2008 SAAB 9-3 hood open

201 Starting and driving
4 Open the hood and locate the battery.
Find the positive (+) and negative (–) termi-
nals on the battery.5 Check that the jumper cables do not
have loose or missing insulation. If they
do, you could get a shock and also the
vehicles could be damaged.
Before you connect the cables, here are
some basic things you should know.
Positive (+) will go to positive (+) and
negative (–) will go to negative (–). Do
not connect (+) to (–) or you will get a
short that could injure you or would
damage the battery and maybe other
parts as well.
6 Connect the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal of the vehicle with
the discharged battery.7 Do not let the other end touch metal.
Connect it to the positive (+) terminal of
the good battery. Use a remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
8 Now connect the negative (–) cable to
the good battery’s negative terminal.
9 Attach the cable to the discharged
battery’s negative terminal.
10 Start the vehicle with the good battery
and run the engine for a while.
11 Try to start the vehicle with the
discharged battery. If it does not start
after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Note. If the current in the low battery is
too low it might be necessary to wait
several minutes with the cables
connected before you can start the
engine with the low battery.
12 Remove the cables in reverse order to
prevent electrical shorting. Take care
that they do not touch each other or any
other metal.NOTEIf you leave your radio on, it could be
badly damaged. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
WARNING
An electric fan can start up even when the
engine is not running and can injure you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
WARNING
Using a match or flame of any kind near a
battery can cause battery gas to explode.
You can suffer burns or be blinded. Use a
flashlight if you need more light.
Be sure the electrolyte in the battery is not
frozen. Discharged batteries will freeze.
When connecting jumper cables to a
frozen battery, gas from the chemical
reaction inside the battery can build up
under the ice and cause an explosion.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn
you. Do not get it on you. If you acciden-
tally get it in your eyes or on your skin,
flush the area with water and get medical
help immediately.
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204 Car careHoodThe hood release handle is located on the
left under the instrument panel. Open the
hood in the following way:
1 Pull the release handle.
2 The hood moves to the half-locked posi-
tion and is stopped by a safety catch at
the front edge.
3 Press the lever of the catch upwards and
raise the hood.
When you close the hood you should drop it
from a height of about 12 inches (30 cm),
without slamming it.
Hood release catch plate
Hood release handle
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212 Car careTransmission fluidManual transmission
Check and top up the oil in accordance with
the service program.
Automatic transmission
Check and top up the oil in accordance with
the service program.Coolant
There is an overpressure in the cooling
system. Coolant temperatures can some-
times exceed 212° F (100° C).
If the coolant level drops too low, the follow-
ing message appears on the SID:
The properties of the coolant are retained
for the entire service life of the car. There-
fore, it is not necessary to change the cool-
ant.
The coolant contains 45 % antifreeze and
anti-corrosion fluid. This ratio gives the best
cooling effect. Lower concentrations should
be avoided, in view of the corrosion risk.
Coolants of a different brand could damage
the engine or cooling system. We therefore
recommend strict use of coolants that have
been approved by Saab.Note
If incorrect coolant is used or added, the
life-time properties will be affected. Even if
the coolant is flushed from the system and
replaced with life-time coolant, life-time
properties are no longer retained and the
coolant must then be drained and replaced
at regular intervals.
WARNING
Proceed with caution if the radiator is
boiling when you open the hood.
Never remove the expansion-tank
filler cap when the radiator is boiling.
The cooling system is pressurized –
hot coolant and vapor can escape
when the filler cap is released. These
can cause injury to your eyes and
burns. Loosen the cap carefully, and
let the engine cool before removing
the cap.
Exercise care when adding coolant.
Coolant on hot surfaces constitutes a
fire risk.
Coolant level low.
Refill.
NOTEIf the cooling system needs topping up,
mix the antifreeze with the appropriate
quantity of drinking water or distilled
water before adding it to the system.
If undiluted antifreeze is added, the
engine could still freeze and be damaged.
This is because the antifreeze will not mix
properly with the coolant before the ther-
mostat has opened to allow full circula-
tion.
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276 Car carebe correctly aimed if the low beam lamps
are aimed properly.
If you find that the headlight needs adjust-
ment follow these steps:
1 Open the hood and locate the vertical
aiming devices.
2 Locate the marker on the lens.
3 Measure the distance from the ground to
the aim marker No.1 (see illustration) on
each lens.
Subtract 2 inches.
4 At the wall or other flat surface, measure
from the ground to the recorded
distance (see point 4) and draw a hori-
zontal line the width of the vehicle.5Cars with xenon lights:
Xenon lights with automatic headlight
levelling system must first do a refer-
ence run before aiming: Start the engine
and let the headlights do a reference
run. Turn off the engine but leave the low
beam on.
Cars with halogen lights:
Turn on the low beam headlights.
Both variants:
Place a piece of cardboard or equivalent
(although not directly on the lens) in front
of the headlight not being aimed. This
should allow the beam cut-off of the
headlight being aimed to be seen on the
flat surface.1 Wall or garage door.
2 25 ft (7.6 m) between wall and headlight lens.
3 Measurement from the ground to the low beam aiming marker on the headlight lens.
4 Same measurement as (3) but substract 2 inches.
Vertical aiming device1 Aiming marker on headlight lens
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300 Technical dataWarning and indications that can
be shown on the SIDWhich warnings and indications that can be
shown depends on engine variant and car
specification.
Symbol Text
Antilock brake malfunc.
Contact service.
Brake malfunction.
Make a safe stop.
Brake fluid level low.
Make a safe stop.
Release park brake.
Oil pressure low.
Make a safe stop.
Low engine oil level.
Fill oil now.
Reduced engine power.
Contact service.
Limited performance.
Coolant level low.
Refill.
Hot engine. Make a
safe stop. Idle engine.
Airbag malfunction.
Contact service.
Gearbox too hot. Make a
safe stop. Open hood.
Battery not charging.
Make a safe stop.
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
Cornering headlights
malfunction
Tap brakes lightly
before using cruise ctrl.
Traction control failure.
Contact service.
Stability control failure.
Contact service.
Turn on the lights.
Washer fluid level low.
Refill.
Rain sensor malfunc.
Contact service.
Key not accepted.
Contact service.
Remote control battery
low. Replace battery.
Number of keys:
Active key number:
Steering lock malfunc.
Make a safe stop.
Pull out key, turn
steering wheel. Restart.
Theft protection failure.
Contact service.
Alarm tripped during
last arming period.
Rear left seat
backrest unlocked.
Rear right seat
backrest unlocked.
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