1989 SAAB 900S problem

Hello all. Hopefully someone can help me out.

Whenever I start my car (whether it's been off for 5 minutes or overnight) the car can't be revved too fast (ie. flooring it). Revving it too fast causes it to stall. I have found that slowly revving it up to 3000 RPMs and holding it for about a minute fixes the problem. If I don;t do this it just stalls when I try to drive it.

Any ideas as to what the problem might be??

Thanks.

Ed

Reply to
Ed
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in article snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com, Ed at snipped-for-privacy@nait.ab.ca wrote on 29/12/2005 16:47:

Sounds to me like a fuelling issue.

The fix? Change the air filter, change the fuel filter and have the mixture checked. Total cost should only be a few pounds/dollars. Ensure that the idle throttle speed is adjusted to 950 RPM prior to adjusting the mixture and that it is at 950 RPM correctly adjusted. Any garage should be able to do this competently within the hour.

Following that, ensure that your ignition is good. A clean spark does wonders for a good running engine :) New plugs - use NGKs. BP7ES for i16, BP6ES for i8, BCP7EV(x) for T16 and BP7EV (or BCP7EV for higher performing engines) for T8. Perhaps some new HT leads? You can use Bosch if you can't afford Bougicord. Dizzy cap and rotor arm can also be changed for the price of a packet of cigs. Essentially, cheap stuff, but try the air and fuel filters first with a mixture check.

Finally, a timing check? I bet the problem is resolved by that point though.

Good luck Ed,

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S
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Reply to
Paul Halliday

Cold start injector leaking?

Reply to
Richard Sutherland-Smith

I took your advice and checked the air filter and it was fine. But while doing that I noticed the problem. There is too much air being sucked in which is preventing the combustion. I put my hand over the air intake to allow less air in and lo and behold it was revving perfectly. So now my question is, how do I fix this without bringing it in to the shop (if possible, of course)?

Reply to
Ed

in article snipped-for-privacy@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, Ed at snipped-for-privacy@nait.ab.ca wrote on 31/12/2005 18:42:

It did sound like fuel starvation. What does it idle at?

Either your throttle needs to be dropped down slightly, or the cold start system is not closing off air when the engine is warmed.

To adjust the throttle find the 8mm nut and grub screw that stops the throttle and adjust to suit. If you idle at, say, 1100-1200 RPM at warm, then the automatic air control valve (and auto-choke device) is not closing off properly. Either way, adjusting the idle will alter the mixture. You'll still need to have the mixture checked, else it will be too rich.

What model car is it, BTW? In the UK, we still had 8V cars in 1989. Is it a turbo car? Throttle adjustment on a 16V may be different to the 8Vs I'm used to, but there's expertise here.

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S
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Reply to
Paul Halliday
1989 900S 16V non-turbo.

It's idling at just under 1000 consistantly. I guess I will take it in and get the pro's to look at it. Hopefully it won't cost too much $$.

Thanks for your help.

Reply to
Ed

in article snipped-for-privacy@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, Ed at snipped-for-privacy@nait.ab.ca wrote on 31/12/2005 19:51:

Yes, the idle is right on, so I think your AAV/AIC valve is fine (that's the auto-choke which allows more air into the combustion when cold by bypassing the throttle). It does sound like poor fuelling, which could be as simple as a lean mixture. On the 16V of your age, the mixture is electronically (or electrically) controlled by means of a hot wire inside the box just behind the air filter. There is a feedback from a lambda sensor in the exhaust, too, but both would require some hands on testing.

I've no direct expertise in either, but if you're handy with a multimeter I'm sure some of our 16V friends here will offer advice. Otherwise, any garage that can deal with Bosch FI systems of that vintage (and they were used on all manner of cars in the late 1980s/early 1990s) will sort the issue, I'm sure. Good luck.

Happy New Year everyone,

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S
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Reply to
Paul Halliday

If this is a north american market car at least then you probably have a defective air mass meter. That's a $$$ part unless you can find a good used one.

Reply to
James Sweet

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