2008 SAAB 9-3 sensor

158 Starting and drivingHave the car serviced regularly in accor-
dance with the service program.
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 a workshop. We
recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer.
If the engine fails to start (in severe cold or
if the battery is flat), the car can be bump
started (manual transmission only) or
started using jump leads 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 5 minutes to give it time
to settle and run smoothly. If, after this
time, the engine still fails to run properly,
switch off the engine to avoid serious
damage to the catalytic converter. We
recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer for advice.Never park the car on dry grass or other
combustible material. The catalytic
converter gets very hot and could there-
fore start a fire.
Never drive off if the engine is misfiring.
If you bump start the car when the engine
is already at normal working temperature,
the engine must start to run on all cylin-
ders. Abort bump starting if the engine
fails to start immediately.
Failure to strictly follow these instructions
can result in damage to the catalytic con-
verter and associated components, and
could represent a breach of the warranty
conditions.
NOTEIf the car runs out of gas, air may be drawn
in with the fuel, which, in turn, can cause
the catalytic converter to be damaged by
overheating.
WARNING
If the engine is being run with the car on a
rolling road or dynamometer, to ensure
adequate cooling, air must be blown into
the engine compartment and under the
car at a rate equivalent to the ram-air
effect that would obtain at the corre-
sponding road speed.
Engine management system with catalytic
converter1 Engine control module
2 Oxygen sensor
3 Catalytic converter
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175 Starting and driving
Traction Control
System (TCS)Anti-spin systemHow the system worksThe Traction Control System (TCS) is
designed to prevent wheelspin. This
enables the car to achieve the best possible
grip and, hence, maximum tractive effort,
together with greater stability.The TCS uses information from the ABS
wheel sensors to detect when the front (driv-
ing) wheels are rotating faster then the rear
wheels.
If the two front wheels are rotating faster
than the rear wheels, the torque from the
engine is reduced to eliminate the differ-
ence.
The process continues until all the wheels
are rotating at the same speed.
The advantages of the TCS become most
apparent when the cohesion between the
front wheels and the road surface is so low
that one or both of the wheels would lose
their grip were the car not equipped with the
TCS, e.g.:
When the car is pulling away or accelerat-
ing with the front wheels on different
surfaces (e.g. one slippery and one dry),
the TCS functions like an electronic differ-
ential lock, making sure that both wheels
rotate at the same speed. The system
also functions when the car is reversing.
When cornering, if the inside front wheel
rotates faster than the other wheels.
TCS OFF
lights up if:
the system has been switched off
manually. It cannot be switched off if the
car is travelling faster than 35 mph
(60 km/h).
there is a fault in the ABS system
a fault has been detected and the system
has therefore been switched off and at the
same time the following message is
shown on the SID:
WARNING
When driving normally, the TCS system
helps to improve the car’s stability,
maneuverability and traction under slip-
pery road and extreme driving conditions.
The TCS must not be regarded as a
system to enable the driver to maintain
higher speeds. The same precautions
must be adopted as normal for safe cor-
nering and driving on slippery roads.
Traction control failure.
Contact service.
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177 Starting and driving
Electronic Stability
Program ESP
®
Anti-skid system
The ESP
® system employs both the
antilock braking system (ABS) and the trac-
tion control system (TCS). It is a system that
helps the driver to stabilize the car in
unusual circumstances that can otherwise
be more difficult to handle.
How the ESP
® system works
The ESP
® system can help to prevent the
car from skidding by braking one or several
wheels independently of the driver. The
engine output is then also reduced to pre-
vent the driving wheels from spinning. The
car has sensors that measure wheel speed,
yaw rate, lateral acceleration, steering
wheel position and braking pressure. The
values provided by these sensors are used
to calculate the actual direction of the car,
the intentions of the driver and whether the
ESP
® system should be engaged.
If this direction does not agree with that
intended by the driver, calculated from the
steering wheel position, the ESP
® system is
engaged.
The ESP
® system improves the driver’s
chances of retaining control over the car in
a critical situation.
WARNING
When driving normally, the ESP
® system
helps to improve the car’s stability and
maneuverability under slippery road and
extreme driving conditions. The ESP
®
system must not be regarded as a system
to enable the driver to maintain higher
speeds. The same precautions must be
adopted as normal for safe cornering and
driving on slippery roads must be
adopted.
Illustration of how the system applies the
brakes on one or several wheels in order
to reduce the likelihood of the car skidding
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182 Starting and drivingSaab Parking
Assistance3
33 3Saab Parking Assistance
Saab Parking Assistance facilitates parking
and reversing. There are four sensors in the
rear bumper that detect objects up to 6 ft
(1.8 meters) behind the car.
If the car is heavily laden, the system may
falsely indicate that there is an object within
the detection range. This is since the sen-
sors are angled towards the ground when
the car is tail-heavy.The system uses four sensors in the rear
bumper. These emit ultrasound signals that
bounce back to the sensors off any objects
behind the car. The system, however,
cannot always detect small or narrow
objects, such as a post, since the surface
area presented to the car is too small.The system is activated automatically when
reverse is engaged or selected. Audible
confirmation is given and the following text
is shown on the SID:
If a warning message, such as the safety-
belt reminder, is shown on the SID when
reverse is engaged, the audible signals
from the parking assistance system will not
be heard since the warning message has
priority.
When the sensors detect an object within
the monitored area, pulses of sound (- - - -)
will be heard. The frequency of these pulses
WARNING
Responsibility always lies with the driver
when reversing.
The parking assistance system can
facilitate parking and reversing.
Bear in mind that small objects, such
as a child lying on the ground, and
narrow objects cannot always be
detected by the system.
Parking assistance
active
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
the side
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
above
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183 Starting and driving
increases as the car comes closer to the
object.
If you stop the car with reverse gear
engaged, the sound pulse will stop after
2 seconds. The sound pulses will return if
you continue to reverse. If the car rolls for-
ward while reverse is engaged, the system
is silenced.
When the distance to the object is less
than 1 ft. (30 cm), a continuous tone will
be heard.
When an object is approximately 3 ft.
(90 cm) from the car, the sound pulses
change character markedly (frequency
increases). A distance of about 3 ft. (90 cm)
is suitable if you wish to load or unload the
trunk.
If the distance between an object and a
corner sensor does not change for
3 seconds, for example if you are reversing
alongside a wall, the system will switch to
monitoring straight back. The system indi-
cates if the distance to the wall decreases
again.
If a trailer is hitched up and correctly con-
nected to the trailer contact by the tow bar,
the system is automatically deactivated.Reversing alongside a wall
If the distance between an object and a
corner sensor does not change for
2 seconds, for example if you are reversing
alongside a wall, the system will switch to
monitoring straight back. The system indi-
cates if the distance to the wall decreases
again.Cars with trailer hitch
If the car has a trailer hitch and its wiring is
correctly connected to the car’s electrical
system, the Saab Parking Assistance auto-
matically compensates for the protrusion of
the tow bar.
If a camper or trailer is hitched up and the
trailer hitch wiring is correctly connected to
the car’s electrics, the system is automati-
cally deactivated.
You can temporarily deactivate the Saab
Parking Assistance as follows:
Engage reverse and press the CLR
button on the SID control panel.
The system will be reactivated the next time
you engage reverse.
NOTEThe sensors must be kept clean to func-
tion well. Ice, snow and dirt can affect
their sensitivity.
Large quantities of snow or dirt covering
the sensors can prevent the parking
assistance system from detecting any
objects.
Do not spray the sensors with a pressure
washer, as this can damage them.
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184 Starting and drivingError messages
If the system malfunctions, the following
message will appear on the SID:
If the system is subject to interference, the
following message will be shown on the
SID:
If this message appears, clean the sensors.
The sensors are located in the black trim on
the rear bumper The system can be switched off using
Settings.
1Select Settings using the steering
wheel controls, or .
2 Press and hold the SET button until
given audible confirmation.
3Select Park Assistance.
4 Press the SET button.
5Select ON or OFF.
6 Confirm the setting by pressing the SET
button.Explanation of ON and OFF.
Parking assistance
malfunction. Service.
Parking assistance
sensor interference.
Park Assistance
ONOFF
ON
Saab Parking Assistance is activated
automatically when reverse is
engaged. The system warns of objects
behind the car.
If a trailer is hitched up and correctly
connected to the trailer connector, the
system will be deactivated automati-
cally. You can also deactivate the sys-
tem temporarily with the CLR button if
reverse has been engaged and the
system is active.
OFF
Saab Parking Assistance deactivated.
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210 Car careEngine oilChecking the oil levelCheck the engine oil level regularly.
1 Park the car on a level ground.
2 Switch off the engine and wait for
2–5 minutes. The engine should be at
normal operating temperature.
3 Take the dipstick out and wipe it off with
a clean rag before carrying out the
check.
The level must not be below the MIN mark
on the dipstick, but nor should it be above
the MAX mark. Excess engine oil could
result in abnormal oil consumption.
The distance between the MIN and MAX
marks is equivalent to 1.0 qt (1.0 l).4-cyl engine: The engine oil level is
checked each time the engine is started. If
the oil level is low, the following message
appears on the SID:
If this occurs the oil level must be checked
first. If the level is too low then it must be
topped up.V6 engine: The engine has an oil level
sensor that checks the oil level when the
engine is running. If the oil level drops too
low, the following message appears on the
SID:
If this occurs the oil level must be checked
first. If the level is too low then it must be
topped up.NOTEToo high oil level can damage the engine.
Low engine oil level.
Fill oil now.
Low engine oil level.
Fill oil now.
Oil filler cap and dipstick, 4-cyl engine
Oil filler cap and dipstick, V6 engine
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223 Car care
Wrong bulb fitted
If a low or main beam bulb of too high a
rating is fitted, a bulb failure message will be
shown on the SID (a too high wattage bulb
can damage the reflector).
If the following message is displayed but the
bulb shines, it is most likely that an incorrect
bulb has been fitted.
Note
When changing bulbs, fit the same type of
bulb (e.g. Long-Life) as that removed.
Headlight aiming, page 275.
Xenon headlights3
33 3Xenon headlights produce roughly two
times as much light as halogen bulbs and
have a significantly longer service life.
The lamp units consist of a gas discharge
lamp containing xenon. When the lights are
switched on a very high voltage activates
the xenon gas. The lamps soon reach full
intensity.
Cars with xenon headlights have automatic
levelling. The levelling system is comprised
of two sensors, one on the front suspension
and one on the rear suspension, and a con-
trol unit by the engine bay fuse box. Head-
light alignment is adjusted automatically to
the car’s load to prevent dazzling drivers in
oncoming traffic.
If a fault is detected in the system, the fol-
lowing message will be displayed on the
SID: Right high beam failure.
WARNING
Xenon headlights are high tension. All
work on xenon headlights, including
changing bulbs, must be carried out by
dealer personnel.
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
We recommend you to contact a Saab
dealer to have a xenon headlight changed
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