.
 Make sure you are well rested before
starting a long journey. Take a break
every other hour.
 Only eat light meals. Heavy meals have a
tendency to induce tiredness.
 Wild animals prefer to move at dusk and
dawn.
 Check the headlight levelling setting (see
page 73).
NOTICEDo not drive in puddles or water deeper
than 7 in. (20 cm) and do not drive faster
than at idling speed. Water can otherwise
be sucked into the engine. The engine will
be damaged if water enters the intake
system.
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169 Starting and driving
3 Turn off the ignition on both vehicles.
Turn off all lights that are not needed,
and radios. This will avoid sparks and
help save both batteries and it could
save your radio.
4 Open the hood and locate the battery.
Find the positive (+) and negative (–) termi-
nals on the battery.
5 Check that the jumper cables do not
have loose or missing insulation. If they
do, you could get a shock and also the
vehicles could be damaged.
Before you connect the cables, here are
some basic things you should know.
Positive (+) will go to positive (+) and
negative (–) will go to negative (–). Do
not connect (+) to (–) or you will get a
short that could injure you or would
damage the battery and maybe other
parts as well.
6 Connect the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal of the vehicle with
the discharged battery.7 Do not let the other end touch metal.
Connect it to the positive (+) terminal of
the good battery. Use a remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
8 Now connect the negative (–) cable to
the good battery’s negative terminal.
9 Attach the cable to the discharged
battery’s negative terminal.
10 Start the vehicle with the good battery
and run the engine for a while.
11 Try to start the vehicle with the
discharged battery. If it does not start
after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
12 Remove the cables in reverse order to
prevent electrical shorting. Take care
that they do not touch each other or any
other metal.NOTICEIf you leave your radio on, it could be
badly damaged. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
WARNING
An electric fan can start up even when the
engine is not running and can injure you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
WARNING
Using a match or flame of any kind near a
battery can cause battery gas to explode.
You can suffer burns or be blinded. Use a
flashlight if you need more light.
Be sure the electrolyte in the battery is not
frozen. Discharged batteries will freeze.
When connecting jumper cables to a
frozen battery, gas from the chemical
reaction inside the battery can build up
under the ice and cause an explosion.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn
you. Do not get it on you. If you acciden-
tally get it in your eyes or on your skin,
flush the area with water and get medical
help immediately.
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174 Car careSaab Trionic engine management
systemThe Saab Trionic engine management
system is a unique Saab development that
combines sequential multiport fuel injection,
electronic distributorless ignition and turbo-
charger boost pressure control into one sys-
tem.
The Trionic engine control module (ECM)
monitors many different engine parameters
such as:
 Intake manifold pressure.
 Intake air temperature.
 Crankshaft position.
 Engine coolant temperature.
 Throttle position.
 The oxygen content of the exhaust gases.
The ECM receives information regarding
engine knocking from a sophisticated feed-
back function in the ignition discharge unit.
By processing all of this information, the Tri-
onic system can control fuel injector open-
ing duration, ignition timing and turbo-
charger boost pressure to provide excellent
engine performance while maintaining low
emissions and fuel consumption.
ORVR (Onboard Refueling Vapor
Recovery)All hydrocarbons formed when refueling will
be recovered by the car and not released
into the atmosphere. The hydrocarbons are
absorbed in an evaporative emission canis-
ter. When the engine is subsequently
started, the evaporative emission canister is
gradually purged as air is sucked into it
through a shut-off valve. The hydrocarbon/
air mixture passes through the evap canis-
ter purge valve and into the engine where it
is burned. "Refueling", see page 128.
When refueling, make sure you screw the
filler cap on and keep turning until it has
clicked 1 time. Otherwise, it is possible for
the Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)
light to illuminate. The following message
will appear on the SID:
NOTICEThe Trionic engine management system
continuously monitors the operation of
these systems and has on-board diag-
nostic capabilities (OBD II). If the Engine
malfunction (CHECK ENGINE) light in
the main instrument illuminates, the
Trionic ECM has detected a problem. The
car will continue to operate, but perfor-
mance may be diminished. You should
have your car checked by a Saab dealer
as soon as possible.
Tighten fuel filler cap.
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178 Car careChanging filter
1 Unscrew the oil filter cap.
 Lift the cap slightly and carefully pry
apart the cap and the filter housing.
 Remove the filter cap.
2 Remove the filter. Have paper towelling
or a rag at hand to catch the oil that
escapes from the filter.
3 Fit a new filter.
4 Check the seal in the cap. Apply a small
amount of new engine oil to the O-ring.
5 Screw on the cap. The correct tightening
torque is 25 Nm (18 lbf ft).
Air filter
Transmission fluidManual transmissionCheck and top up the oil in accordance with
the service program.Automatic transmissionCheck and top up the oil in accordance with
the service program.
WARNING
To ensure reliable operation, only use
an air filter recommended by Saab
Automobile AB.
Oil filter
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188 Car careChanging bulbsAutochecking of lightsThe bulbs that are most important from the point of view of traffic
safety are monitored by the car’s electrical system. If one of these
bulbs should fail, a message will be displayed on the SID.
Example of SID message:
The following bulbs are not checked: parking lights, front fog lights,
reversing lights, license plate lighting, side marker lights and side
direction indicators.If a brake light bulb fails
If a brake light bulb fails, the adjacent tail light will act as a brake light
to ensure traffic safety. Change the broken bulb when possible.
All rear light bulbs are of the same type and rated 21 W, with the
exception of the license plate lighting which is rated 5 W.
Wrong bulb fitted
If a dipped or main beam bulb of too high a rating is fitted, a bulb
failure message will be shown on the SID (a too high wattage bulb
can damage the reflector).
If the following message is displayed but the bulb shines, it is most
likely that an incorrect bulb has been fitted.
Note:
When changing bulbs, fit the same type of bulb (e.g. Long-Life)
as that removed.
Headlight aiming, page 226.
WARNING
Before changing a bulb in the engine bay, switch off the engine
to avoid the danger of fingers and hands being injured by moving
parts.
The radiator fan can cut in even when the engine is switched off.NOTICESwitch off the ignition before changing a bulb, to avoid possible
short-circuiting.
Left low beam failure.
Right high beam failure.
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226 Car careHeadlight aimingThe vehicle has a visual optical headlight
aiming system equipped with vertical
aiming device. The aim has been preset at
the factory and should normally not need
further adjustments.
If your headlights are damaged in a crash,
the headlight aim may be affected. If you
believe your headlights need to be re-
aimed, we recommend that you take it to
your Saab dealer for service. However, it is
possible for you to re-aim your headlights as
described in the following procedure.To check the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
 The vehicle shall be placed so that the
headlights are 25 ft (7.6 m) from a light
colored wall or other flat surface. The
aiming area should be darkened, this will
improve your ability to see the beam of the
low beam headlight being aimed.
An optical headlamp aimer can also be
used and will than replace the wall.
 The vehicle must have all four wheels on
a perfectly level surface which is level all
the way to the wall or other flat surface.
 The vehicle should be placed so it is per-
pendicular to the wall or other flat surface.
 The vehicle should be unloaded and fuel
tank full, and one person or 160 lbs.
(75 kg) on the drivers seat.  The vehicle should be fully assembled
and all other work stopped while headlight
aiming is being done.
 The vehicle should not have any snow, ice
or mud attached to it.
 Tires should be inflated to the prescribed
pressure.
 Close all doors.
 Rock the vehicle to stabilize the suspen-
sion.
Headlight aiming is done with the vehicle
low beam lamps. The high beam lamps will
be correctly aimed if the low beam lamps
are aimed properly.
WARNING
Before checking/adjusting the headlight
aiming, switch off the engine to avoid
danger of fingers and hands being injured
by moving parts.
The radiator fan can start up even when
the engine is switched off.NOTICETo make sure that your headlights are
aimed properly read all instructions
before beginning. Failure to follow these
instructions could cause damage to
headlight parts or a not correctly aimed
headlight.
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251 Index
Index
AA/C
__________________________ 82
ABS brakes
___________________ 142
ACC
_________________________ 84
Adjustment, steering wheel
________ 98
Air conditioning
_________________ 82
Air filter
______________________ 178
Air pressure, tyres
______________ 207
Airbag
________________________ 26
Anchorage eyes
_______________ 118
Anti-corrosion treatment
_________ 220
Antilock braking system _________ 142
Anti-spin
_____________________ 144
Ashtrays _____________________ 108
Autochecking of lights, warning and
indicator lights
_________________ 58
Autodimming
______________ 111
, 112
Automatic climate control (ACC)
____ 84
Automatic transmission
__________ 134
Automatic tyre pressure monitoring

207
BBattery
______________________ 182
Bedding-in of new brake pads
____ 132
Before towing a trailer
___________ 160
Bonnet
______________________ 172Bootlid, driving when open
_______ 163
Bootlid, opening
________________ 41
Brake fluid, grade ______________ 242
Brakes
_______________________ 141
Braking ______________________ 141
Bulb changing
_________________ 188
Bulb table
____________________ 198
CCabin lighting
_________________ 105
Car alarm
_____________________ 46
Car transport __________________ 166
Care of air conditioning
__________ 225
Change of address notification
____ 232
Changing bulbs
________________ 188
Changing engine oil
____________ 177
Changing the battery, remote control
44
Changing wheels
______________ 214
Changing wiper blades
__________ 186
Checking the number of
remote controls
________________ 43
Checks before towing a trailer
____ 160
Child safety
____________________ 21
Child safety locks, rear doors
______ 42
Child seats
____________________ 21
Cigarette lighter
________________ 108
Cleaning the engine bay
_________ 218
Cleaning upholstery
____________ 217
Climate control system, manual
____ 79
Compact spare
________________ 212Compass
_____________________ 115
Condensation water, A/C
_________ 82
Coolant
______________________ 179
Cruise control
_________________ 140
Cup holder
____________________ 107
DDate codes, tyres
______________ 212
Deep water, driving through
______ 163
Direction indicator stalk switch _____ 75
Direction indicators
______________ 75
Donor battery, boost starting
______ 168
Door handles
___________________ 38
Door mirrors __________________ 110
Drive belt
_____________________ 185
Drive belt, length
_______________ 240
Driver’s seat with memory
_________ 19
Driving at night
________________ 163
Driving in cold climates
__________ 155
Driving in deep water
____________ 163
Driving in hot climates ___________ 156
Driving techniques
______________ 153
Driving with a heavy load on
hilly roads
___________________ 136
Driving with a load
______________ 162
Driving with a roof load
__________ 161
Driving with the bootlid open
______ 163
Driving with the compact
spare wheel
__________________ 167
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252 IndexEESP, anti-skid system
___________ 146
Economical motoring ___________ 153
Electric engine heater ___________ 154
Electric heating, front seats
____ 83
, 92
Electric windows
________________ 99
Electrical system, technical data
___ 240
Electrically adjustable seats
_______ 18
Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
_146
Electronic steering wheel lock
____ 123
Emergency opening of the narrow
backrest
____________________ 119
Emergency operation of the sunroof
104
Engine bay, cleaning
___________ 218
Engine heater
_________________ 154
Engine immobilizer
______________ 45
Engine number
________________ 246
Engine oil, checking
____________ 176
Engine oil, grade
_______________ 238
Engine oil, volume _____________ 239
Engine temperature gauge
________ 60
Engine, description
_____________ 173
Engine, technical data __________ 238
Engines
______________________ 240
Extra electrical socket
___________ 108
FFactors affecting fuel consumption
_153
Filler cap
_____________________ 129Filling up
_____________________ 128
Flat spots, tyres
________________ 217
Folding down the rear seat
_______ 116
Front fog lights
_________________ 74
Front towing eye _______________ 164
Fuel filler flap, emergency opening
__ 52
Fuel gauge
____________________ 61
Fuel grade ____________________ 240
Functions, car alarm
_____________ 50
Fuse panel in luggage compartment
202
Fuse table
____________________ 201
Fuses
_______________________ 199
GGDO, garage door opener
_______ 112
Garage door opener
____________ 112
Gear selector indicator,
automatic transmission
__________ 62
Gearbox number
_______________ 246
Glove compartment _____________ 109
Glove compartment lighting
______ 196
HHandbrake
___________________ 148
Hazard warning lights
____________ 75
Head restraints
_________________ 20
Headlight flasher ________________ 72
Headlight levelling _______________ 73Headlights
_____________________ 72
Heated door mirrors
_____________ 83
Horn
__________________________ 98
Horn button
____________________ 98
IIgnition switch
_________________ 122
Immobilizer
____________________ 45
Important considerations for driving
125
Important information, petrol-engined
cars with catalytic converters
____ 126
Indicator lights
__________________ 54
Instrument illumination, adjusting
___ 73
Interior lighting
_________________ 105
Interior rearview mirror
__________ 111
Intermittent malfunctioning,
central locking
_________________ 40
JJack
_________________________ 214
Jump starting
__________________ 168
KKey
__________________________ 38
Kick-down
____________________ 136
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