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Viggen staled at a stop sign yesterday and won't start again. HELP!

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  fwnsp 
#1 ·
2001 9-3 Viggen

Yesterday I came to a stop sign yesterday and the engine sputtered. I gave it gas to keep it from stalling but that didn't work. It wouldn't re-start and I had to get it towed.

The engine sounds like it wants to start but doesn't turn over. There were no symptoms leading up to this. Started fine, idled fine, accelerated fine, etc. No weird noises, nothing out of the ordinary.

I had it towed to my mechanic and it wouldn't turn over this morning either (cold start). He thinks it is the timing chain. He got low psi out of 2 of the cylinders (30 psi?) and the other two were around 110 psi.

Does this sound correct to anyone? I would think that if it was the timing chain that I would have heard something leading up to this or I would have noticed something while accelerating. To me it almost feels like someone filled the gas tank with water...

Any help is greatly appreciated. Plugs and Direct Ignition were replaced last summer.

Thanks!

Eric
 
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#4 ·
If the timing chain jumped a tooth or two, it will affect the compression of all cylinders. Even the two cylinders at 110 psi sounds low. To test that, I would either pull the timing chain tensioner and measure it, or pull the valve cover and check the crank/cams for proper alignment.

You can also pull the DIC, turn it on its side, put the plugs back in and ground the threads of all the plugs with clip leads to test for spark.

And as others have stated, you can pour a small amount of gas into the throttle body to see if it fires... Ron
 
#6 ·
Fix

Ugh. It was the Direct Ignition Cassette. I had a spare and swapped it out. I overlooked that since it was just replaced 10 months earlier.

It was the OEM cassette purchased from eEuroparts.com - I read this before and didn't take the advise but I'll repeat it: DO NOT buy the OEM part - spend the extra $180 ($380 total) for the SAAB genuine part.

Luckily, I had a spare and the one that failed was under warranty. Returning the OEM part and paying the difference for the SAAB genuine part.
 
#9 ·
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. This means is is a Saab branded part, or it is the exact same part from the exact same manufacturer but may come in a different box. The OEM DIC is $380ish from EEuro, the Chinese aftermarket one is $200ish, this is one part your should NEVER buy aftermarket.
 
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