2005 9-5 Aero engine light on
Discussion
Right, picked up an -05 9-5 Aero today. Have done probably 100-200 miles since I bought it. Been happy as a pig in s
t all day, it's been perfect and all was very well until about 30 minutes ago; I'd parked and taken the dog for a walk. Upon return the engine management light is on. Car runs well, starts well and there is no loss of power or any odd sounds. Have booked it in for a service, but the best they could do was Thursday. I need to use it until then.
Hence I turn to you. Will it die on me and give me a big bill? I realise I might as well ask how long a piece of string is, but I need a bit of reassurance. Browsing the internet, I understand it could be the crankshaft position sensor or DI cassette. Possibly both. Or the fuel filler cap, which seems to be nice and tight. It doesn't lock though? I was under the impression they have a locking mechanism. Could be that? It's got just under 1/4 of a tank left. I also get the 'Theft Protection Failure' message on the SID on start-up. Was going to have the alarm module swapped anyway, but possibly related? No other error messages on the SID.
Will let it cool down and see if the issue persists. It's been (relatively) warm today and it's been sitting in the sun for much of it. Until then, please help!
Regards,
Mr. Muggins
t all day, it's been perfect and all was very well until about 30 minutes ago; I'd parked and taken the dog for a walk. Upon return the engine management light is on. Car runs well, starts well and there is no loss of power or any odd sounds. Have booked it in for a service, but the best they could do was Thursday. I need to use it until then.Hence I turn to you. Will it die on me and give me a big bill? I realise I might as well ask how long a piece of string is, but I need a bit of reassurance. Browsing the internet, I understand it could be the crankshaft position sensor or DI cassette. Possibly both. Or the fuel filler cap, which seems to be nice and tight. It doesn't lock though? I was under the impression they have a locking mechanism. Could be that? It's got just under 1/4 of a tank left. I also get the 'Theft Protection Failure' message on the SID on start-up. Was going to have the alarm module swapped anyway, but possibly related? No other error messages on the SID.
Will let it cool down and see if the issue persists. It's been (relatively) warm today and it's been sitting in the sun for much of it. Until then, please help!
Regards,
Mr. Muggins
I know the feeling, I have a 2001 9-3 Aero which did this. Mine had the same symptoms, and it turned out to be the catalytic converter that had gone. Didn't harm the car, just meant driving around producing lots of emissions. If you're based anywhere near Brislington, I'd highly recommend Simply Saab, they have been around for 15 years or so and I've been going to them since I bought mine about a year ago, they're fantastic.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
CB2152 said:
I know the feeling, I have a 2001 9-3 Aero which did this. Mine had the same symptoms, and it turned out to be the catalytic converter that had gone. Didn't harm the car, just meant driving around producing lots of emissions. If you're based anywhere near Brislington, I'd highly recommend Simply Saab, they have been around for 15 years or so and I've been going to them since I bought mine about a year ago, they're fantastic.
Hope this helps!
Cheers. Ah, that reminds me. On the last MOT certificate it does mention that some part of the exhaust (I forget which, could be the backbox) is seeing signs of corrosion. Could be that I suppose. Hope this helps!
my local indie told me that +/- 75% of CELs he puts out on 9-5s are related to "performance malfunction". in effect, boost pipes coming adrift. om my own it was the hose from the recirc valve to the sensor. like you, i had the CEL but no running issues/limp mode etc.
have you filled up recently? - i have seen (not been told about) CELs on 9-5s being triggered by not closing the filler cap right down (rta, several clicks when replacing the cap after refuelling)!!
paul
have you filled up recently? - i have seen (not been told about) CELs on 9-5s being triggered by not closing the filler cap right down (rta, several clicks when replacing the cap after refuelling)!!
paul
sorry, just seen the fuel cap details you included but can't edit my reply so as not to look foolish !
CPS would also produce random starting problems and the DI pack doesn't necessarily trigger a CEL. Corroded exhaust wouldn't be implicated unless the cat/probe has failed. security features are via different systems and won't be affecting the engine management/monitoring
i have seen, but can't remember where so don't rely on this, an algorithm which runs along the lines of "CEL? - Yes - Car drives normally? - Yes - Continue journey, book in with specialist"
paul
CPS would also produce random starting problems and the DI pack doesn't necessarily trigger a CEL. Corroded exhaust wouldn't be implicated unless the cat/probe has failed. security features are via different systems and won't be affecting the engine management/monitoring
i have seen, but can't remember where so don't rely on this, an algorithm which runs along the lines of "CEL? - Yes - Car drives normally? - Yes - Continue journey, book in with specialist"
paul
Edited by paul makin on Sunday 26th May 12:55
Edited by paul makin on Sunday 26th May 13:01
Thanks guys. You've put my mind to rest! We took him (apparently it's not a she according to... well, her) out for a 150 mile day out today and he runs beautifully. I'm very fond of it already despite the problems - got the xenon fault light as well last night. Oh well. Can you confirm for me that these don't have any DRLs though? Will wait until Thursday to see what the damage (financial and otherwise) is, though I remain cautiously optimistic that it won't be too crippling.
Apart from the notchy gearbox and the sheer leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeength of its throw, I'm absolutely smitten by the performance. How does the short shifter kit affect the feel of the car?
Apart from the notchy gearbox and the sheer leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeength of its throw, I'm absolutely smitten by the performance. How does the short shifter kit affect the feel of the car?
don't know about 2005 models but my '04 doesn't have DLR
the self levelling is driven by sensors front and rear - i think (but someone who knows will be along shortly) that the rear sensor on the fritz results in the lights defaulting to the down position. cables can play up as well i believe
rear sensor is on the O/S lower suspension arm, front sensor is in a housing/bracket type jobby somewhere around the O/S drop-link
sometimes a removal and/or good clean up will help. you may then get into the mystical voodoo area that is recallibration
paul
the self levelling is driven by sensors front and rear - i think (but someone who knows will be along shortly) that the rear sensor on the fritz results in the lights defaulting to the down position. cables can play up as well i believe
rear sensor is on the O/S lower suspension arm, front sensor is in a housing/bracket type jobby somewhere around the O/S drop-link
sometimes a removal and/or good clean up will help. you may then get into the mystical voodoo area that is recallibration
paul
UK 9-5's didn't get DRL's. You may see some rest-of-world posts saying all you need to do is put a fuse in a certain place to enable them - but UK cars don't have the wiring, so a fuse doesn't do much LOL.
A Xenon warning light will usually be one of the level sensors that's not working properly, which may (not always) result in the lights aiming low. New sensors are expensive and (the last I heard) on back-order from Saab. There are 2 sensors, one on the front drivers side wishbone, one on the rear drivers side suspension camber arm.
The engine warning light could be anything, common 9-5 faults are the DI cassette (aka coil pack) which will cause code P1312, vacuum pipes (bearing in mind the underbonnet temperatures are huge) & dump valves going bad. Other issues are rare - the catalytic converter for example.
A CPS will not cause a check-engine light. The car will just be near impossible to start when hot and maybe also all the time!
The last thing I will say is that these issues were more-than-likely known to the previous owner, and it's a bit naughty to have reset the engine light 5 mins before you collected the car - which is possibly what he did. But seeing as you & I both post on the same Saab forum, I'll suggest that here rather than there. I don't know the guy personally though, and he may have had zero issues with the car - and you may just be very unlucky.
Once you get the check engine light issue sorted, look up the 'bolt mod' which means the EVAP system is isolated, and you get full power restored - even when you didn't think it was missing!!!
Where abouts are you based?
A Xenon warning light will usually be one of the level sensors that's not working properly, which may (not always) result in the lights aiming low. New sensors are expensive and (the last I heard) on back-order from Saab. There are 2 sensors, one on the front drivers side wishbone, one on the rear drivers side suspension camber arm.
The engine warning light could be anything, common 9-5 faults are the DI cassette (aka coil pack) which will cause code P1312, vacuum pipes (bearing in mind the underbonnet temperatures are huge) & dump valves going bad. Other issues are rare - the catalytic converter for example.
A CPS will not cause a check-engine light. The car will just be near impossible to start when hot and maybe also all the time!
The last thing I will say is that these issues were more-than-likely known to the previous owner, and it's a bit naughty to have reset the engine light 5 mins before you collected the car - which is possibly what he did. But seeing as you & I both post on the same Saab forum, I'll suggest that here rather than there. I don't know the guy personally though, and he may have had zero issues with the car - and you may just be very unlucky.
Once you get the check engine light issue sorted, look up the 'bolt mod' which means the EVAP system is isolated, and you get full power restored - even when you didn't think it was missing!!!
Where abouts are you based?
Edited by P2BS on Tuesday 28th May 09:47
paul makin said:
don't know about 2005 models but my '04 doesn't have DLR
the self levelling is driven by sensors front and rear - i think (but someone who knows will be along shortly) that the rear sensor on the fritz results in the lights defaulting to the down position. cables can play up as well i believe
rear sensor is on the O/S lower suspension arm, front sensor is in a housing/bracket type jobby somewhere around the O/S drop-link
sometimes a removal and/or good clean up will help. you may then get into the mystical voodoo area that is recallibration
paul
Cheers. I'm assuming (well the below post confirms it...) that the '05 didn't have them either in that case as it's supposed to be the most poverty-spec-tastic of them all.the self levelling is driven by sensors front and rear - i think (but someone who knows will be along shortly) that the rear sensor on the fritz results in the lights defaulting to the down position. cables can play up as well i believe
rear sensor is on the O/S lower suspension arm, front sensor is in a housing/bracket type jobby somewhere around the O/S drop-link
sometimes a removal and/or good clean up will help. you may then get into the mystical voodoo area that is recallibration
paul
I've surmised that the left bulb is f
ked as it keeps going out and thus causing the fault light and subsequent low-position. It's intermittent as well so fingers crossed it's as simple as that.In other news the engine light went off yesterday, only to come back this morning. So again, this gives me hope along with the advice I've been given that it'll be something relatively easy.
P2BS said:
UK 9-5's didn't get DRL's. You may see some rest-of-world posts saying all you need to do is put a fuse in a certain place to enable them - but UK cars don't have the wiring, so a fuse doesn't do much LOL.
A Xenon warning light will usually be one of the level sensors that's not working properly, which may (not always) result in the lights aiming low. New sensors are expensive and (the last I heard) on back-order from Saab. There are 2 sensors, one on the front drivers side wishbone, one on the rear drivers side suspension camber arm.
The engine warning light could be anything, common 9-5 faults are the DI cassette (aka coil pack) which will cause code P1312, vacuum pipes (bearing in mind the underbonnet temperatures are huge) & dump valves going bad. Other issues are rare - the catalytic converter for example.
A CPS will not cause a check-engine light. The car will just be near impossible to start when hot and maybe also all the time!
The last thing I will say is that these issues were more-than-likely known to the previous owner, and it's a bit naughty to have reset the engine light 5 mins before you collected the car - which is possibly what he did. But seeing as you & I both post on the same Saab forum, I'll suggest that here rather than there. I don't know the guy personally though, and he may have had zero issues with the car - and you may just be very unlucky.
Once you get the check engine light issue sorted, look up the 'bolt mod' which means the EVAP system is isolated, and you get full power restored - even when you didn't think it was missing!!!
Where abouts are you based?
Top stuff! In the event that it is a sensor, how would one go about sourcing a new one? Or if not a new one, then an second-hand functioning one? I gather that there are two types - 'old' and some sort of uprated new ones? Neo stock a rear one at the moment but no fronts!A Xenon warning light will usually be one of the level sensors that's not working properly, which may (not always) result in the lights aiming low. New sensors are expensive and (the last I heard) on back-order from Saab. There are 2 sensors, one on the front drivers side wishbone, one on the rear drivers side suspension camber arm.
The engine warning light could be anything, common 9-5 faults are the DI cassette (aka coil pack) which will cause code P1312, vacuum pipes (bearing in mind the underbonnet temperatures are huge) & dump valves going bad. Other issues are rare - the catalytic converter for example.
A CPS will not cause a check-engine light. The car will just be near impossible to start when hot and maybe also all the time!
The last thing I will say is that these issues were more-than-likely known to the previous owner, and it's a bit naughty to have reset the engine light 5 mins before you collected the car - which is possibly what he did. But seeing as you & I both post on the same Saab forum, I'll suggest that here rather than there. I don't know the guy personally though, and he may have had zero issues with the car - and you may just be very unlucky.
Once you get the check engine light issue sorted, look up the 'bolt mod' which means the EVAP system is isolated, and you get full power restored - even when you didn't think it was missing!!!
Where abouts are you based?
Edited by P2BS on Tuesday 28th May 09:47
W.r.t the seller, it was a bit of a backstreet dealer type affair but the owner seemed genuine enough and he had quite an interesting collection of old and modern classics that he was renovating so I took the plunge. At the end of the day the car runs fantastically and it came with a private plate worth ~1k so I'm not in a position to complain too much. Expected to have to rectify a few things, but I suppose I did get a bit of a rude awakening with the CEL a few hours after the purchase. Either way, depending on how much the work comes to the plate effectively puts the car a smidge over bargain basement territory!
EDIT: I'm in the South East so will be taking the car to Saab & Vauxhall in Benfleet.
EDIT 2: I've already looked longingly at the bolt-mod and am really rather tempted, however I'm by all accounts completely and utterly mechanically... 'challenged' so am a bit worried about borkage. How does it improve the feel of the car and the boost?
Edited by Pilsner on Tuesday 28th May 20:13
Well, what can I say? Dropped the car off at Saab & Vauxhall this morning (top man - warmly recommended). It's generally in very good condition (hurrah!), and the culprit is most likely the DI pack.
As the car's currently done 123k and it's been a while since its last service I opted to have the 126k service done, rear bushes replaced (transaxle and something else), sump dropped, new mirror switch and spark plugs fitted etc. All came in at the princely sum of £600 (exc. DI pack). Value.
I also need new bulbs so Dave recommended I source them myself (much cheaper that way rather than him sourcing them locally pronto) and take them there to be fitted. This has the added benefit of being able to diagnose the misfiring fault further. Hopefully it will go away with a bit of the TLC it's now received, otherwise I don't have much choice than to fork out another £300. Oh well, such is life but atleast the car should be tip-top after all this and hopefully retain a bit of value.
Now... how to sell that private plate?
As the car's currently done 123k and it's been a while since its last service I opted to have the 126k service done, rear bushes replaced (transaxle and something else), sump dropped, new mirror switch and spark plugs fitted etc. All came in at the princely sum of £600 (exc. DI pack). Value.
I also need new bulbs so Dave recommended I source them myself (much cheaper that way rather than him sourcing them locally pronto) and take them there to be fitted. This has the added benefit of being able to diagnose the misfiring fault further. Hopefully it will go away with a bit of the TLC it's now received, otherwise I don't have much choice than to fork out another £300. Oh well, such is life but atleast the car should be tip-top after all this and hopefully retain a bit of value.
Now... how to sell that private plate?
Edited by Pilsner on Thursday 30th May 21:31
Spanglepants said:
You mentioned your left light going out, this could be the orange relay under the bonnet- a relatively common problem on the 9 5s
I had the same problem on my last 9 5.
No orange relay on a 9-5 with Xenon's (as the Aero's do). The list of suspects are the bulb (D1S) or the ballast (Valeo). Loom failures are rare. Not unheard of, just rare.I had the same problem on my last 9 5.
If you fancy a trip to Hertfordshire at some stage some weekend I'll do the bolt mod for you FOC.
HTH
Spanglepants said:
You mentioned your left light going out, this could be the orange relay under the bonnet- a relatively common problem on the 9 5s
I had the same problem on my last 9 5.
I had the bulbs replaced today. Problem sorted, happy days!I had the same problem on my last 9 5.
These are the right specification bulbs for anyone interested: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260927622650?ssPageName=...
Beats the £163 per bulb as quoted by Saab!
P2BS said:
No orange relay on a 9-5 with Xenon's (as the Aero's do). The list of suspects are the bulb (D1S) or the ballast (Valeo). Loom failures are rare. Not unheard of, just rare.
If you fancy a trip to Hertfordshire at some stage some weekend I'll do the bolt mod for you FOC.
HTH
Duly noted good Sir. I'll be making a trip to Neobrothers at some point to pick some stuff up, so might pop over. Whereabouts are you based?If you fancy a trip to Hertfordshire at some stage some weekend I'll do the bolt mod for you FOC.
HTH
Apart from the DI pack and TPF message, the car is now as good as new (for the time being atleast). So smooth, so comfortable, so fast! A 535d did get the better of me the other day though, so I think a boltmod and a dash of V-Power might be in order. Unfortunately I'm now rather smitten and have therefore developed a rather long and expensive list of stuff that I want to do to it, so watch this space.
Edited by Pilsner on Tuesday 4th June 20:27
paul makin said:
those 535d's are very, very respectable straight out of the box. mapping renders them extremely quick
noobtune time?
paul
I'll definitely be getting around to it shortly... just need to somehow justify a trip up north! noobtune time?
paul
What sort of improvement in fuel consumption should one expect? I'm at an indicated 31mpg at the moment, haven't bothered to bring out the pen and paper yet but it seems pretty fair judging by the distance between fills. Most of my time is spent pootling around at a constant 30mph (no stop/start), with the occasional mad rush down the motorway.
Oddly enough I'm actually quite enjoying staying off the boost and just cruising, the handling is so sublime and relaxing that I find myself lacking the need for speed at all times which is quite a marked change from my previous ownership experiences. Together with the seemingly infinite power reserves it does strike me as the perfect package. I'm a very happy bunny indeed.
Edited by Pilsner on Tuesday 11th June 20:28
Xenon self-levelling failure? They all do that sir! Driven company hacks and my own hack, not a single one didn't have that problem! Usually a ballast issue.
With regards to the check engine light, 9-5s are also super sensitive with their diagnostics. As someone said, when closing the fuel filler cap, make sure it goes "click-click-click", 3 times, just to be sure (think it even says that in the owner's manual). Got fed up with it appearing on mine, I ended up getting a Bluetooth OBD reader and a copy of Torque Pro for my phone so that I could just delete the code as and when it popped up. Usually emissions related gubbins that never was a fail on the physical test as part of the Swedish MoT.
With regards to the check engine light, 9-5s are also super sensitive with their diagnostics. As someone said, when closing the fuel filler cap, make sure it goes "click-click-click", 3 times, just to be sure (think it even says that in the owner's manual). Got fed up with it appearing on mine, I ended up getting a Bluetooth OBD reader and a copy of Torque Pro for my phone so that I could just delete the code as and when it popped up. Usually emissions related gubbins that never was a fail on the physical test as part of the Swedish MoT.
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