If I remove AMP1 will the car run?

[Fitz93Arc]

Hi all,
My AMP1 under the drivers seat in my '03 Arc has gone out and I'm thinking of sending it to SaabRadio in NY for repair. Will the car start/run with the amp removed? Also does anyone know the Saab part # for it?
Many thanks,
Fitz

[hjl113]

The car will fun fine without AMP1, but you will miss features like stereo, signal sounds, emergency lamp, etc, which has to do with sound.

[Mihai]

Part no. 12 800 531

[Fitz93Arc]

Thanks very much guys, much appreciated!

[chr15gb]

You will only lose Bass from the stereo. Everything else will be fine, Radio, chimes, turn signals etc. They are all controlled by the ICM unit and come out of one of the dash speakers (left hand side).

You will only lose the front door speakers and the centre dash one.

[KrOlDoG8]

Originally Posted by chr15gb

You will only lose Bass from the stereo. Everything else will be fine, Radio, chimes, turn signals etc. They are all controlled by the ICM unit and come out of one of the dash speakers (left hand side).

You will only lose the front door speakers and the centre dash one.

wrong. you have to bypass it (optical loop bypass, Etadyne product). I've done it. No audio works without the amp bypassed, because you open the data comm. circuit.

I would go to etadyne.com to buy a bypass (takes about 20min to install) so that everything but Amp1 works fine.

[chr15gb]

You are correct about completing the O-Bus loop (my mistake). But AMP1 is not needed at all, only for Bass (front 2 door speakers and centre dash)

You can by pass it from behind the EHU without buying anything extra.

Without AMP1 it becomes the standard set up Saab UK assumed it's cutomers would be happy with!!!

[Fitz93Arc]

Interesting, thanks guys. In my case I want the sound system to work as per original... which wasn't great , so if I don't replace AMP1 then it will be even worst. So.... do you think I can trust the dealer saying its AMP1 that's the problem? The symptoms are:
- the radio/sound system won't turn on at all.
- the turn signals make no sound.
- the SID works
- every once in awhile the SID posts an "Onstar failure" message

Is this consistent with an AMP1 failure?

Thanks again guys, much appreciated.

Fitz

[cadcamjim]

When my AMP1 failed, I had the same symptoms, except for the "OnStar failure", which my '06 does not have.

[chr15gb]

There must be a lot more differences between the US/UK setups for that to happen when an AMP1 goes bad (unless it drags the whole system down with it due to catastrophic failure).

The standard setup in the UK is a 4 speaker setup, no AMP1 fitted at all (you seriously cannot believe how bad it is!!)

AMP1 is DEFINITELY only used to provide Bass and feeds only the front door and centre dash speakers.

The Sounds, chimes, warnings etc originate in the ICM unit and go through the left hand Dash speaker.

There is a connector behind the EHU, you can reconfigure that to go direct to the EHU (instead of leading to AMP1) and bypass AMP1, no significant tools required and will prove if AMP1 is the culprit

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by chr15gb

There is a connector behind the EHU, you can reconfigure that to go direct to the EHU (instead of leading to AMP1) and bypass AMP1, no significant tools required and will prove if AMP1 is the culprit

I think the OP would need a more specific description. This sounds like a good approach.

I would not pay for a new AMP1 unless they guaranteed to refund your money if it turns out to be something else. I do not think Saab dealers give any kind of "core" credit for your old amp (I recently learned that Audi does). So you are gambling on them being right. I don't have much confidence in dealers' ability to diagnose the electronics on this car. And few of them understand the audio system. My dealer, for example, was not aware that different amps drive different speakers.

[coolcut]

Originally Posted by chr15gb

... There is a connector behind the EHU, you can reconfigure that to go direct to the EHU (instead of leading to AMP1) and bypass AMP1, no significant tools required and will prove if AMP1 is the culprit

I would also appreciate more in depth instructions on this so I can troubleshoot a similar prob im havin. Thanks.

[chr15gb]

My car started with the 4 speaker set up.

Here is a couple of links to my woes and troubles whilst I went up to the 7 speakers set-up fitting an AMP1 and door & centre seakers.

You will have to do a bit of reverse engineering in my notes

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=134074

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=135342


To try to summarise,

The O-Bus leads from the back of the ICM (pin2) down to AMP1 (pin1).

On its travels it goes behind the EHU where there is an inline connector


You will need to disconnect this inline connector and take the part coming from the ICM and fit it to PIN1 of the EHU connector (it will be flashing)

This will complete the O-Bus loop but Bypass the AMP1.


As we know there are a lot of variations of the Sound Setups on our cars so I can't guarantee they will all be the same, but this is how mine was put together.


In the diagram below, you will need to configure the RED circuit.
Everything should work fine (apart from no door speakers (and centre dash) and No Bass, the way Saab though we would be so happy we would buy another Saab ))

[Fitz93Arc]

Hi All,

Just a quick note to close off on this one. Had Amp1 repaired by Saab Radio in NY and reinstalled it this weekend and its working fine. Here's some tips for anyone needing to remove/install their Amp1.
1) Move seat all the way forward and to max "up" position.
2) Remove single screw holding right side of amp to the floor. The left side of the amp is held to the floor by two metal slides on the bottom of the amp which slide into retainers on the floor.
3) The wiring harness has no play so you'll need to disconnect it in-place. The wire side of the harness has a plastic tab which pops up thru a hole in the top of the connection shroud on the amp. You'll need to feel for the tab, push it down thru the shroud and at the same time pull the amp flush to the right which will release it from the wiring and the floor retainers.
Note: In my case I didn't know about the tab and almost ruined the fiber optic connection getting the wiring harness off.
Re-Install:
1) Postion seat as above.
2) Disconnect battery.
3) Because the wiring harness has no play, the re-install is all about getting the amp in position and lined up perfectly with it. In my case, once the line-up was good, the connection clicked into place with almost no effort.
4) Replace retainer screw, re-connect battery, wait about 5 min for optics to sync, good to go.

[brianl703]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

My dealer, for example, was not aware that different amps drive different speakers.

You almost wonder if they never bother to get any training or even read WIS. With only 3 models to learn, a Saab dealership technician ought to be pretty familiar with them all.