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11 - 4Maintenance and service
26 December 2003
improperly used or handled, for example, bat-
tery acid.
!Your vehicle should only be serviced by per-
sons fully competent to do so. Serious person-
al injury may result to persons not experienced
in servicing vehicles.
!Always use the proper tools and make certain
that they are well maintained.
!Never get under the vehicle supported only
by a jack. Always use a safety stands to sup-
port the vehicle.
!Never keep the engine running in a poorly
ventilated area, such as a garage or other
closed areas.
!Do not smoke or allow open flames around
the fuel or battery. This will cause a fire.
!Because the fuel system is under pressure,
replacement of the fuel filter should be per-
formed only by your Saab dealer.
!Wear adequate eye protection to guard
against getting oil or fluids in your eyes. If
something does get in your eyes, thoroughly
wash them out with clean water.
!Do not tamper with the wiring of the SRS air-
bag system or seatbelt pretensioner system, or
attempt to take its connectors apart, as that
may activate the system or it can render it inop-erative. The wiring and connectors of these
systems are yellow for easy identification. NEV-
ER use a circuit tester for these wiring.
If your SRS airbag or seatbelt pretensioner
needs service, consult your nearest Saab deal-
er."Before checking or servicing in the en-
gine compartment!Always stop the engine and set the parking
brake firmly to prevent the vehicle from mov-
ing.
!Always let the engine cool down. Engine
parts become very hot when the engine is run-
ning and remain hot for some time after the en-
gine is stopped.
!Do not spill engine oil, engine coolant, brake
fluid or any other fluid on hot engine compo-
nents. This may cause a fire.
!Always remove the key from the ignition
switch. When the ignition switch is in the “ON”
position, the cooling fan may operate suddenlyeven when the engine is stopped.
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Maintenance and service
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11
18 February 2004
If you check the oil level just after stopping the engine,
wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil
pan before checking the level.
Just after driving or while the engine is warm, the en-
gine oil level reading may be in a range between the
upper level and the notch mark. This is caused by ther-
mal expansion of the engine oil.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not add any
additional oil above the upper level when the engine is
cold."Changing the oil and oil filterChange the oil and oil filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Saab Warranty and Service
Record Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more fre-
quently than listed in the maintenance schedule when
driving on dusty roads, when short trips are frequently
made, or when driving in extremely cold whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the engine idle for
about 10 minutes to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the en-
gine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
Do not touch the exhaust manifold or turbo-
charger. These get very hot when the enginehas been running.2.0-liter turbo models
UGB105BA
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11 - 1 2Maintenance and service
26 December 2003
Non-turbo models4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain plug
while the engine is still warm. The used oil should be
drained into an appropriate container and disposed of
properly.!Be careful not to burn yourself with hot en-
gine oil.
!Do not spill oil on hot parts of the engine as
this could cause a fire. Used engine oil is partic-
ulary flammable.
!Prolonged and repeated exposure of the skinto engine oil can cause serious skin disorders.
The risk of cancer cannot be ruled out
!Wash the affected area thoroughly with soap
and water after any contact.
!Keep oil out of the reach of children.
!Protect the environment. Do not dispose of
oil into the ground or down a drain. Dispose of
all used oil and oil filters at an appropriate dis-
posal facility.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain plug with a
clean cloth and tighten it securely with a new sealing
washer after the oil has completely drained out.
6. Remove under cover (for Turbo).
Turbo models
UGB057DA
UGB123BA
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Maintenance and service
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11
18 February 2004
Non-turbo models7. Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrench.
8. Before installing a new oil filter, apply a thin coat of
engine oil to the seal.
9. Clean the rubber seal seating area of the bottom of
engine and install the oil filter by hand turning. Be
careful not to twist or damage the seal.
10.Tighten the oil filter by the amount indicated below
after the seal makes contact with the bottom of engine.
Please see your Saab dealer for correct oil filter infor-
mation for your vehicle.
Never over tighten the oil filter because that canresult in an oil leak.
11.Reinstall under cover (for Turbo).
12.Pour engine oil through the filler neck.Oil capacity (guideline):
4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp qt)
The oil quantity indicated above is only guideline.
The necessary quantity of oil depends on the quantity
of oil that has been drained. The quantity of drained oil
differs slightly depending on the temperature of the oil
and the time the oil is left flowing out. After refilling the
engine with oil, therefore, you must the dipstick to con-
firm that the level is correct.
13.Start the engine and make sure that no oil leaks ap-
pear around the filter’s rubber seal and drain plug.
14.Run the engine until it reaches the normal operat-
ing temperature. Then stop the engine and wait a few
minutes to allow the oil to drain back. Check the oil lev-
el again and if necessary, add more engine oil.
UGB057EA
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26 December 2003
"Recommended grade and viscosity
under severe driving conditionsIf the vehicle is used in desert areas, in areas with very
high temperatures, or used for heavy-duty applica-
tions such as towing a trailer, use of oil with the follow-
ing grade and viscosities is recommended.API classification SL (or SJ):
SAE viscosity no.: 30, 40, 10W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
"Synthetic oilYou can use synthetic engine oil that meets the same
requirements given for conventional engine oil. When
using synthetic oil, you must use oil of the same clas-
sification, viscosity and grade shown in this owner’s
manual, and must follow the oil and filter changing in-
tervals shown in the maintenance schedule.
Cooling systemNever attempt to remove the radiator cap until
the engine has been shut off and has cooled
down completely. Since the coolant is under
pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a
spray of boiling hot coolant when the cap is re-moved.!The cooling system has been filled at the fac-
tory with a high quality, corrosion-inhibiting,
year-around coolant which provides protection
against freezing down to –33°F (–36°C). For
adding, use genuine Saab coolant or an equiv-
alent: a mixture of 50% soft water and 50% eth-
ylene-glycol basis coolant. Use of improper
coolants may result in corrosion in the cooling
system. It is important to maintain protection
against freezing and corrosion, even if freezing
temperatures are not expected. Never mix dif-
ferent kinds of coolant.
!Do not splash the engine coolant over paint-
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