158 Starting and drivingIf you move the selector lever from D to L, down shifts will follow a
set pattern to avoid damaging the engine or transmission.
Manual gear-changing is not recommended on slippery roads.
If one of the drive wheels spins excessively, the engine torque will
be reduced to avoid damaging the transmission.Adaptive gear-change patternsAdaptive gear-change patterns are selected automatically depend-
ing on the engine load and the present temperature of the transmis-
sion. The function is available in Normal and Sport modes.
The changes occur at a higher engine speed and the car remains in
the same gear for longer, if the transmission control module senses
that the load has not decreased. These gear-change patterns pre-
vent unnecessary changing up and down, when for example driving
up or down long slopes with a trailer or caravan, and to prevent over-
heating the transmission oil. The adaptive gear-change function is
also selected automatically when the transmission oil becomes too
hot, to protect the transmission itself from damage and to lower the
oil temperature.
The adaptive gear-change pattern function is deselected when:
The engine is switched off.
The load is reduced so much that the function is no longer
required.
”Automatic transmission3, fault indicator” appears on main
instrument panel, see page 154.
SPORT modes
To select Sport mode, press the ”S” button on
the selector lever when the selector lever is in
position N or D.
In this mode, gear changes will take place at
higher engine speeds than in Normal mode, in
other words, the transmission will change up
later and change down earlier for the same throt-
tle (accelerator) position.
The Sport mode will be deselected if:
The SPORT button is pressed.
The selector lever is moved to position P,R, M
or L.
The engine is switched off.
”Automatic transmission3, fault indicator”
appears on main instrument panel, see
page 154.
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177 Starting and driving
Recommendations for cars with manual
gearbox
Rises in coolant temperature are indicated
by the temperature gauge in the main instru-
ment panel.
The following steps are taken in order as the
temperature of the engine increases:
A/C compressor is switched off.
engine torque is reduced.
When continuing your journey, select a gear
in which the engine speed is about
3,000 rpm until the incline eases.
Driving considerations Always take extra care when towing a
trailer, as the car’s handling will be different
and its braking effect reduced. The trailer’s
braking system and suspension also have a
considerable effect on these characteris-
tics, see also ”Driving with a load” page 179.
If the car has automatic transmission, select
position D when ascending steep hills. This
ensures that the adaptive gear change pat-
terns are operational, see page 158. Use
position D or L for steep descents.Checks before drivingMake sure that the car and camper or trailer
are in good working order. This is essential
since towing a camper or trailer increases
the strain on the car.
Check and if necessary adjust the tire
pressure of the car and camper or trailer.
Make sure all wheel bolts are properly
tightened.
Make sure that the equipment joining the
car and camper or trailer is properly
secured and adjusted. Make sure the camper or trailer’s electri-
cal cable is properly connected and is not
so long that it drags along the ground.
Also, make sure the cable is not too short
and risks breaking when turning a corner.
Check all bulbs.
Check the car and camper or trailer
brakes.
Make sure that all items on or in the cara-
van or trailer are properly secured.
Make sure that the camper or trailer’s
jockey wheel is raised and locked.
Check the distribution of the load so that
the car and camper or trailer are well
balanced.
Check that the rearview mirrors provide
the best possible rearward vision.
Make sure the camper or trailer’s safety
cable is correctly attached.
WARNING
Utilize the braking effect of the engine
(1st, 2nd or 3rd gear) when you are
descending long or steep hills to spare
the brakes.
Brake failure can result from overheated
brakes!
NOTICEIf the ”Automatic transmission3, fault
indicator” indicator comes on, cease
towing until the problem has been recti-
fied.
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192 Car care and technical informationEngineThe 2.3-liter model is a transverse, 4-cylin-
der in-line engine with twin overhead cam-
shafts and 4 valves per cylinder.
This engine is equipped with balance shafts
that reduce engine vibration to a minimum.
The balance shafts are chain driven and
rotate at twice the speed of the crankshaft.
They produce forces and torques that are
opposed to those generated by the pistons
and connecting rods, an effect that occurs
twice for each revolution of the engine.
Engine noise is also reduced as the
counter-rotating shafts counteract the vibra-
tion from the moving parts of the engine.
The transmission, located on the right
(viewed from the front), is integrated with
the engine. All models have front-wheel
drive.
Engine oilChecking the oil level Check the engine-oil level regularly. This
should be done after the engine has been
run to normal temperature and then allowed
to cool for 2–5 minutes, with the car stand-
ing on level ground. Remove the dipstick
and wipe it clean before checking the level.The oil level must not be allowed to drop
below the MIN mark on the dipstick, nor
should oil be filled beyond the MAX mark, as
this can lead to excessive oil consumption.
The distance between the MIN and MAX
marks on the dipstick corresponds to a
volume of approximately 1.05 qts (1 liter).
When necessary, add oil of the recom-
mended grade via the dipstick tube.
Recommended oil grade, see page 260.
NOTICE Do not operate the engine with a low
oil level.
Change engine oil and oil filter as pre-
scribed in the service programme.
Only use the recommended oil type.
Follow the three points listed above to
avoid severe engine damage.
More frequent oil changes are recom-
mended if your vehicle is operated under
certain conditions, see page 252.
IB601
Balance shafts
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237 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 sup-
port 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 for-
ward 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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239 Car care and technical information
5 Clean any rust or dirt from the contact
surfaces between the wheel and brake
disc. Do not wipe away the grease in the
hub.
6 Fit the wheel and screw in the bolts in the
sequence shown (opposite pairs) - see
page 240.
Tighten the bolts enough for the bolts
and wheel to be seated correctly.7 Lower the car and tighten the wheel
bolts to the correct torque in the
sequence shown (opposite
pairs).Replace the wheel bolt caps.
Tightening torque
Light-alloy wheels: 80 ft.lbs. (110 Nm)
Steel wheels: 80 ft.lbs. (110 Nm).
Lubricate the wheel stud head with a
small amount of petroleum jelly or simi-
lar and reinstall the plastic covers on the
wheel studs. The petroleum jelly facilita-
tes removal.
NOTICE When refitting wheel covers (where
applicable), make sure that the valve
protrudes through the marked hole in
the wheel cover.
Do not overtighten the bolts using an
impact wrench: not only can this
damage the wheels but it can also
make it impossible to undo the bolts
using the wheel wrench in the car’s
toolkit.
Clean any rust or dirt from the contact sur-
faces between the wheel and brake disc
IB2428
Do not wipe away the grease in the hub.
IB4529
Removing the plastic wheel bolt caps95_US_MY09.book Page 239 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:03 AM
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240 Car care and technical information8 Check-tighten the wheel bolts after a few
miles.
Tightening torque
Light-alloy wheels: 80 ft.lbs. (110 Nm)
Steel wheels: 80 ft.lbs. (110 Nm)
Safety beltsRegularly check the function of the safety
belts as follows:
Hold the diagonal strap and pull it sharply.
The safety belt should lock and it should
not be possible to withdraw it further.
Check the anchorage points in the floor.
They must not have suffered rust damage.
There must be no frayed threads in the web-
bing.
Safety belts must not come into contact with
substances such as polishes, oils or other
chemicals. If the straps are dirty, wash them
with warm water and a detergent or have
them replaced.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected by a work-
shop. We recommend that you contact an
authorized Saab dealer.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself.
IB1800IB1800
Removing the wheel cover
IB539
Tightening sequence, wheel bolts
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260 SpecificationsEngine Fuel Engine oil
Engine variants
Electrical system
Brake system
4-cylinder ________________________ Four cylinders, twin
overhead cam-
shafts, 16 valves
and two balancer
shafts.
Cylinder bores _____________________ 3.54 in (90 mm)
Stroke ___________________________ 3.54 in (90 mm)
Swept volume _____________________ 139.7 cu.in
(2.290 litres)
Idling speed _______________________ 825 rpm (man.)
860 rpm (aut.)
Antifreeze_________________________ Saab-approved
antifreeze
Coolant capacity ___________________ 7.8 qts (7.4 litres)
Fuel-tank capacity __________________ 18.0 gal. (68 litres)
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or
higher.
Although not required, use higher octane fuel for optimum perfor-
mance - 93 octane.
Gasoline with a lower octane rating can be used, although not
lower than 87 octane. However, engine performance will fall
slightly and heavy loading and laboring should be avoided.
For further information on fuel, see page 148.Oil capacity incl. filter (on changing) _____ 4.1 qts (4.0 litres)
2.3 Turbo
Rating, SAE at 5000 rpm ____________ 260 hp (191 kW)
Maximum torque, SAE at 1900 rpm ____ 258.0 ft.lb.
(350 Nm)
Voltage ___________________________ 12 V
Battery capacity ____________________ 70 Ah
Footbrake (ABS) ____________________ Hydraulic, dual-
circuit brake sys-
tem. Diagonally
split circuit with vac-
uum servo unit.
Disc brakes front
and rear. EBD, see
page 160.
Parkingbrake _______________________ Acts on rear wheels
Brake fluid _________________________ DOT 4 95_US_MY09.book Page 260 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:03 AM
ProCarManuals.com
271 Index
Temperature gauge, engine
________ 66
Temperature zones, ACC
__________ 81
Textile carpeting
________________ 241
Through-load hatch ______________ 131
Tie Downs
_____________________ 131
Tightening torque, wheel studs
_____ 237
Time display
___________________ 106
Tip, driving at night
______________ 179
Tip, to avoid theft
_______________ 166
Tips, ACC
______________________ 86
Tire chains ____________________ 226
Tire date code __________________ 231
Tire direction of rotation
__________ 231
Tire inspection and rotation ________ 221
Tire markings
__________________ 228
Tire pressure ___________________ 180
Tire sidewall labeling
_____________ 227
Tire terminology and definitions
____ 229
Tire, compact spare
_____________ 235
Tires
_____________________ 220
, 261
Tires, winter
___________________ 261
Touching-in the paintwork
_________ 243
Towbar attachment
______________ 174
Towbar load
___________________ 178
Towing the car _________________ 181
Towing, automatics
______________ 181
Traffic programme ________________ 99
Trailer weights
__________________ 259
Treadwear indicators
____________ 222
Trionic
________________________ 190
Trip computer
___________________ 68
Trip meter
______________________ 64Trunk
_________________________ 129
Trunk lid, opening
________________ 47
Tuning
_________________________ 93
Turbo gauge
____________________ 67
Turbo, points to note
_____________ 144
UUnder the hood
_________________ 189
Uniform tire quality grading
________ 224
Upholstery and trim
______________ 241
Upholstery and trim, care of
_______ 241
VVanity mirrors
__________________ 125
Vehicle Data Collection
___________ 255
Ventilated front seats
_____________ 87
Viscosity, engine oil
______________ 260
WWarning labels
___________________ 7
Warning light, AIR BAG
____________ 37
Warning lights
___________________ 58
Washers
______________________ 200
Washers, windshield
_____________ 201
Washing the car
________________ 242
Waxing and polishing
____________ 243
Wear indicators, tires ____________ 222What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
_______________________ 38
Wheel replacement
______________ 225
Wheel, change
_________________ 237
Wheels and tires ________________ 261
Wheels and tires, sizes
___________ 261
When it is time for new tires
_______ 222
Windshield washers
______________ 77
Windshield wipers
________________ 77
Winter tires
________________ 231
, 261
Wiper blades, replacing
___________ 200
Wipers and washers
__________ 77
, 200
XXenon headlight
________________ 202
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