137 Starting and driving
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 (mixture of
precious metals).
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 accor-
dance with the service program. The fuel
and ignition systems are particularly
important in this context.
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 an authorized Saab
dealer as soon as possible.
If the engine fails to start (in very cold
weather or if the battery is flat), the car can
be push started (manual gearbox only) or
started using jumper cables 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 five minutes to give it time
to settle and run smoothly. If, after this
time, the engine still fails to run properly,
turn off the engine and get in touch with
an authorized Saab dealer for advice.
Never park the car on dry grass or other
combustible material. The catalytic con-
verter gets very hot and could therefore
start a fire.
Never drive off if the engine is misfiring.
If you jump start the car when the engine
is already up to normal temperature, the engine must start to run on all cylinders.
Stop jump-starting if the engine fails to
start immediately.
Failure to follow these directions could
result in the catalytic converter and associ-
ated components being damaged, and
could represent a breach of the warranty
conditions.
NOTICEUse only unleaded gasoline. Leaded
gasoline is detrimental to the catalyst and
oxygen sensor and will seriously impair
the function of the catalytic converter.
NOTICEIf the car runs out of fuel, it is possible for
air to get into the fuel system. If this
happens, the catalytic converter may
overheat and be damaged.
IB1289
2
2
1
3
3
Oxygen-sensor-controlled
injection system1 Engine control module
2 Oxygen sensor (lambda probe)
3 Catalytic converters
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168 Starting and driving
Driving at nightBear in mind the following points when
driving at night:
Nighttime driving requires your full con-
centration.
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 onco-
ming vehicles.
Avoid driving at night if you have poor eye-
sight. 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 star-
ting a long journey. Take a break every
other hour.
Only eat light meals. Heavy meals have a
tendency to induce tiredness.
Driving with a loadThe driving characteristics of the car are
affected by the way it is loaded.
Place heavy loads as far forward and as
low as possible in the trunk.
Secure the load to the tie downs, see
page 123.
The load should be such that the car´s
total weight or axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 252.
Heavy loads mean that the car’s center of
gravity is further back. As a result, the car
will sway more during evasive steering.
Never exceed the permissible load in the
roof box, even if there is room for more.
Ensure that the tire pressure is correct –
slight overinflation is preferable to under-
inflation.
The braking distance of a loaded car is
always greater. Keep your distance from
the vehicle in front.
Roof loads can negatively affect tele-
communication.Tire pressure, see page 262 and back
cover.
IB1295
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180 Starting and drivingParking on a hillWhen parking on a steep hill, turn the front
wheels so that they will be blocked by the
curb if the car should move. Long-term parkingIf the car is not going to be used for some
time, e.g. 3–4 months, the following steps
are recommended:
Run the engine to normal temperature
before long-term parking.
Drain the washer-fluid reservoir and
hoses.
Wash and wax the car. Clean the rubber
seals on the hood, luggage compartment
lid and doors, and lubricate them with gly-
cerol (glycerin).
After washing the car, dry the brake discs
by taking the car out on the road and app-
lying the brakes a few times.
Fill the fuel tank with fuel to prevent con-
densation forming in it.
Top up the coolant and check the anti-
freeze before the onset of winter.
Park the car in a dry, covered and well-
ventilated building. Leave the parking
brake OFF!
Disconnect the negative (–) battery lead.
If frost is likely to occur during the long-
term parking, remove the battery and
store it away from the frost.
Ideally, the car should be put up on blocks,
with the wheels off the ground. If this is not possible, inflate the tires to about 43 psi
(300 kPa).
Leave all the windows open a crack and
cover the car with a fabric tarpaulin – not
one made of plastic.
123
IB485
1Pointing downhill and
against the curb– Turn the wheels into
the curb and edge the
car forward until the
wheels touch the curb.2
Pointing uphill and
against the curb– Turn the wheels away
from the curb and edge
the car back until the
wheels touch the curb.3
Pointing uphill or
downhill – no curb– Turn the wheels
towards the edge of the
road. If the car should
start rolling, it will not run
into the road.
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231 Car care and technical information
Changing a wheel
WARNING
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous
without the appropriate safety equipment
and training. The jack provided with your
vehicle is designed only for changing a
flat tire. If it is used for anything else, you
or others could be badly injured or killed if
the vehicle slips off the jack. Use the jack
provided with your vehicle only for chang-
ing a flat tire.
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The
vehicle can slip off the jack and roll over
or fall on you or other people. You and
they could be badly injured or even killed.
Find a level place to change your tire. To
help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1 Set the parking brake firmly.
2 If you have an automatic transmis-
sion, put the shift lever in PARK (P).
For a manual transmission, leave the
car in gear (1st or REVERSE (R)).
3 Turn off the engine and do not restart
while the vehicle is raised.
4 Do not allow passengers to remain in
the vehicle.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't
move, you should put blocks at the front
and rear of the tire farthest away from the
one being changed. That would be the
tire, on the other side, at the opposite end
of the vehicle.
The car jack is designed solely for use
in changing a wheel or fitting snow
chains.
It must not be used to
support the car during repair work
or servicing.
Never
crawl under a car that is
supported only by a jack.
Raising your vehicle too high or with
the jack improperly positioned can
damage the vehicle and even make
the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to
fit the jack lift head into the proper
location before raising the vehicle, and
raise the vehicle only far enough off
the ground so there is enough room for
the spare tire to fit (no more than 25
mm or 1 inch clearance between the
ground and the bottom of the tire).
Switch on the hazard warning lights if
the car is on a road.
The jack should be stored correctly
under the carpeting in the trunk. If it
lies loose in the car, it could thrown
forward and cause personal injury in
the event of a crash or if the car rolls
over.
Grit, salt and rust can clog the inner
threads of the wheel bolts if the car has
been driven for several years exclu-
sively with alloy wheels.
If steel wheels are being installed, the
bolt hole threads in the brake hubs
should be cleaned before the thinner
steel wheels are fitted. It may other-
wise not be possible to achieve the
correct clamping force, despite tight-
ening the wheel bolts to the correct
torque.
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269 Index
Towing, automatics
______________ 171
Trailer weights
_________________ 253
Treadwear indicators
____________ 219
Trionic
________________________ 184
Trip computer
___________________ 61
Trip meter
______________________ 58
Trunk
_________________________ 121
Trunk lid, opening
________________ 42
Turbo gauge
____________________ 60
Turbo, points to note
_____________ 136
UUnder the hood
_________________ 183
Uniform tire quality grading
________ 221
Upholstery and trim
______________ 236
Upholstery and trim, care of
_______ 236
Useful tips, ACC
_________________ 81
VVanity mirrors
__________________ 117
Vehicle Data Collection
___________ 249
Ventilated front seats
_____________ 14
Viscosity, engine oil
_____________ 254
WWarning labels
___________________ 7
Warning light, AIR BAG
___________ 33
Warning lights
___________________ 52
Washers
______________________ 195
Washers, windshield
_____________ 196
Washing the car
________________ 237
Waxing and polishing
____________ 238
Wear indicators, tires ____________ 219
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
______________________ 34
Wheel replacement
______________ 222
Wheel, change
_________________ 231
Wheels and tires ________________ 260
Wheels and tires, sizes
___________ 260
When it is time for new tires
_______ 219
Windshield washers
______________ 71
Windshield wipers
________________ 71
Winter tires
________________ 228
, 260
Wiper blades, replacing
__________ 195
Wipers and washers
__________ 71
, 195
XXenon headlight
________________ 197
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