150 Starting and drivingIgnition switchThe ignition switch is located on the center
console between the front seats. In cars
with automatic transmission, the remote
control can only be removed when the
selector lever is in position P.
To allow the various systems in the car time
to register that the remote control has been
inserted into the ignition switch, do not turn
the remote control for roughly half a second.
LOCK positionThe parking lights, hazard warning lights
and interior lighting can be turned on.
Cars with automatic transmission: Move
the gear lever to P.
The gear lever is locked in position. This is
the only position in which the remote control
can be removed.
Cars with manual transmission: The
remote control can be removed regardless
of the position of the gear lever.
NOTICETake care not to spill drinks or to drop
crumbs over the ignition switch. If dirt or
liquid gets into it, the switch may not
operate properly.
If snow from clothing falls into the ignition
switch and melts, the ignition switch can
seize (freeze). Brush snow off clothing
before getting into the car.
WARNING
Always remove the remote control
before leaving children unattended in
the car.
Apply the parking brake before remov-
ing the remote control.
Never remove the remote control
while the car is moving. This will acti-
vate the steering wheel lock and make
it impossible to steer the car.
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151 Starting and driving
OFF positionParts of the electrical system are operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the
OFF position with the engine not running
as this could cause the battery to run flat
in a matter of hours.
Cars with automatic transmission: The
gear lever is not locked. See also page 164.
If the remote control is turned from ON to
OFF before the car is stationary then turning
to LOCK may not be possible. In which case
turn the remote control to the ON position
until the ABS lamp goes out, approx. 2 s.
Following which, turn it back to OFF.
ON positionThe entire electrical system is operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the ON
position when the engine is not running.
Turn the remote control to the OFF position
to disconnect the electrical system.
When you turn the remote control to ON,
some indicator and warning lights will come
on in the main instrument panel. These
should go out after about 3 seconds.
ST - starter positionThe starter motor operates (automatic
transmission: selector lever must be in P or
N) when the remote control is turned to this
position. When released, the remote control
will spring back to the ON position.
The car has an electronic restart lock. If the
engine fails to start, the remote control must
first be turned back to a position between
OFF and LOCK before the starter motor can
be operated again.
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152 Starting and drivingSteering wheel lockThe steering wheel lock is electronic. The
lock engages when the remote control is
removed from the ignition and unlocks when
the remote control is inserted. A click can be
heard when the steering wheel lock locks
and unlocks.
If the car is parked with one front wheel
touching the curb, for example, you may
need to turn the steering wheel slightly
when you insert the remote control to allow
the steering wheel lock to unlock. If you do
not succeed on first attempt you must
remove the remote control before trying
again. Turn the steering wheel and insert
the remote control into the ignition switch.
If the steering wheel lock does not disen-
gage it will not be possible to turn the remote
control in the ignition switch.
The following message is shown on the SID:If a fault arises affecting the steering wheel
lock, the following message will be
displayed on the SID:
If the steering wheel lock malfunctions while
the remote control is in the ignition switch,
this may prevent the removal of the remote
control or prevent the car from being
restarted once the engine has been
switched off.
If you have to leave the car, lock the car by
pressing down the lock buttons on the
doors. Lock the front left door from outside
with the traditional key (see page 50). The
car is now locked but the alarm is inactive.
Starting the engine
Pull out key, turn
steering wheel. Restart.
Steering lock malfunc.
Make a safe stop.
WARNING
When starting the engine:
- Sit down in the driver’s seat.
- Depress the clutch pedal fully (M/T). If
the gear lever is not in the neutral posi-
tion, the clutch pedal must be fully
depressed or the car will jump
forwards or backwards, which may
cause a crash.
- Never start the car from outside the
vehicle, e.g. through a window that is
down. This could lead to serious
personal injury.
Cars with automatic transmission:
select position P to remove the ignition
key. The key can only be removed in
this gear position.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless,
odorless, poisonous gas. Be alert to
the danger of CO – always open the
garage doors before starting the
engine in the garage.
Do not rest or sleep in the car when
parked with the engine running. There
is a risk of depressing the accelerator
which could lead to engine damage.
There is also a danger of CO poison-
ing if the exhaust system is leaking.
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153 Starting and driving
Starting the engineAvoid racing the engine or loading it heavily
before it has warmed up. Do not drive away
before the warning and indicator lights have
gone out.
The engine has an automatic choke and
should be started as follows:
Cars with manual transmission
To start the engine the clutch pedal must
be fully depressed.
1 Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2 Depress the clutch pedal but do not
touch the accelerator.
3 Start the engine. Let the remote control
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.Cars with automatic transmission
The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
1 The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
2 Keep your foot on the brake pedal.
Note! Once the engine has started, the
brake pedal will sink. This is perfectly
normal.
3 Start the engine. Let the remote control
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.
Useful tips on starting the engineIf the engine has failed to start after several
attempts in very cold weather, proceed as
follows:
1 Turn the ignition switch to ON (it is
essential that you turn the ignition to
ON before depressing the accelerator).
2 Press the accelerator to the floor and run
the starter motor for 5-10 seconds. This
will prevent the engine being flooded
(fully depressed accelerator cuts off the
fuel supply).
3 Now start the engine in the normal way
- do not touch the accelerator.
If the engine stalls immediately after starting
(e.g. if the clutch was released too quickly),
do not touch the accelerator when restarting
the engine.
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154 Starting and drivingImportant
considerations for
driving1 Starting and driving
Do not use full throttle until the engine
is warm, so as to avoid unnecessary
wear. If the needle of the turbo gauge
repeatedly enters the red zone, the
engine may suddenly lose power, due
to the initiation of a monitoring system
that limits the boost pressure. We
recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer as soon as possible.
Under certain barometric conditions
(high outside temperature and/or high
altitude) the needle may enter the first
part of the red zone without necessarily
indicating that a fault has arisen.
A protective function (interruption of the
fuel supply) limits the engine speed.2 Stopping the engine
Do not rev the engine immediately
before switching it off - stop the engine
when it is idling.
3 Regulating the boost pressure
One of the advantages of boost pres-
sure regulation is that the engine can
also be run safely on gasoline with a
lower octane rating, although not lower
than AON 87. However, engine perfor-
mance will fall slightly and heavy load-
ing and laboring should be avoided. For
optimum performance, use the recom-
mended grade of fuel.
The maximum boost pressure is regu-
lated according to the tendency of the
engine to knock. Short-lived knocking
is perfectly normal. This can occur
when the engine is running at about
3,000 rpm under a heavy load. The
extent of this knocking will depend on
the grade of fuel in the tank.
Isolated instances of knocking can
occur with low-octane fuel. This
controlled form of knocking, followed
by a reduction in the boost pressure, is
a sign that the control system is work-
ing normally, and is perfectly safe for
the engine.The light3 comes on in the event of an
engine or gearbox fault (cars with automatic
gearbox), which can cause drivability prob-
lems. The car can still be driven but perhaps
with limited performance.
Contact a workshop when you find it suit-
ably. We recommend that you contact an
authorised Saab workshop.
NOTICE If the engine sounds strange there is a
malfunction. We recommend that you
contact a Saab dealer immediately.
The use of fuel with too low an octane
rating can cause serious engine
damage.
Limited performance.
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155 Starting and driving
Limp-homeThe engine management system has a
diagnostic feature that checks a number of
internal functions. If a fault is detected in the
throttle valve, the engine management
system will set the throttle system to the
limp-home mode. This means:
idling control will be poor (uneven idling
since regulated by ignition and fuel
supply)
engine performance will be reduced
the cruise control will not function
the capacity of the A/C compressor will be
limited.
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 83). Have the car checked at a work-
shop as soon as possible. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer.
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:
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. We recommend that
you contact 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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167 Starting and driving
Selector lever positions
P
The selector lever is locked and the transmission
is mechanically blocked.
The engine can be started.
To move the selector lever out of the P position,
depress the brake pedal and press in the detent
(catch) on the selector lever.
Only select the park position (P) when the car is
stationary.
R
Only select the reverse position (R) when the car
stationary. The detent release button must be
pressed before the selector lever can be moved
to R.
Wait until reverse gear has engaged before
touching the accelerator.
N
You must press the brake pedal to move
the selector lever from the neutral position (N).
In neutral, the transmission is disengaged from the
engine. The engine can be started but make sure
the parking brake is on to prevent unexpected
movement.
To prevent the engine and transmission becoming
hotter than necessary, select N for long stops with
the engine running, e.g. when stuck in a traffic jam.
At traffic lights, leave the selector lever in the drive
position (D).
D
The drive position (D) is the normal one for forward
driving. The transmission shifts automatically
between all gears from 1st to 5th or 6th, the timing
of which depends on factors such as the current
accelerator position and the speed of the car.
Pause for a moment before applying the acce-
lerator, to allow the gears to engage.
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169 Starting and driving
Cruise control(Cruise control system)
For safety reasons (brake system func-
tion), the brakes must be applied once
when the engine has started, before the
cruise control system can be activated.
The following message is shown on the SID:
The system has the following functions:
1 ON: engaged
2 OFF: disengaged
3 SET/+: sets the speed and increases
the set speed
4 SET/ –: sets the speed and decreases
the set speed
5 RESUME: re-engages the system at the
set speed
The CRUISE indicator light in the main
instrument panel comes on when the switch
is slid to ON. If you switch off the engine
while the cruise control is ON, the system
will be ON the next time the engine is
started.
To set the desired speed1 Slide the switch to ON.
2 Move the thumbwheel up to SET/+ or
SET/– when the car has reached the
desired speed (above 15 mph (25 km/
h)).To increase the preset speedYou can increase the speed in any of
the following ways:
Accelerate to the desired speed. Jog the
control to SET/+ or SET/–.
Jog the control to SET/+ to increase the
speed by 1 mph (1.6 km/h) (when cruise
control already engaged).
Hold the control in the SET/+ position until
the desired speed is reached (when
cruise control already engaged).
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control system in
wet or icy conditions, in dense traffic or on
winding roads.
Tap brakes lightly
before using cruise ctrl.
Cruise control switches
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