'00 9-3 se dies when accelerating

[saabstorygirl]

hi everyone! i'm a new saab owner and boy has it been a lot of work! i paid $600 for this car so i knew it had problems, i just didnt know how many! ok so to start it ran GREAT, however, i found a leak in radiator so i replaced it. no biggie, right? well, wrong. after having the car torn apart for a couple days i finally called my mechanic to help. he got radiator in and i changed oil and filter. i was so excited to drive my convertible! i jumped behind the wheel and hit the gas. lo and behold it dies. i pulled off road and tried to start it having no luck. it would crank but not start. thinking maybe it was out of gas or had some bad gas i filled her with some higher octane fuel and some sea foam. she started right up then. wootwoot right? wrong. she starts up fine, she reverses fine she idles fine, but you hit the gas and she dies. obd2 reader gave me p1312 and p1300. i thought it might be the turbo but from what ive read on here the symptoms are not the same. i would love any help please. oh and now the battery keeps draining too. maybe something was missed when replaced radiator? thanks

[geoff 9-3]

Have you got ngk spark plugs fitted?

Saab’s need the correct spark plugs if the wrong spark plugs are fitted the ecu might be detecting a lot of knocks and it will stop the engine from running.

[saabstorygirl]

ok update! i replaced coil pack and spark plugs. old pack had a crack and plugs were obviously the originals. made sure to get the ngk plugs and they were gapped to 1.0 mm like the manual says. well, the car overall runs better but i still have a problem when i hit the gas hard. i can accelerate at a normal rate but if i hit the gas hard she just dies. im thinking vac leak maybe? what do you think?

[geoff 9-3]

Yes could be a vacuum leak. Can you check for any error codes?

[Digger]

You are putting a convertible old enough to be considered collectible in most states into daily driver service after who knows how many winters of sitting unused. 20 year vehicle has as good a chance of having a stuck valve creating a vacuum in the fuel system as old rubber hoses creating a vacuum leak and there is a very good chance that a 20 year old car could have a 20 year old fuel filter restricting fuel flow.

[saabstorygirl]

ok parts replaced 1) fuel filter 2)radiator 3)spark plugs 4)ignition coil 5)oil filter 6)switched over to full synthetic oil
i have checked and tighten any and all hoses and plugs. during this inspection i found a few things that kinda worry me. around power steering fluid reservoir it is very fluid-y i think around hose. maybe, i hope. then right infront of coil pack there is something that looks like oil all over it. i found a hose not attached to anything. i'm going to try to get some pics to load. the codes that i get are different every time. seems like p1300 is the constant one and i get different noncontinual monitor sensors. once i got nine of them, next time...nothing. very confusing

[saabstorygirl]

also, exactly which ngk plugs do i need? there were so many options i'm not sure if i got the right ones

[geoff 9-3]

P1300 is indicative of a random misfire.

[Saabastian]

A car dying on acceleration smacks of fuel system to me... so check fuel itself, in case you picked up some bad fuel somewhere, or you have 80 year old fuel in the tank.... (or water) so if you can, drain the tank and add some injector cleaner and fresh fuel (95 or 98) ... change the fuel filter and do a fuel pressure check. Of course, vacuum leaks are a possibility too.

Usually electrical issues are instant, fuel and vacuum issues are more progressive loss of power/drive..... so if you accelerate and the car begins to hold back or the power 'wavers'.... it is generally a fuel pressure/delivery issue... if you are accellerating and the power just stops instantly, it is generally an electrical shutdown (or the fuel pump stopping completely)

I have also seen the screen on the in tank fuel pump clogged up from grott in the tank and sitting a long time... then when the fuel pump sucks hard (when accelerating hard) it sucks the screen against the pump inlet... so, maybe a look at the fuel pump and screen will have to occur at some stage? A fuel pressure test will go half way to finding out.

Something to remember too, if you add stuff like seafoam, it often 'cleans' the inside of the tank... so the junk that was on the inside walls of the tank fall off and end up in the bottom of the tank... which gravitates to the filter sock on the pump... if it gets through the sock and pump, it will end in the filter..

I would takeoff the fuel line at the injector rail, put a length of hose on it into a drum or gas can and run the fuel pump and see if the stream of gas is steady and solid, or spluttering and irregular.