2004 SAAB 9-3 Owners Manual

145 Starting and driving
If the diagnosis function detects a fault in the
engine management system, the light
"Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)" in
the instrument panel will come on (see page
75). Have the car checked at a Saab dealer
as soon as possible.
The following message is shown on the SID:
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).
To 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 accord-
ance with the service program.
 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 a Saab dealer.
 If the engine fails to start (in severe cold
or if the battery is flat), the car can be
bump started (manual transmission only)
or started using jump leads to a donor
battery. However, as soon as you have
started the engine, it is important that it
runs on all cylinders. If it is misfiring, allow
it to idle for up to 5 minutes to give it time
to settle and run smoothly. If, after this
time, the engine still fails to run properly,
switch off the engine to avoid serious
damage to the catalytic converter.
Contact a Saab dealer for advice. Reduced engine power.
Contact Saab dealer.
NOTICEIf "Engine malfunction (CHECK
ENGINE)" warning light starts to flash
(indicating that the engine is misfiring and
the catalytic converter 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 mini-
mum throttle permitted by the current traf-
fic situation. Have the car checked as
soon as possible at a Saab dealer.
NOTICEUse only unleaded gasoline. Leaded
gasoline is detrimental to the catalyst and
oxygen sensor and will seriously impair
the function of the catalytic converter.
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146 Starting and driving Never park the car on dry grass or other
combustible material. The catalytic
converter gets very hot and could there-
fore start a fire.
 Never drive off if the engine is misfiring.
 If you bump start the car when the engine
is already at normal working temperature,
the engine must start to run on all cylin-
ders. Abort bump starting if the engine
fails to start immediately.
Failure to strictly follow these instructions
can result in damage to the catalytic con-
verter and associated components, and
could represent a breach of the warranty
conditions.
NOTICEIf the car runs out of gas, air may be drawn
in with the fuel, which, in turn, can cause
the catalytic converter to be damaged by
overheating.
WARNING
If the engine is being run with the car on a
rolling road or dynamometer, to ensure
adequate cooling, air must be blown into
the engine compartment and under the
car at a rate equivalent to the ram-air
effect that would obtain at the corre-
sponding road speed.
Engine management system with catalytic
converter1 Engine control module
2 Oxygen sensor
3 Catalytic converter
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147 Starting and driving
Refueling
Only use fuel from a well-known oil
company.
All Saab gasoline engines can be driven on
gasoline with an octane rating between
AON 87–93.
The engine management system monitors
the combustion and automatically adapts to
the fuel used.
Always use the correct grade of fuel:
unleaded AON 87–93.For optimum performance Saab recom-
mends:
2.0t engine 175 hp – AON 90.
2.0 Turbo engine 210 hp - AON 90.
Sometimes, gasoline can contain a number
of additives containing oxygen. The most
common of these are alcohol or some type
of ether. The maximum oxygen level is
restricted by national regulations.
If fuel containing a mixture of alcohol is
used, the maximum levels approved by
Saab are: 5 % by volume of methanol; or
10 % by volume of ethanol. The most
common type of ether used is MTBE
(methyl tertiary butyl ether), of which fuel
may contain a maximum of 15 % by volume.
Refueling1 Switch off the engine.
2 Open the filler cap, located in the right-
hand rear fender.
3 Insert the fuel pump nozzle beyond the
flange on the filler pipe and let the first
mark (a ring, a pimple or the first spring-
coil) rest on the flange. Do not withdraw
the nozzle while filling is in progress.
4 Cease refueling the first time the pump
stops.
WARNING
Gasoline fumes are highly explosive.
Therefore:
never smoke while refueling
never use gasoline for any purpose
other than as engine fuel
 gasoline is extremely flammable and
can cause severe burns. No open or
exposed flames near gasoline
 do not use a mobile phone at the same
time as refueling
NOTICE Do not overfill. Fuel should not come
right up the filler pipe as room for
expansion is needed for when the
temperature rises.
 The use of fuel with too low an octane
rating can cause serious engine
damage.
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148 Starting and driving
Filler cap
Open the cap by turning it to the left. When
you feel the spring release in the cap, pull
the cap straight out.
To secure the cap after refueling fit the cap
to the fuel pipe and turn it to the right until
three clicks are heard.
The most effective way to prevent conden-
sation forming in the tank (and thus avoid
possible running problems) is to keep the
tank full.
Refer to page 175 for information regarding
gasoline anti-freeze.The fuel door has a built in fuel cap holder
slot located on the fuel door. Slide the white
ring on the cap into the slot.
NOTICEDo not overfill. Fuel should not come right
up the filler pipe as expansion room is
needed when the temperature rises.
 Fill to maximum filling capacity.
 Stop filling after the first time that the
nozzle trips to shut off the flow of fuel.
 Filling capacity can differ between
different fuel stations and outside
temperature. Fuel tank volume when
nozzle trips to shut off, may vary by
0.5 gal. (2 liters).
 Do not fill fuel all the way up the filler
pipe. The gasoline must be allowed
room for expansion especially during
hot weather.
Filler cap
Filler cap removed for refueling
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149 Starting and driving
Recommended fuel:For optimum performance we recommend
90 AON for 175 hp engines and 93 AON for
210 hp engines.
Octane rating is determined according to
the formula:
where MON is the Motor Octane Number,
and RON is the Research Octane Number.
The average of these two values is the
octane rating of the gasoline as it appears
on the pump at a retail gas station. This
value is sometimes referred to as the "Anti-
Knock Index" (AKI) or the "Average Octane
Number" (AON).To avoid deposit formation on the fuel injec-
tors which can cause poor driveability, use
only quality gasolines that contain deter-
gents and corrosion inhibitors. Because
gasolines sold at retail gas stations vary in
their composition and quality, you should
switch to a different brand if you begin expe-
riencing driveability and/or hard starting
problems shortly after refueling your car. In
recent years, a variety of fuel additives and
alcohols or oxygenates have been blended
with gasoline. These types of gasolines may
be found in all parts of the United States and
Canada, but particularly in geographic
areas and cities that have high carbon
monoxide levels. Saab approves the use of
such "reformulated" gasolines in its prod-
ucts, which help in reducing pollution from
all motor vehicles, provided that the follow-
ing blending percentages are met by such
fuels:
 Up to 10 % ethanol by volume, with corro-
sion inhibitors.
 Up to 15 % MTBE by volume (methyl
tertiary butyl ether).
Up to 5 % methanol by volume, with an
equal amount of a suitable co-solvent and
added corrosion inhibitors.Other, less common, fuel additives used by
some gasoline dealers are also acceptable,
provided that the resultant gasoline is not
more than 2.7 % oxygen by weight. In many
cases, you may not be able to determine the
exact type or percentage by volume of fuel
additive in the gasoline you purchase for
your car.
Some Canadian and U.S. gasolines contain
an octane enhancing additive called meth-
lycyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT). If such fuel is used, your emission
control system performance may deterio-
rate and the malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on. If this
occurs, return to your authorized Saab
dealer for service.
However, these blended gasolines are reg-
ulated and should never exceed these rec-
ommended blend percentages and service
station operators should know if their gaso-
lines contain detergents and oxygenates,
and have been reformulated to reduce vehi-
cle emissions. Nevertheless, if you begin to
notice a problem with the way your car starts
or runs shortly after it has been refueled, try
a different brand of gasoline. MON + RON
2
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150 Starting and driving
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87
octane or higher. Use of gasoline with an
octane rating lower than 87 can result in
severe engine damage. Damage caused by
incorrect fuel being used is not covered
under the terms of the New Car Warranty
and will be the responsibility of the owner. It
is recommended that the gasoline meet
specifications which were developed by the
American Automobile Manufacturers Asso-
ciation (AAMA) and endorsed by the Cana-
dian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Associa-
tion for better vehicle performance and
engine protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA specification could provide improved
driveability and emission control system
performance compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane is at least 87. If
the octane is less than 87, you may get a
heavy knocking noise when you drive. If it’s
bad enough, it can damage your engine. If
you’re using fuel rated at 87 octane or
higher and you hear heavy knocking, your
engine needs service. But don’t worry if you
hear a little pinging noise when you’re accel-
erating or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy a higher octane
fuel to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy, con-
stant knock that means you have a problem.
NOTICEHigher concentrations of methanol than
listed above, or the use of methanol-
blended gasoline without suitable co-
solvents and corrosion inhibitors, can
damage your car’s fuel system, leading to
the need for repairs which are not
covered by Saab’s product warranty.
NOTICEThe engine control module (ECM) moni-
toring the engine parameters also stores
fault codes.
Under certain circumstances, this may
cause constant illumination of the Engine
malfunction (CHECK ENGINE) lamp
, thus indicating a fault that must be
checked by your Saab dealer, see page
75.
NOTE: always observe the following two
measures:
 Make sure that the fuel filler cap is
screwed on correctly before the
engine is started. Screw on the fuel
filler cap until you hear a distinct click.
Avoid driving with the fuel low level indi-
cator illuminated. The symbol illuminates
when less than approximately 2.5 gallons
(10 litres) of fuel remains in the tank.
In Canada, look for the
"Auto Makers’ Choice" label on
the fuel pump
.
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151 Starting and driving
If your vehicle is certified to meet California
Emission Standards (indicated on the
underhood emission control label), it is
designed to operate on fuels that meet Cal-
ifornia specifications. If such fuels are not
available in states adopting California emis-
sions standards, your vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal spec-
ifications, but emission control system per-
formance may be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on and/or your vehicle may fail a
smog-check test. See "Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)" on page 75. If this
occurs, return to your authorized Saab
dealer for diagnosis to determine the cause
of failure. In the event it is determined that
the cause of the condition is the type of fuels
used, repairs may not be covered by your
warranty.Some gasolines that are not reformulated
for low emissions may contain an octane-
enhancing additive called methylcyclopen-
tadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT); ask
your service station operator whether or not
the fuel contains MMT. Saab does not
recommend the use of such gasolines. If
fuels containing MMT are used, spark plug
life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be
affected. The Engine malfunction (CHECK
ENGINE) light on your instrument panel
may turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Saab dealer for service.
Engine Break-in PeriodPistons, cylinder bores and bearings need
time to obtain uniform, wear-resistant
surfaces.
If a new engine is driven too hard, this grad-
ual process of bedding-in will not be possi-
ble and the life of the engine will be short-
ened.
During the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km),
do not exceed 5,000 rpm.
In addition, refrain from driving the car at full
throttle, other than for brief instances,
during the first 1,800 miles (3,000 km).Wearing in new brake padsNew brake pads take time to bed in, about
90 miles (150 km) if the car is driven largely
under stop-and-go conditions or about
300 miles (500 km) of highway driving.
To extend the useful life of the pads, avoid
hard braking as much as possible.
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152 Starting and drivingManual transmissionClutch interlockTo start the car, the clutch pedal must be
depressed.
When changing gear, fully depress the
clutch pedal and then release it smoothly. It
is inadvisable to drive with your hand resting
on the gear lever, as this can increase the
wear on the gearbox.
There are two manual gearbox versions:
a 5-speed gearbox and a 6-speed gearbox.
Reverse gear on the 6-speed gearbox is to
the left of 1st gear. Raise the ring under the
gear knob to engage reverse.
Before reverse (R) can be engaged, you
must lift the ring underneath the gear knob.NOTICEWhen reverse gear is to be engaged,
the car must be at a standstill with
the accelerator fully released.
Gear positions, 5-speed Gear positions, 6-speed
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