Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 21:48:43 -0500 From: "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com> Subject: Re: Check Engine Light
Mike wrote: > > I have searched for a nice clean list of all the things that can cause > this light to come on in a NG 1994-1999 900S, but I haven't been able to > find much info. There must be 10 things that can cause the computer to > flip that light on. It's not in the manuals, that I can find. > > Can you add to this list of 'Check Engine' light sources ? > > Loose Gas Cap (low tank pressure) > Bad O2 sensor > > And ... if the car seems to be running fine, is it OK to continue > running the car, until my daughter can afford to fix it? > > Thanks, > > Mike I have had problems with this in my 1996 900SE. It is my belief that there is some design flaw here. However, whenever I say this in this news group, some people jump all over me. My reasons for thinking this is a Saab peculiarity (or at least a peculiarity of Saabs of this vintage) are that: (1) I have seen frequent references to it in this news group; (2) I don't hear people who own other makes of cars talking about it as a problem -- check engine light means change the oxygen sensor and that's it. My suggestion is that you first try to find if there's a trouble code in the computer. This will necessitate a visit to the dealer or to an independent Saab mechanic. However, don't expect too much from this. When I was having my first set of problems with this last year, several visits to the dealer produced no trouble codes, and the problem finally was fixed for a period of about a year by some resoldering of the wiring harness. The problem recurred about a month ago. As before, the light came on and stayed on, with no change in the driveability of the car. I took it to an independent mechanic, who said the trouble code indicated a vacuum leak, but there appeared to be no such leak around the engine. He reset the system, and recommended a new gas cap. I said I'd had the gas cap checked at an emissions testing station last year, and there had been nothing wrong with it. The mechanic said their standards weren't very high, and the vacuum leak trouble code could be triggered by a defective seal at the gas cap. So I had the gas cap replaced. So far, so good. One of the things that the dealer did last year was to replace the oxygen sensor on a trial basis. Despite this, the check engine light came back on after a while. So the dealer put back my old oxygen sensor. I was puzzled about why he would go to that trouble, until I discovered how scandalously expensive oxygen sensors are for Saabs -- apparently about four times the price of such equipment for other cars.
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