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3K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  kez 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

Im a newbie to the site/ forum and thought i would join to see if i could get any advice or more knowledge on my 2008 Saab 9-3. Be prepared it is a long post (i hope this doesnt put you off reading, i could really do with some help/advice/knowedge on saabs right now) Your time would be much appreciated :p

I have my Saab almost 4 years now, and like any car i am sure the older it gets the more problems i will run into. However, im having the same problem with my Saab for possibly over a year now and cannot find one good mechanic, or saab dealer that can solve this problem. Bear in mind i live in Ireland and there is literally one saab dealership here and an hours drive from me.

Any advice/knowledge/own experiences would be very much appreciated. Please excuse the book i am about to write, it will just give you a better idea of the numerous problems/lights etc. :)

So basically a year ago i was driving home from work and stopped to get some diesel. I pulled off and about after 5 mile my car literally stopped dead, mid motorway on the spot, i was able to free wheel onto side of motorway. Initially, i assumed there was a chance i put petrol in it rather than diesel, so once i got my dad (luckily enough drives a recovery lorry) to pick both me and car up i went back to fuel station and he confirmed (via cctv) i definitely put diesel in it. Once we got it back to my dads yard, by chance he started it and it was able to drive fine. Drove it for several miles and no problems, until i got into it and got 5 mins on my journey home and same thing happened. So my dad having experience with cars immediately thought 'dirt in fuel filter'. He replaced this fuel filter himself and this did not fix the problem. Injectors were tested- all fine, changed sensors, didnt fix any of the problems so made the journey to the saab dealership. They advised this was the ecu. I obtained a second hand ecu from a well reputable saab company in the UK (the ecu was tried and tested and all was fine) and got the saab dealership to fit ECU. Although second hand, this still ended up costing me a fortune, between testing injectors, sensors and fitting the ecu. I was glad to eventually get it back in good working order. When i got it back the Water in Fuel warning came up in dash, however i put this down to no big deal, as my dad had drained the diesel out of the car (incase it was dirty diesel) and it obviously picked up a bit of water. Didnt affect the drive and no issues. Just mentioning this incase it is now playing a part in my problems. Upon collection, the man that owns the saab dealership did say, that they thought 'they lost the car' when fitting the ecu.

Thats one issue out of the way. Now for the next (again apologies for the 500 paged book)

Before any of the above issues, my abs light, stability control failure and traction control failure had been on for a long period of time. The saab dealership mentioned that it needed a new abs sensor and that i get it by purchasing a wheel bearing, i was shocked to hear this as i had a wheel bearing placed on my drivers side from my local mechanic not even 6 months before this. This was a brand new wheel bearing from our local parts shop. He advised that i would just need the sensor however need to buy the wheel bearing to get the sensor. So i purchased another wheel bearing and left with my local mechanic again to fix it last month. Felt great getting into my car with not one light on the dash, not one beep when the car turned on, as i was so used to this for almost a year. Working great, driving great, however when breaking or coming to a stop, i felt as if it was still continuing to skid, the breaking system was never the best but i was just used to this, however i expected it to be a lot better now since the abs and stability control and all was fixed. By 'fixed' i mean putting on the new abs sensor. I put it down to maybe wear and tear on the wheels and got new tyres on the car, however i am still having this issue, if i break even in the slightest, the break peddle 'tipples' and skids, it is an absolute hazard, however still no lights on the dash. I explained the problem to the tyre shop and the man did make a remark, 'did your mechanic actually fix it or did he take the abs bulb out of it because it sounds like the abs'. This made me question the mechanic as, as well as the wheel bearing he also serviced the car, fuel filters, lights etc etc, but even know the water in fuel warning light is still coming up on dash, surely if he changed my fuel filter this should automatically come off right?? I am not very knowledgeable about cars and will openly admit i am a bit gullible and dont question things, bearing in mind I'm a 25 year old girl, is there a way i can check if this was actually fixed? I must also mention, the car had received new brake discs and new brake pads when the first wheel bearing was originally being fitted in.

About a week in, i was driving a long journey with work (80kms) and about 50 mins into the drive the stability control light came on and the limited performance warning light popped on and it went into limp mode. I switched the car off and on and it immediately fixed this problem. Got to my destination, was there for approx 4 hours and on my journey home, about 20mins into the drive it happened again, similarly switched engine off and on, and fixed problem. I text my mechanic to book it in and there was a 10 days wait time. Within the 10 days i continued to drive the car, the limited performance wasnt an issue and never happened again, however, the stability control warning, (just the stability warning light, no abs or traction control failure) would pop up after about driving the car for about 20mins. When starting the Car, it would be fine, it would just pop up after driving the car after certain periods of time, but again if i switched engine off and on it would go off for a while and then pop up again. I must also mention, i found the car very hard to start in the mornings, it would 'chuck' for a good few seconds before actually starting, i put this down to the battery and got my dad to take a battery down from his yard and replace it at my house, as i knew it was an easy enough job to do. It did help.

Now within the 2 past weeks, my engine management light is permanently on, my car really debates whether to start or not, and when it does start the smoke that comes from the exhaust is colossal, the diesel is clean and i get it from the same fuel company all the time. When i start the car i only have to drive it for a shorter period of time and the stability control failure pops up, but on top of this, what was originally an odd occasion but happening more frequently over the last few days, the traction control failure (no abs) will pop up and the cars power will immediately die down, its as if its in limp mode, however the limited performance light doesnt pop up. The car will not pass 50mph and would barely make it up a hill. My dad loosened disconnected the battery and reconnected it to see if it would 'reset' it in some way, and when i restarted it all the lights where off. However the next day it happened again, traction control failure, and no power. If i turn off the engine and restart, the problem is still there, when it is in this 'mode' the car will rev on its own, there is a louder noise coming from engine, and even if i do drive it in this mode, there is times that it may pick up speed, and feel like its on cruise control (it isnt, my cruise control does not work since ECU replacement) , if i take my foot of the peddle, the car will continue to drive.

My mechanic advised he isnt very good with the electronics of cars and his computer will not pick up or read the engine light , however he 'suspected i had a problem with my swirl flaps on my inlet manifold or the motor that controls it', i have it booked in with saab for there computer to read and possibly pick up what is the actual problem, however, as im sure you might have gathered i am at my witts end going back and forth to mechanics and saab dealerships and wanted to see if any of you fellow saab users, have any idea, or any similar experiences or can even diagnose what my problem is.

Regarding the stability control light still popping up even though 'abs system was fixed' my mechanic advised that his computer was able to pick this up and it read that it was ' my yaw rate sensor inside my car at the handbrake'.

Once i get this fixed i will probably sell this car as it has cost me more money than one can imagine in the last year, i will be glad to see the back of it, but need to get it working properly in order to sell.

There is 160,000 miles on it, 1 previous owner, timing belt and all has been changed.

Has anybody, any knowledge, advice, experience, any idea at all what would be causing this problem, what areas i should be looking at?? Again, apologies for the 500 paged book, i hope it hasnt put you off reading the whole post, i felt as if i needed to get the whole history of the car in :L


Thanks again :)
Caoimhe

Oh 1 last thing, (just incase this is playing a part in issue) mechanic advised me my flywheel was going to go and my release bearing eventually, that i would eventually need a new clutch system etc.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
You seem to have a car with a complete set of problems but I will try and help sort through them.....

Firstly your ABS/TCS angle sensor problems are most likely due to a faulty CIM module which is basically below the steering wheel. The angle/yaw sensor is small module within that part and either needs recalibrating or replacing. The fact you have other symptoms likely mean a full replacement will probably be necessary. A Tech2 is required to calibrate but I suspect if you do get the car hooked there will be a number of CIM module errors that show up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFfhYptL6U

[url]http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311281


http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162129
[/URL]
It is rare for ABS wheel sensors to fail but much more common for a wiring fault....I assume who ever repaired your car did check out the wiring first?
It is possible to have the CIM module repaired(ie you remove it and send away) and some vendors advertise on Ebay.
You can also purchase the parts from a breaker or somewhere like Neobrothers (again Ebay)but you will need access to a Tech2 to pair to the car.
The CIM module also handles the key security coding so if you buy a 2nd hand CIM it needs to come with its paired key(s)

You have the Z19DTH engine (fitted to Vauxhalls,Saabs,Fiats etc) and they suffer from sludged up inlet manifolds.
The swirflaps in the manifold can stick and throw the control bar...there are cheap fixes but again depending on how bad the inlet is the fix could be costly (new manifold and actuator).This is something you can check -if the swirl bar has come away or the actuator has come away then this will cause the limp mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=minIa_3_CRQ

The water in fuel error message is not that important and is usually caused by someone bodging or not fitting the sensor correctly on the filter when changing it...often its a broken wire.

As to the flywheel and clutch well........thats another story.

I hate to say it but the triple whammy of potential CIM replacement,Inlet manifold and Clutch DMF you could spend a lot more than the car is worth.

If you can get the list of error codes than I'm sure we can try and help some more.

Good luck!
 
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