1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
There are two situations:
Maintenance only issues:
plugs
hoses
injectors
battery, electrolyte levels and connectors
fuel filters
Defective parts:
fuel pump
FPR
battery needs to be replaced
DI
cracked plug ceramics
The objective is no not replace good parts with new good part$. So the focus should be on things that are known to make starting difficult when they are dirty. In many cases all that is needed is Techron Concentrate. It is always prudent to pull and inspect the plugs as a first step to see whats going on, as this point you will be checking and re-gapping the plugs as routine opertion. Do gap to .035. Saab finally restated their gap requirements from a 1.0mm (.039") -.2mm +.1mm, which was stupid, to .035" as a starting point.
If the Techron and regap does not work, then attend to the TB and IAC. All of this is a process of elimination before you start spending on major items.
And if your DIC is getting old, you really need to have a spare anyways, and at that point swapping it in will indicate if the DIC is the source of hard starting.
If your battery is 4 years old, it is time to replace it anyways. Why wait until it fails. Batteries only cost 2 or 3 tanks of fuel.
VAC lines split and crack. These should be inspected from time to time. A leak at most of these on a T5 system will not affect starting, but could increase idle speed. A leak with a NA engine will create lean mixtures, moreso at idle and starting. On a T5, a leak in the VAC line to the MAP sensor will be big trouble. A leak in the charcoal canister purge hose can be a massive air flow as it is quite large.
All of this assumes that the engine idles well and is steady with the A/C compressor cycling etc. If idle is a problem, the TB and IAC need to be cleaned. The IAC might be sticking on its deposits too. Don't replace a IAC before cleaning. The IAC coils can be checked for continuity. Don't put 12VDC on the IAC, it may be destroyed by doing that. You can remove the hose that takes air to the AIC and watch it work! You can put something over the TB and slide it closed and see the IAC trying to compensate. A few folks have had to adjust the TB throttle stops to increase the base air flow as the IAC seemed to be out of its range, but that has only been reported 3 or 4 times, but was a definate fix. So don't be doing that before other steps are taken, you could make matters worse.
posted by 208.24.179...
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