Crank, No Start...

[chadwick110]

This is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down...


I bought a 2002 9-5 2.3t Linear 15 days ago.

All was well, until last Thursday night. I spent the evening and night hours replacing the cassette/CD/radio factory head unit with a JVC CD Receiver. I've replaced radios before. I understand the wiring, harnesses, and spent hours reading and re-reading the stellar tutorial from Frank. Admittedly, installing the radio at night wasn't a good decision as I needed the vehicle lights on to see what I was doing. As it were, after having everything installed, I started the engine and began fiddling with the programming on the JVC. After about 20 minutes of the engine running, the engine idled lowly, then died before I could get to the accelerator. I tried to restart it, but it wouldn't go.

The next day, I couldn't start it without a jump from my neighbor's Chevy Silverado. When initially jumped, I left it running in the driveway for about 20 minutes to charge the battery. All was well. 4 hours later, I took the car to the grocery store (6 miles away), went inside for about 10 minutes, came back out, and it wouldn't start. It also wouldn't take a jump from a kind stranger in the parking lot. I had to abandon it there and get a ride home. I came back 2 hours later, expecting to have to jump it, but instead when I turned the key, it started up.

Then I drove to the auto parts store and asked if they could test the battery for me. They obliged, and the battery came back with the message of Good-Needs Charging. The Alternator was diagnosed as well, and was putting out 550 amps (a shade low). During the battery load test, the vehicle idled slow and died. It wouldn't restart, but did upon getting jumped.

**Sorry for all the detail here, but I'm giving all the information I have in hopes that somebody recognizes something I may have missed and can offer a solution I haven't yet considered.****

I was able to get it home (6 miles) and began learning all I could on internet forums and youtube about possible electrical/charging issues. I blamed myself for changing the radio in darkness, and draining the battery.

Using a mutlimeter, I checked the voltage at the battery without the key (12.4-12.9V), voltage at the battery while running (13.1-13.8V), and amp drain across the negative battery terminal and negative battery wire (100 milliamps). Since the amp drain was the only thing I found that was concerning, I began pulling fuses with the ammeter tied in series and observed that the only fuse that had an effect on the 100 milliamp reading was the Engine Management System fuse in the driver's side fuse box. More research lead me to deduce that the 100mA wasn't excessive for the onboard computer, though I understand anything over 50mA should be investigated.

Throughout all of this, I was able to crank the car, get the engine to turn over, but couldn't get it to fire/start. Each time, the lights come on at full brightness, all internal electronics come on, and no Check Engine Light is present.

Deciding that, despite my draining the battery during radio installation, the problem wasn't electrical, I moved on to fuel.

I lifted the back seat, removed the fuel pump cover and listened for it engaging during key turn. It did. I then used a fuel pressure gauge and tested the fuel pressure at rest (0 psi), with key turned to ON (42 psi) and with key turned to ignition (48 psi) using the test inlet on the fuel rail. Seemed to me that the fuel pump was doing its job.

I moved to fuel filter, and without a way to test whether mine was good or not, I changed it out with a new one. Still not able to start the vehicle.

The last measure I hoped would make an impact was changing the Crankshaft Position Sensor. I picked up a new one. Then I began a profane series of curses as I tried to find the right way to get the TORX bit on my ratchet to stay in the bolt head while I turned the handle. No such luck. I unplugged the blue plug on the other end of the Crankshaft Position Sensor overnight for no reason other than thinking it would look like I was making progress.

Then this morning, I tried again to remove the TORX screw holding in the CPS. The only thing I managed to remove was the remaining skin on my knuckles... I hooked the blue plug back in, and decided to give it a shot. The engine started!

Not sure why. I didn't do anything to 'fix' it. I was able to turn the car on and off about 5 times during the day. I even tempted fate and drove it to the same grocery store in which it died 4 days ago. It started up when I headed home. Then, when idling slowly through the gas station parking lot, the engine stopped while I was moving, albeit slowly. I put the car in park, turned the key again, and it started up. I made it home (6 mile trip).

About an hour later, I turned the key and started the car again in my driveway. I was ready to believe that my prayers were answered!

Then, 6 hours later, I went back to the car, turned the key, and was met again with the crank, no start proposition I've grown to despise!!!

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong here? Will replacing the CPS actually solve my problem once I can figure out how to get the TORX screw out? Is it something else entirely?

I'm disgusted that I'm having to sink time and money into a car that is only 2 weeks old to me...

Please help.

[chadwick110]

Also, the car has new spark plugs (I pulled them and they look sooty, but not greasy) and a new air filter.

Spark + Air + Fuel = Go!

[nordwulf]

Then, 6 hours later, I went back to the car, turned the key, and was met again with the crank, no start proposition I've grown to despise!!!

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong here? Will replacing the CPS actually solve my problem once I can figure out how to get the TORX screw out? Is it something else entirely?

Was the battery drained again after the 6 hours?

Perhaps the wiring to the CPS is faulty or corrosion inside the connector? Jiggle it or disconnect/connect again and see what happens.

[chadwick110]

Thank you, Frank. Any response is a relief.

No, battery is fine. Still charged, and 12.5V reading on rest.

I tried the disconnect/jiggle approach, and no dice.

Once I figure out how to get that dammm screw out, I'll be replacing it. Any tips on that? Can I remove the plugged in thing (not sure what it is) that's in the way on the downpipe? What is that? I think I could get a better look at the TORX screw if I had that thing out of my way.

[nordwulf]

I never replaced a CPS before so I am not much help. Perhaps the instructions from the WIS may help? http://saabworld.net/f29/saab-9-5-cr...ensor-cps-648/

[walawala]

Here are some pictures in fixmysaab.
FixMySaab: 9-5 Crank Shaft Position Sensor - Introduction

Believe the plugged in thing you're referring to is the O2 sensor.

[chadwick110]

Thank you both. I had seen both of those instructions. They fail to mention though just how dammed difficult it is to get to the torx screw that holds the heat shield and CPS in place. Reason for difficulty is that the screw is hard to see, and the down pipe from the engine to the exhaust is in the way of most tools being able to get perpendicular to the screw. I eventually got it out with a small ratchet that has bits that go through it. Don't know what it's called, but it worked (with my wife's little hands rather than mine maneuvering the torx 30 bit into the screw head.

I was finally able to do change the Crankshaft Position Sensor and on the first turn of the key, the engine started. I was relieved, but not optimistic yet. I let the car idle for about 15 minutes, and then took it for a 5 minute drive. No slow idle problems, no issues at all. I parked it, then came back an hour later and restarted it with ease! So, I drove it 30 miles, parked, and 6 hours later, drove it home those same 30 miles!!

I am thrilled, and hopeful that I'd found and solved the issue.

Should my issue reappear, I'll surely update this thread. But, for now, it seems that my depleting the battery revealed an issue with the Crankshaft Positioning Sensor. Whether it was bad before, or I broke it, I'll never know. Either way, I'm grateful that those before me had been so detailed in their experiences that I was led to the recognition that my CPS was bad. Otherwise, I would have been chasing my tail and throwing more money at the problem before ever getting around to accusing the CPS of causing my nightmare!

I'm hoping that the thoroughness of this thread will lead others to investigate the CPS if they're experiencing the same thing I did. I am still curious as to why my car wouldn't start even when 'cold.' It seemed that the consensus was that the CPS should only affect trying to start a car in which the engine was recently run.

Again, I'm not entirely sure that I've fixed the problem, but hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here on out.

Thanks to all the contributors for helping me. And, yes, walawala, the plugged thing is the O2 sensor. I wasn't able to break it free, so I had to work around it. For the future, I think removing the down pipe would be the easiest way to gain access to the CPS screw.

[chadwick110]

She started right up again this morning!