So I was driving home tonight.....

Jimdagym

...and the car went a bit mad.
Saab 9-5 2.0t (2001). From when I got into it the aircon was very warm on LO. Very, very warm. Thepassenger side was blowing cool but all the other vents were hot at all temp settings. I had it regassed recently so its not tha. This was boiling. About 10 minutes into the journey the yellow engine light came on. I tipped away coming home as I had no other options. The car appears fine, revs quickly and pulls grand. Just the air was boiling. When i got home the housing of the rear seat vents at the centre console was hot to touch. ALso, once I was in the driveway I knocked off the engine for 30 seconds then restarted it which it did no bother at all.
So does anyone want to take a guess at what might be wrong? Is the engine warning light possibly related?

Cheers.

bazz26

Could be one or more of a number of things. Low on coolant, a leak in the radiator or a faulty thermostat. Could be something else, you really need to have it looked at.

I'd defo have a peak at the coolant level anyway.

biko

Get the codes read for the engine light. A low level coolant usually manifest in that there is no heat in vents at all (no fluid to transport heat to matrix).
Anything is possible though and checking the level would be first port of call, costs nothing to look.

If you fill the coolant, try doing it while parked nose up in a sharp incline and give the hoses leading to and from the radiator a squeeze.
This will "burp" any air bubbles out of the system.

The air con issue is more than likely just that, not trivialising it as it might be a dash out job, it wouldn't bring on the engine light though I think.

September1

First low hanging fruit would be to check cabin air filter, if it is stuffed it can confuse climate systems.

Propably one of electric motors that operate climatronic has failed and is no longer closing/opening paths properly.

Jimdagym

Thanks for the replies folks.
First thing this morning I checked the oil and coolant levels and they haven't budged. I have been checking them weekly anyway. The car starts fined and sounds fine, no smoke from the exhaust so I am stumped.
I'll get it checked anyway, no bother but I was wondering if it rang any bells.

dharn

probably what changes the interior temperature setting is gone faulty, so the car is just turning up the heat to full blast, most likely some electronic controller, just guessing as i know nothing about saabs and what they use to change temp setting in a car

v240gltse

hi

have a look here and more info on the saab owners site here

hope this helps

brendan

Start the car, then press "AUTO" and "OFF" at the same time. What does the A/C panel show?

Edit: Beaten by a Volvo guy, damn it :-)

Jimdagym

On the subject, would anyone happen to know somewhere around Balbriggan / North county DUblin where I can get the codes read? The chicken in me does not want to drive the car far at all.


Also, I ran the car in idle untill it came up to temp and checked the oil and it had dropped right down. Probably took a pint or so to bring it back up. And I can hear a "flapping" noise under the bonnet that might possibly kinda could be connected to the grooved belt. It definately speeds up with the revs.

I appreciate how impossible it is to help me with my vague descriptions :pac:
Getting the codes read is my aim at the minute.

Jimdagym

samih wrote: »

Start the car, then press "AUTO" and "OFF" at the same time. What does the A/C panel show?

Edit: Beaten by a Volvo guy, damn it :-)

Thanks for that. Panel shows a 0 so that seems ok.

v240gltse

hi

AFAIK only check oil levels with the engine COLD ( ie in the morning after the car standing over night ) as you risk over filling the engine .

In a heated engine the heated oil gets pumped throughout the engine and fills in all those nice oil paths and as a result there will be some drop in the level .

Most manufacturers recommend checking the level when the engine is cold.

so please check you levels in the morning and if too high do not drive it until you have siphoned or drained of the surplus as you could risk other problems.

have you had a look at the links i sent you as the problems you are having are directly related to the internal flap problem with Saabs ?.

can you try and locate this flappy noise more accurately ?

regards

brendan

Jimdagym

Thanks for the reply Brendan.
Saab recommend bringing a car to running temp, then letting stand for 2-5 mins to check the oil. It's in my handbook.

I got an OBD reader and pulled the code p1110 off it. From googling, it's a turbo bypass valve most likely, or perished vacuum hoses. So hopefully not too bad a fix. I cleared the code anyway.
I have to drive to work tomorrow so I am interested to see if it comes back.
I'll keep here updated further!
Thanks again guys.
Jim

v240gltse

hi jim

ok it looks like you have 2 issues

1. the heater issue which i've spoken about

2 relating to the code you retrieved it may well be linked to the fluttering noise you heard in the engine bay. check all pipes leading to and from the turbo and inter-cooler for any leaks.

If i recall there is also a thin pipe which goes from the turbo to the boost control valve which can perish . have a read of post #12 here for more info.

here's a whole host of 95-faq's

hope this helps

brendan

Jimdagym

So to update this thread.....

The aircon issue is problem 1. The airflow distribution flap is jammed. Could be the linkage or stepper motor. I'm going to have to pull that apart.

Problem 2 is the v belt that drives the aircon and power steering. That belt is failing and a torn flap is causing the flaapping noise as it hits the turbo inlet hose.

Problem 3 is what caused the check engine light. It turned out to be a vacuum house had blown off from a check valve. Such a simple fix :rolleyes:. I'm going to buy a length of vacuum house and upgrade it all. Its 11 years old now and starting to show it.

The v belt looks like a big enough job. I found a great how-to guide here http://photo.platonoff.com/Auto/20040929.Saab_9-5_serpentine_belt/?all Nothing too difficult, but a lot in it. I might do it myself. Anyone have an idea of an indie cost for the job, for comparisons sake?


Thanks for the help guys, its much appreciated.