Saab 9-5 2.0t auto saloon 2001
Discussion
Lewis - nothing too bad there, just a few items that can and do need sorting on a lot of cars this age. Still costs money to sort though!
I'll have a look at the vacuum hoses tonight and see if there are any that are not connected, loose or damaged. If they all look OK then I'll check the plugs as the new ones should arrive today.
My suspicion is a vacuum hose as this is what Abbott found when I took it to them to book it in for the sump drop and they replaced one. Could be that the is another one or others than also now need replacing (the one they changed is still in place).
I'll have a look at the vacuum hoses tonight and see if there are any that are not connected, loose or damaged. If they all look OK then I'll check the plugs as the new ones should arrive today.
My suspicion is a vacuum hose as this is what Abbott found when I took it to them to book it in for the sump drop and they replaced one. Could be that the is another one or others than also now need replacing (the one they changed is still in place).
Thanks M1C. I'm new to Saabs but can see the appeal. The Aero is a great car and the price of them now makes them a bargain. I've been into BMW's in the past but it's getting harder find a good 6 cylinder E46 or E39 for less than £2k and the good ones are still circa £3k and have their own issues with rust, front suspension bushes and rear axle mounts to name a few.
With Saabs generally having strong reliability and being cheap tune I can see the appeal. Shame they don't still make them as in 5 years or so there won't be many good ones left!
With Saabs generally having strong reliability and being cheap tune I can see the appeal. Shame they don't still make them as in 5 years or so there won't be many good ones left!
SO got home from work and started investigating the problem with the car cutting out under high boost/throttle.
I checked all the vacuum lines and all seemed OK so I decided to change the plugs for the new ones. I did look at the Noobtune menu on the SID and it showed 0 misfires but thought I'd change the plugs anyway as I had new ones.
Changing the plugs was a very easy job and was relieved to see the DI cassette is in excellent condition so I suspect may have been replaced in the past. The plug gaps seemed rather large though and much more than the recommended 1.0mm so I checked the new plugs and fitted them.
I checked all the vacuum lines and all seemed OK so I decided to change the plugs for the new ones. I did look at the Noobtune menu on the SID and it showed 0 misfires but thought I'd change the plugs anyway as I had new ones.
Changing the plugs was a very easy job and was relieved to see the DI cassette is in excellent condition so I suspect may have been replaced in the past. The plug gaps seemed rather large though and much more than the recommended 1.0mm so I checked the new plugs and fitted them.
After changing the plugs I started the car but the engine management light was still on and a brief drive confirmed it was still cutting out under full throttle.
I need to use the car so I decided I would de-Noob the car and swap the original ECU in and see what happened. I am a dab hand at changing the ECU so after about 15mins the old ECU was back in place. I started the engine and the engine management light had gone out.
I went for a brief drive and the car was back to it's old self pre-Noob. I guess the extra boost is highlighting a weak point somewhere in the boost pipes or intercooler as there are no misfires logged and no vacuum pipes missing or damaged.
As I got close to home a message appeared on the SID saying check coolant level and as I pulled onto the drive I could smell burning - not good! I quickly shut off the engine and popped the bonnet but could already see pink coolant leaking from under the car. Somewhat disheartened I wondered what could have happened and what damage the extra boost had done. There was a little steam rising from the back of the engine near the bulkhead, to the right of where the long black intake pipe goes into the engine intake.
After the car had cooled a little I opened the expansion tank and poured in as much water as I could to see where it leaked out. By now it was dark so difficult to see with a torch, but eventually I heard a loud trickle sound and traced the leak to here.
It appears that when I was checking the vacuum pipes I may have been a little rough with the heater control valve (also known as coolant bypass valve) and it had cracked at the back causing coolant to escape and pour onto the hot exhaust. Frustrating, but at the same time a relief that it was nothing to do with the boost and no major damage.
I ordered a new heater control valve from GSF Car Parts as they have it in stock and I can collect it tomorrow. It cost just under £10 so luckily not expensive, although all the parts are starting to add up now.
The plan is to fit the new valve and refill the coolant tomorrow then see how the car runs on a longer journey with the original ECU still in place. Probably do a few laps of the village where I live in case there is a problem as I don't want to be far from home.
If it all runs OK I think I am going to leave the original ECU in place for now as the problems have only occurred with the new ECU in place. I don't think there is anything wrong with the new ECU but I do think it is putting more pressure on the boost pipes or other component that has a weakness and causes the hesitation, loss of power and engine management light under full throttle.
If the car runs fault free for a while and I feel the need for more power then I will try the new ECU again and budget for some new parts such as boost hoses and possibly even a new intercooler. Abbott Racing may be able to help but not sure how they would feel about sorting a problem with a modified ECU fitted that is not theirs plus the cost of tracing and rectifying it is not something I need after the expense of the last week or so.
I am pretty sure that with the original ECU in place, the new heater control valve fitted and the coolant refilled the car will run sweet again at the standard 150bhp - hopefully by this time tomorrow...
I need to use the car so I decided I would de-Noob the car and swap the original ECU in and see what happened. I am a dab hand at changing the ECU so after about 15mins the old ECU was back in place. I started the engine and the engine management light had gone out.
I went for a brief drive and the car was back to it's old self pre-Noob. I guess the extra boost is highlighting a weak point somewhere in the boost pipes or intercooler as there are no misfires logged and no vacuum pipes missing or damaged.
As I got close to home a message appeared on the SID saying check coolant level and as I pulled onto the drive I could smell burning - not good! I quickly shut off the engine and popped the bonnet but could already see pink coolant leaking from under the car. Somewhat disheartened I wondered what could have happened and what damage the extra boost had done. There was a little steam rising from the back of the engine near the bulkhead, to the right of where the long black intake pipe goes into the engine intake.
After the car had cooled a little I opened the expansion tank and poured in as much water as I could to see where it leaked out. By now it was dark so difficult to see with a torch, but eventually I heard a loud trickle sound and traced the leak to here.
It appears that when I was checking the vacuum pipes I may have been a little rough with the heater control valve (also known as coolant bypass valve) and it had cracked at the back causing coolant to escape and pour onto the hot exhaust. Frustrating, but at the same time a relief that it was nothing to do with the boost and no major damage.
I ordered a new heater control valve from GSF Car Parts as they have it in stock and I can collect it tomorrow. It cost just under £10 so luckily not expensive, although all the parts are starting to add up now.
The plan is to fit the new valve and refill the coolant tomorrow then see how the car runs on a longer journey with the original ECU still in place. Probably do a few laps of the village where I live in case there is a problem as I don't want to be far from home.
If it all runs OK I think I am going to leave the original ECU in place for now as the problems have only occurred with the new ECU in place. I don't think there is anything wrong with the new ECU but I do think it is putting more pressure on the boost pipes or other component that has a weakness and causes the hesitation, loss of power and engine management light under full throttle.
If the car runs fault free for a while and I feel the need for more power then I will try the new ECU again and budget for some new parts such as boost hoses and possibly even a new intercooler. Abbott Racing may be able to help but not sure how they would feel about sorting a problem with a modified ECU fitted that is not theirs plus the cost of tracing and rectifying it is not something I need after the expense of the last week or so.
I am pretty sure that with the original ECU in place, the new heater control valve fitted and the coolant refilled the car will run sweet again at the standard 150bhp - hopefully by this time tomorrow...
I don't think it's the plugs as there is no misfire with the standard ECU and the Noobtune ECU registered zero misfires so I think it is a boost or fuelling issue.
Tonight I got home with the new heater valve and 4 litres of coolant. I had already studied the many online guides on how to change it and other than a few awkward ring hose clips that were not the easiest to remove with pliers, it was a pretty straightforward to change.
Here's the old one that was snapped in two by the time I removed it next to the new one.
I bought some Prestone antifreeze/coolant and refilled the system and was pleased to see none leaked out and the new valve was working as it should.
I warmed the engine as part of the procedure for topping up the coolant and so took the Saab for a drive. It feels absolutely spot on and pulls well with smooth gear changes, boosting nicely on the turbo and no warnings on the dash or SID.
It's been quite a week, but I'm very happy that the sump is cleaned, the car has new fully synthetic oil and filter, new spark plugs and the car running smoothly.
Tonight I got home with the new heater valve and 4 litres of coolant. I had already studied the many online guides on how to change it and other than a few awkward ring hose clips that were not the easiest to remove with pliers, it was a pretty straightforward to change.
Here's the old one that was snapped in two by the time I removed it next to the new one.
I bought some Prestone antifreeze/coolant and refilled the system and was pleased to see none leaked out and the new valve was working as it should.
I warmed the engine as part of the procedure for topping up the coolant and so took the Saab for a drive. It feels absolutely spot on and pulls well with smooth gear changes, boosting nicely on the turbo and no warnings on the dash or SID.
It's been quite a week, but I'm very happy that the sump is cleaned, the car has new fully synthetic oil and filter, new spark plugs and the car running smoothly.
I’ve had 2 massive services in a row on mine. New clutch, sump drop, breathers, vacuum pipes, plugs and DI cassette; suspension refresh. Spent more on servicing over the past 2 years than the car is worth but it’s in nice condition mechanically and inside. No rust (2003 model) but a few scratches on the body from careless parking. I have a mate who does smart repairs so I’ll give it to him to tidy up.
Yesterday this thread made me do something I promised I wouldn’t - I bought a stage 1 Maptuner from Neo Bros. Another £470 but you only live once!
The car was supposed to be an old banger to use for the train station but I’ve slowly been restoring it at great expense and I like driving it as it’s comfy and has character. Only done 80k miles so plan to keep hold of it for a while.
Yesterday this thread made me do something I promised I wouldn’t - I bought a stage 1 Maptuner from Neo Bros. Another £470 but you only live once!
The car was supposed to be an old banger to use for the train station but I’ve slowly been restoring it at great expense and I like driving it as it’s comfy and has character. Only done 80k miles so plan to keep hold of it for a while.
I bought mine at 55k and it's up to 68k now, I think mine also needs a bit if a re fresh. I annoyingly have a wee spot of rust showing on the rear arch where it meets the bumper, thankfully no dents but does have some road rash. The interior seems to wear well, my A/C died in the summer which bothered me during the few hot days, but I am over it now.
The Saab is still running nicely. It feels very smooth and relaxing to drive and reminds me of why I bought it in the first place - to make my 25 mile each way commute more comfortable (and economical) that the Boxster.
Following your comments regarding air con - I haven't really checked mine. When I test drove the car when I bought it I did turn the temperature to the "Lo" setting and it came out cold so thought it must be working and turned it back up again. I don't remember if it was ice cold but I think it must have been pretty cold or I would have noticed it wasn't working. Also last week I set it to 21 and it felt pretty cold even at that setting so I guess all is well but will check it.
I completed the last job on my list for now - fitting new badges. The front badge was a little tough to remove as it was still well stuck on and I didn't want to be too rough and damage the paintwork but with a little gentle work with fishing line, a screwdriver and cloth to protect the paintwork I got it off and the new one fitted perfectly and the sticky backing feels pretty strong so hopefully it'll stay on.
Next was the rear badge. The fishing line came out again and this time the badge lifted easier with a cloth protected screwdriver to prise it off. Once off however I noticed the two pins were not spaced the same as the new badge - oh dear... Luckily there is a small hole in the back of the old badge that I was able to fit a small screwdriver into and push through the front of the old badge. I was then able to use a pair of small pliers to pull the emblem away from the silver backing plate. I then cleaned up the backing plate and re-attached it to the boot with a tiny amount of adhesive before sticking the sticky backed emblem from the new badge in place (the new badges come in two parts).
I'm not sure if the badges look perfectly straight in the pictures, but I have checked them several times on the car and they do appear to be perfectly straight honest! I think they look much better on the car than the old ones and compliment the black paintwork perfectly.
Following your comments regarding air con - I haven't really checked mine. When I test drove the car when I bought it I did turn the temperature to the "Lo" setting and it came out cold so thought it must be working and turned it back up again. I don't remember if it was ice cold but I think it must have been pretty cold or I would have noticed it wasn't working. Also last week I set it to 21 and it felt pretty cold even at that setting so I guess all is well but will check it.
I completed the last job on my list for now - fitting new badges. The front badge was a little tough to remove as it was still well stuck on and I didn't want to be too rough and damage the paintwork but with a little gentle work with fishing line, a screwdriver and cloth to protect the paintwork I got it off and the new one fitted perfectly and the sticky backing feels pretty strong so hopefully it'll stay on.
Next was the rear badge. The fishing line came out again and this time the badge lifted easier with a cloth protected screwdriver to prise it off. Once off however I noticed the two pins were not spaced the same as the new badge - oh dear... Luckily there is a small hole in the back of the old badge that I was able to fit a small screwdriver into and push through the front of the old badge. I was then able to use a pair of small pliers to pull the emblem away from the silver backing plate. I then cleaned up the backing plate and re-attached it to the boot with a tiny amount of adhesive before sticking the sticky backed emblem from the new badge in place (the new badges come in two parts).
I'm not sure if the badges look perfectly straight in the pictures, but I have checked them several times on the car and they do appear to be perfectly straight honest! I think they look much better on the car than the old ones and compliment the black paintwork perfectly.
I filled the car up with petrol today for the first time since the day I bought it. The petrol light came on (tut tut for running it so low) and the SID read that I had 50 miles of fuel left.
I brimmed the car until I could fit no more fuel in and it was just under 65 litres so considering the tank is I believe 70 litres was pretty low. I will remember that if the fuel light comes on to fill it pretty quickly so I don't completely run out, but ideally I don't like to run cars much below quarter of a tank.
I will reset the SID when I leave for work in the morning and see what sort of mileage I get on my commute. I estimate the Boxster does about 27MPG (it's a 2.7 engine) and would be happy to see 32 from the Saab but if it's a slow traffic day I'd settle for 30MPG. My commute is a few backroads then mostly the A120 and A12 dual carriageways so on a good run it might surprise me.
I brimmed the car until I could fit no more fuel in and it was just under 65 litres so considering the tank is I believe 70 litres was pretty low. I will remember that if the fuel light comes on to fill it pretty quickly so I don't completely run out, but ideally I don't like to run cars much below quarter of a tank.
I will reset the SID when I leave for work in the morning and see what sort of mileage I get on my commute. I estimate the Boxster does about 27MPG (it's a 2.7 engine) and would be happy to see 32 from the Saab but if it's a slow traffic day I'd settle for 30MPG. My commute is a few backroads then mostly the A120 and A12 dual carriageways so on a good run it might surprise me.
It was a pretty stop/start journey to work this morning as the A12 was congested. I was quite happy to see this figure after a journey like that.
I had to pop out at lunchtime for a 10 min each way journey that was into a village with a few junctions and 30 zones which reduced the economy.
A good journey home helped boost the MPG so my overall figure after about 60 miles was OK.
Hopefully I'll have a better journey to work in the morning and see the figure change to a number beginning with a 3... I won't reset it as I'm keen to see what it will do over the course of a week. Economy isn't my main priority with the car (I would've bought a smaller car or even a diesel if it was) but am interested to see what the real world economy is like. The Parkers Guide figure for a 2001 9-5 Arc 2.0t Auto is 27MPG.
A colleague came with me when I had to pop out at lunchtime (mid 50's, drives an `18 plate Audi A3) and he was impressed with the quality of the interior and smoothness of the drive. I guess the longer wheelbase and inch smaller rims compared to his A3 help with that.
The car feels more comfortable wafting about with the current ECU than it did trying to push higher boost and accelerate hard with the tuned ECU in place. I will see how I feel in the future but for now I'm very happy with the car as it sits now and it's perfect for my original aim - have a car than is comfortable for commuting through the winter but still looks smart and is practical.
I've noticed the heater warms up nice and quickly in the morning - was a little concerned it might be something to do with the car dumping it's coolant when the heater valve broke, but the level is still bang on where it should be and the temperature needle sits right in the middle of the gauge once the engine is warmed up so I guess it's an advantage of a car made in Sweden.
I had to pop out at lunchtime for a 10 min each way journey that was into a village with a few junctions and 30 zones which reduced the economy.
A good journey home helped boost the MPG so my overall figure after about 60 miles was OK.
Hopefully I'll have a better journey to work in the morning and see the figure change to a number beginning with a 3... I won't reset it as I'm keen to see what it will do over the course of a week. Economy isn't my main priority with the car (I would've bought a smaller car or even a diesel if it was) but am interested to see what the real world economy is like. The Parkers Guide figure for a 2001 9-5 Arc 2.0t Auto is 27MPG.
A colleague came with me when I had to pop out at lunchtime (mid 50's, drives an `18 plate Audi A3) and he was impressed with the quality of the interior and smoothness of the drive. I guess the longer wheelbase and inch smaller rims compared to his A3 help with that.
The car feels more comfortable wafting about with the current ECU than it did trying to push higher boost and accelerate hard with the tuned ECU in place. I will see how I feel in the future but for now I'm very happy with the car as it sits now and it's perfect for my original aim - have a car than is comfortable for commuting through the winter but still looks smart and is practical.
I've noticed the heater warms up nice and quickly in the morning - was a little concerned it might be something to do with the car dumping it's coolant when the heater valve broke, but the level is still bang on where it should be and the temperature needle sits right in the middle of the gauge once the engine is warmed up so I guess it's an advantage of a car made in Sweden.
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