Just Bought a 2002 9-5 - Needs some TLC - Trouble Starting

[Sherbert]

Hey folks I just picked up a 2002 9-5 today and I drove it home over the course of 2 and a half hours. It's a great machine and I'm very happy so far except the car does need a little bit of work. First thing first is that the car has issues starting occasionally. The previous owner hadn't really driven the car for the past 8 months but he said he would have to move it almost every week on his street and that the car would start up fine sometimes but other times it would refuse to start and he'd have to wait a while and try again. Here's what happens:

• Car cranks fine
• Tach moves but barely when cranking

I did some googling and I believe it's the Crank Position Sensor so I'm going to replace that. However we did manage to get the car running after about half an hour of trying it and waiting and it worked after I shifted through all the gears twice and rocked the car back and forth a bit with my foot out the door so I thought it was the NSS but I guess the NSS doesn't allow the car to even crank if it's not working? After driving it home and finally shutting it off after almost 3 hours I let it rest for a few minutes and tried starting it again and it fired right up! I let it sit for over an hour and it fired right up again. The battery had been dead and we jumped it but it was cranking strongly for a while and still not starting so I'm not convinced it's the battery.

The car has 150k miles on it but the engine has been replaced twice now and the current engine only has 50k miles on it so far.

Some other vital issues:

• The ABS, Alarm (red triangle '!' sign,) and Traction Control lights are all on while driving. All the gauges work fine including the speedo so I guess it's not the ABS module failing? I've done some googling on this issue and discovered that's usually the ABS module gone bad but when it goes bad the speedo stops working too so any ideas?
• Dash trim is peeling and cracked. I've looked around on Ebay and there's several 'custom' places to get it done but they're all upwards of $100+ and I'm not fond of the wood grain and wouldn't mind just a basic vinyl trim although I could go for a stock trim as well if the price is right. Any places to go for some? Ebay only had a place selling kits for a 9-3.
• It's an automatic and when changing to from park to drive and reverse it's a little hesitant at times and then 'clunks' rather strongly when finally engaging. The transmission fluid level is fine. Hopefully it's not going bad?
• I heard about the 'blue smoke' issue and the car did indeed give a puff of smoke (white though) when it finally fired up and the smell was really rich but I believe that was more from minor engine flooding from the repeated attempts to start it than an issue.
• Minor clunking when at low speeds on the passenger side and I believe it's a CV joint.
• Car and steering wheel vibrate a little bit when braking so I may need to get the brakes looked at as well.

I'm going to post some pictures of it soon - it's dark now but I washed it and besides some minor body work the car is in great shape! I've always been curious about Saab and now I've got one and loving it!

[Sherbert]

Update! So I got some photos taken but I've got a few other concerns now that I've got a closer look under the hood and looked up some info on the site here. I was planning on changing the oil and flushing the coolant but I want to check for the dreaded sludge first and clean all that out while I'm at it. Then I saw there's a PCV #6 kit so I was going to order than and do everything all at once. I was looking under the hood though and it seems that this engine may already have had that procedure done and someone also modified some of the vacuum hoses. Here are some pics:





Here someone took the vacuum hose coming out of the throttle body at the point marked with the arrow and plugged up its hose with a screw as indicated in the circle. I looked up some info and browsed through it and I guess this is part of a procedure to increase the turbo response? Also shouldn't there be some hose or fitting on that section sticking out of the intake where the red circular tab is? Also it's pretty grimy and I'm planning on degreasing the engine compartment and seeing if I can narrow down where the oil is coming from.



And here's the problem lights when the car is running. Any ideas?

[Sherbert]

Alright so it's a little slow around here I see but going to post an update anyway. So I pulled the oil pan yesterday and there was a tiny bit of grime but for the most part it was very clean. The filter grate was near spotless! The oil hadn't been changed in a while it seems but I'm glad I pulled the pan just for my peace of mind. Also the car has yet to fail to start on me so I'm guessing the issue was indeed the battery and not the Crank Position Sensor. I still haven't found a dash replacement vinyl so if anyone has any leads on where to find a reasonably priced one let me know.

The previous owner abused the stock rims a bit on the passenger side. Thinking about trying to get them repaired but I'm also looking at potentially getting some aftermarket rims. Any suggestions? I heard these cars are super picky about new rims and can throw off the ABS system. Speaking of the ABS system I haven't gotten any leads so far regarding my disco dash lights. I need to still find a place to test to see if the ABS is functioning (highly doubt it) but I don't want to have to send my ABS module if there's no actual issue with it and it's a ground or something instead.

Oh! Some pics!

[walawala]

Congrats on your purchase!

Let me try to answer some of your questions.

The hose with a screw looks like it's supposed to be connected to heater bypass control valve. Don't think it does anything to the turbo. If you're talking about the bolt mod it's actually closer to the air intake pipes.

The red circular tab is not connected to anything on automatic transmission cars.

des

[nordwulf]

Hello and welcome!

The choices for dash panels are wood (Arc and Linear models), silver/aluminum (Aero) and a carbon fibre dash that was optional for the Aero. There is no basic plain dash in the US but basic black dash panels were available in Europe. If you don't like wood, the next best choice is the silver dash but they are a bit hard to find. Some have wrapped their dash panels in carbon fiber vinyl but that requires some skill and patience. This thread shows pictures of dash panels that were available for the 9-5: http://saabworld.net/f9/show-your-saab-9-5-dash-2218/

The clunking in the automatic transmission is common on older 9-5 and probably has to do with a solenoid valve in the transmission. Unless the clunking is really bad, it shouldn't be a problem. I am not sure what's involved in fixing it and replacing the valve. If the transmission fluid hasn't been chnaged recently, that's a good place to start. http://saabworld.net/f29/saab-9-5-au...2-3t-2-3t-474/

Your 9-5 Linear has the 2.3t engine with a Garrett turbo. When the seals inside the turbo start to go bad, you will see a puff of blue smoke at startup when the car has been sitting for a while, usually overnight. It wouldn't cause instant failure but the turbo needs to be replaced when that happens. You mentioned it was a puff of white smoke after it had been sitting for a long time so I wouldn't worry about that. These turbos often need to be replaced after 100K miles.

Did you or someone else scan with an OBD2 reader to see if there are any codes for the dash lights?

Tirerack often is a good place for aftermarket rims. As long as the sizing is close to factory specs and they show it is compatible with the 9-5, there shouldn't be any issues with the ABS system. Original Saab wheels can often be found on eBay and some used ones in nice condition is another option. Wheels from the 9-3 should fit as well. Bolt pattern is 5x110 and factory offset for the 9-5 wheels is 49mm.

Great looking 9-5, looks like it is in nice shape.

[silver2u]

First thing first is that the car has issues starting occasionally. The previous owner hadn't really driven the car for the past 8 months but he said he would have to move it almost every week on his street and that the car would start up fine sometimes but other times it would refuse to start and he'd have to wait a while and try again. Here's what happens:

• Car cranks fine
• Tach moves but barely when cranking

I did some googling and I believe it's the Crank Position Sensor so I'm going to replace that. However we did manage to get the car running after about half an hour of trying it and waiting and it worked after I shifted through all the gears twice and rocked the car back and forth a bit with my foot out the door so I thought it was the NSS but I guess the NSS doesn't allow the car to even crank if it's not working?

it could be the crank position sensor (can cause intermittent problems like you describe, but iirc it is more likely to produce errors when the engine is hot), but another likely problem is the DIC if it is on its way out and hasnt completely failed yet (usual DIC lifetime = 10 yrs or 50.000 miles). my DIC gave similar problems intermittently before it eventually failed completely a few months later.

since you only just got the car, and it is an easy and quick inspection, it is worth checking the DIC and seeing if it has any suspect electrical odor (once removed) or maybe a leaking plug cover. also look for the manufacturing date (there is a sticker with the manufacturing yr on the underside of the DIC, to decipher the code there are other posts on this forum) . be aware that if you had the DIC upside down for a few minutes while inspecting it, to let it rest "right way up" for 10 min or so before starting the engine (information available on this forum). since you have been told the engine has been replaced before, you have no indication of the age or condition of the DIC you currently have. it is also worthwhile inspecting the spark plugs and checking all 4 look ok for normal wear (no oil or excessive fouling), and it is inexpensive to replace them as part of your initial servicing you are currently doing anyway.