1995 9000CSE Starting Problem

You need a new battery. And you need to replace the fuel line check valve.

Roughly where on the car will I find such a beast? PS already changed the battery.

Of course, I meant where in the engine compartment.

I had another look under the bonnet and there is a round thing about

1" in diameter and about 1" deep in a fuel line, is that a check valve?

No it doesn't; it hydrogen bonds to water, which is why it is soluble, but it does not react.

The check valve is typically mounted directly on top of the fuel pump.

Go to this site and look up the check valve for your car and you will know what to look for specifically:

leaking check valve is a very common problem with respect toimmediate starting of engine. With the recent addition of alcohol togasoline all auto owners are going to experience carburation problemsdue to corrosion of metal parts in the fuel system.The alcohol combines with water and produces an acidic compound.You could also go to your local Saab dealer and ask them for a new oneand let them tell you where it is on your specific model.

Not in my experience. On all the Saabs I've owned and driven (with electric fuel pumps - the old V4's were mechanical) you can hear the fuel pump for a couple of seconds as soon as you turn the keyswitch ON. Then it stops (pressure transducer, one would suspect). If you do not hear it run before cranking, this would seem a logical lead to follow for your hard starting issue.

Which of course gets you precisely nowhere, until you can determine which smart box determines this behaviour, and how to connect some diagnostic device (voltmeter would be a good candidate) to trace through it. You can always try the "shotgun" approach to such matters, and replace the box itself, however it could just as well be a faulty signal going to that box (such as the aforementioned pressure transducer).