2004 SAAB 9-5 gas type

155 Starting and driving
Opening the fuel filler door in an emergency,
see page 146.
Recommended fuel:The engine in your Saab 9-5 is designed to
operate on unleaded gasoline that has an
octane rating of 87 or higher. 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 mon-
oxide levels. Saab approves the use of such
"reformulated" gasolines in its products,
which help in reducing pollution from all
motor vehicles, provided that the following blending percentages are met by such
fuels:
 Up to 10 % ethanol by volume, with corro-
sion inhibitors.
 Up to 15 % MTBE by volume (methyl ter-
tiary 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.
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.
NOTICE 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.
MON + RON
2
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157 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 Cali-
fornia 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 ”Engine
malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)” indicator
on your main instrument panel may turn on
and/or your vehicle may fail a smog-check
test. See ”Engine malfunction (CHECK
ENGINE)” indicator on page 57. 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 methylcy-
clopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask your service station operator
whether or not the fuel contains MMT. Saab
Automobile AB 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 malfunc-
tion indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Saab dealer for service.
Engine Break-In PeriodPistons, 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 during
this period.
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176 Starting and drivingEngine block heater (standard
equipment in Canada, accessory in
U.S.)The following are just some of the benefits
to the car and the environment of using an
engine block heater:
 Lower fuel consumption.
 Exhaust emissions substantially reduced
over short runs.
 Reduced wear on the engine.
 Inside of car warms up faster.
The engine heater is effective at outside
temperatures up to +15–20°C. The warmer
it is outside, the shorter the time the engine
heater needs to be connected. Longer than
1.5 hours is unnecessary.
If the car is equipped with a removable,
electrical cabin heater that is not in use, this
should be stored in the luggage compart-
ment.
Driving in cold weatherBefore starting a journey in cold weather
you should check the following:
 That the wiper blades have not become
frozen to the windshield/glass.
 Brush any snow away from the air intake
for the heater system (opening between
hood and windshield).
 It may be advisable to lubricate the
door-lock cylinder (use molybdenum
disulphide, MoS
2) to prevent its freezing.
If the lock has frozen, take care not to
break the key (or use the remote control)
– heat it first or spray it with de-icer.
 Periodically during the winter, add gaso-
line anti-freeze to the fuel to dispel any
condensation in the fuel tank which could
freeze and cause problems in the system.
Keep the tank well filled to reduce the risk
of condensation forming.
If the car is parked outside in freezing
weather, fuel additives (gasoline
anti-freeze) will not do any good as it
cannot remove water that has already fro-
zen. Park the car in a warm place so that
any ice that may have built up melts, then
add gasoline anti-freeze when filling up
the tank. Condensation is caused by
changes in the outdoor temperature or by
the car being parked alternately in a
garage and outside.
 It is particularly important when the roads
are slippery that the brakes and tires be in
good condition. Check the anti-freeze in the engine cool-
ant, see page 207.
The car´s trip computer will warn you when
there is a risk of slippery conditions. For fur-
ther information on this function, see page
64.
The car is equipped with tires designed to
provide optimum grip on both wet and dry
roads, although this has been achieved at
the expense of somewhat reduced grip on
snow and ice. For regular driving on snow
and ice, we therefore recommend that
winter (snow) tires be fitted.
Winter (snow) tires, particularly studded
tires (where use is legally permitted), gener-
ally make driving safer on snow and ice.
Acquaint yourself with the legal provi-
sions governing the use of different
types of winter tires and snow chains.
Studded tires are not allowed in some
countries.
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277 Specifications
Suspension
Steering Brake system Spring type, front and rear ___________ Coil springs
Maximum deflection of springs:
Front __________________________ 7.09 in (180 mm)
Rear ___________________________ 7.87 in (200 mm)
Dampers, front and rear _____________ Gas-filled dampers
Steering _________________________ Power-assisted
steering of
rack-and-pinion
type; telescopic
steering-column
shaft with universal
joints
Number of turns, lock to lock __________ 2,9
Power-steering fluid ________________ Power-steering fluid
CHF 11S Footbrake (ABS) ____________________ Hydraulic, dual-cir-
cuit brake system.
Diagonally split cir-
cuit with vacuum
servo unit. Disc
brakes front and
rear. EBD, see page
168.
Handbrake ________________________ Acts on rear wheels
Brake fluid _________________________ DOT 4
Brake-fluid capacity _________________ 0.925 qts (900 ml)
Disc diameter:
Front, ventilated ___________________ 11.34 in (288 mm)
Front, ventilated, certain variants *) ____ 12.05 in (306 mm)
Rear, solid _______________________ 11.26 in (286 mm)
Rear, ventilated, certain variants *) ____ 11.81 in (300 mm)
*) 15” wheel must not be used on these
variants.
Total friction area of brake pads:
Front ___________________________ 36.3 in
2 (234 cm
2)
Rear ___________________________ 15.5 in
2 (100 cm
2)
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