[jvanabra]

The instructions for automatic 1992s is materially similar to what the manual for 1995 says. There are more words and WAY better guidance, but the steps are the same. That and the fact the manual is 1991-1995 gives me confidence the process is consistent-ish across all years.

Things I notice:

The order of 974 (baseline), 971 (idle), and 973 (calibration) is consistent.

I don't know why automatic cars require pressing the cruise control button but manual cars do not. It's weird.

The automatic cars say to wait 30 seconds after performing 971, but the manual cars don't have to?

There is a timing element involved with 973/calibration - you gotta wait til the TCS light illuminates to start the engine. The 1995 manual does not call this out. I'm wondering if this is why I was getting inconsistent results trying to do the calibration.

There is a warning for both cars that says the calibration will be aborted if the car starts to roll. I have the front end on jack stands, so the front wheels tend to spin at a low speed just from drag. I wonder if this is pissing off the test?

 

[jvanabra]

(BTW, IDK if everyone knows this but Saab was consistent across its tools - on the old ISAT you enter numbers to correspond to tests like 971 ... those designations are shown on Tech 2 as well... you just get to select them from a menu instead of having to know the number)

 

[Ryengoth]

Pop the front wheel sensors out or chock the tires.
There is a real Tech2 here at the GMC dealer, as well as the GDI. No ISAT, though.
Mine just died, so I'm having to wait for another clone to ship from China to finish my rough idle diags.
I did run across a real one on Mercari, but I can't spend over a grand for a "toy".

 

[jvanabra]

Yeah, I'm not willing to spend that cash, especially when I have had 100% success with my Tech 2 and have no actual proof my current experience is a problem with the device rather than just '90s era technology in general. An experienced tech saying "you will probably lose the connection" gives me confidence.

 

[jvanabra]

Well, some progress... I was able to clear the calibration code following the instructions above. I do suspect what was happening was as it tried to run the engine up to 3000rpm drag started spinning the wheels and canceled the test. With the car on the ground, it went off exactly as described and now that code is gone.

I pulled out the pedal sensor and, because me, I took it apart. Spotless inside, and a very simple circuit. I hosed it down with contact cleaner and tested it per the manual - it passed all tests easily. I put it back together and tested it again. Still clean, so I put it back in the car, cleaned the connector contacts, and now my pedal position sensor code is gone too.

I've cycled the key and/or started the engine a dozen times or more and they have stayed away, so I think these may be solved.

That leaves just one code - E7590. That code is "pneumatic system or thottle sensor faulty." I actually thought my other efforts would have cured this, but I guess not. The troubleshooting for this is damn simple and points a finger at the "safety valve," #4015202 in the picture I posted a while back. My car has an incorrect valve fitted here, so a code certainly seems possible. I think what's happening is the wrong/bad safety valve is holding vacuum when the car is off and that causes the limp-home mechanism to remain on standby, which it seems it should not. When the engine starts again, the LHM is in the wrong place and the code is set.... which would be consistent with the thing working fine but going into LHM on restart.

My best shot is probably find a Volvo #1270389 or two.

Maybe fun: I think it's possible the reason the car has this code now but not before is that I replaced all the vacuum hoses. I think the old ones were leaky enough to work but bleed off pressure quickly after shut down. Now they seem to hold vacuum for a long damn time.

Of course, when I got the car it also had codes for comms failure between ETS & ABS, so those could reappear once it's driving.

 

[jvanabra]

I scurried over to the Pick & Pull after posting that to grab some solenoids off some Volvos.... I grabbed a couple, because they did not behave as I expected them to. The cutaway diagram in the manual - posted on the previous page - shows the path air should be able to follow but when I tested the first Volvo solenoid I got a different result. I got a second that behaved as expected. And then I figured, hey, these things are all about the same, so I found a 9-3 and stole its bypass valve control solenoid too.

When I got home, I plugged in the Volvo part that I expected to work, but not only did the E7590 not clear I got a second code as well. Then I started questioning the manual. Again. I plugged in the other solenoid, and it worked perfectly... both codes cleared and stayed gone through two ignition cycles. Seems like not much, but it was progress. On the third key cycle the error came back. Then I tried the Saab BPV solenoid and it worked perfectly through six or eight key cycles and engine starts.

I still don't understand the purpose of the safety valve but here's what happens:

1. At rest, the solenoid is unpowered and the throttle body is connected to atmosphere. THIS IS NOT WHAT THE FSM SHOWS. The FSM shows that at rest the throttle body should be connected to the intake manifold.

2. When the car starts the ETS energizes the solenoid which connects intake manifold (vacuum) to the throttle body, which pulls the limp home mode actuator "out." I don't know what "out" means functionally, but that's what happens.

3. When the engine is shut down, the solenoid is depowered, the throttle body is connected to atmosphere, and the limp home mode actuator returns "in."

With the valve the car came with, and the "sort of working" Volvo solenoid, the solenoid was not reliably returning to the rest position, so the throttle body could not vent to atmo and the limp home mode actuator stayed "out." I'm guessing the solenoids were dirty or sticky or something. The actuator remaining "out" is what triggered the code.

FWIW, the troubleshooting flow chart for the safety valve is correct, and inferring what it was testing is what convinced me the diagram is wrong.

I didn't have time to put the car back together - the ETS module bracket is a disaster and the driver's foot well dismantled, but I think it's pretty close to drivable. Fingers crossed I don't get more ABS/ETS codes once there is some road speed to compare. :/

Anywho, here's what I've got now:

This is a valve & bracket from a T7 9-3, modified a bit. The valve's part number is 55562854. I think it'll work well, and I'm happy to have a Saab part on the car and not a Volvo part.

 

[jvanabra]

To test stuff I'd been using a random battery I had in the garage, but it wasn't gonna work for the road. I read probably too many posts on 9000 batteries, with various camps recommending Group 34R, 41, and 47. This Saab came to me with a Group 48 battery, which according to a) the internet and b) battery size charts, does not physically fit in the space available... yet, it did...

I grabbed the dead 48 battery out of the garage, and the H6 battery out of my XR4Ti (if you think shopping 9000 batteries is hard, try a car that came with a UT battery!) and whaddaya know, they were exactly the same size. H6 is supposed to be smaller than Group 48, but (no) surprise, manufacturers take liberties with specs.

H6 is a very easy to find battery as its used in a pile of cars from the '90s onwards. And at the very least Napa and Autozone H6s are the same size as Napa Grouip 48s. And they all fit perfectly - literally perfectly - in the '94-'98 9000. The only minor annoyance is the negative terminal has to be rotated 90 degrees from the positive, so it's a bit odd looking. Meh.

I really like it when I have cars that can share batteries... the Suburban and the Motorhome, the XR4Ti and the 9-3 Aero and the 9000. I even put a massive Group 49 in the SPG because it was the same as my Jag. Which I no longer have. So now the SPG just has a unique, big, expensive battery. Whatever.

 

[jvanabra]

Related to this:

Front Left ABS Sensor

Here's a weird thing: Started the '95 Aero up this afternoon to see how it did on the road, and before I'd backed up 5' the TCS CTRL light started going bananas and I could hear the TCS valve in the ABS system cycling. By 20' the TCS & ABS systems disabled themselves. It wasn't critical to the...

www.saabcentral.com

I put maybe 10 miles on the car over 20 minutes... just a big loop around the neighborhood on surface streets, 25-50mph. The TCS & ABS were disabled due to faults, but it drove pretty well. I wasn't hot rodding it, but it wasn't spitting flames. The only real issue was what I would describe as flat throttle - occasionally it would just lose speed for a second and the pedal did nothing. It felt like a failing fuel pump. After a second it would recover and be fine for a while.

When I got back, the ABS only had one code, for the front left sensor, which is demonstrably bad, so that seems pretty clear cut. The TCS had two faults - one for incorrect speed but the other for "cannot open throttle to requested position." First is surely tied to the ABS sensor being unhappy. Following the troubleshooting for the second, the issue is probably the throttle body's stupid pneumatic system. I can't escape it!

There's a check valve between the "safety valve" (now a 9-3 bypass valve control solenoid) and throttle body, and that thing is bad... it's not checking terribly well. I suspect what's happening is that boost is bypassing the valve and that causes the limp home actuator to go back "in" ... The throttle closes, creating intake manifold vacuum and that pulls the actuator back "out" and everything returns to normal again. But the code is set...

I don't know if the factory check valve (#4023297) is special. It's red & white and Saab has used this specific valve in several places over the years. It's not the same as the PCV check valve, for example. Happily, I have couple of these in the garage... I have the older black & white version (#4301669) but that's good enough!

Theoretically an ABS sensor will be delivered tomorrow... Friday or Saturday will be test drive #2 - which I really hope goes well. I feel like it really might be!

 

[jvanabra]

The old ABS sensor was TRASHED.

Replacing with a new Holstein (not lying) sensor took maybe 20 minutes....

Who knows how long it will last, but I successfull went about 200' with no warning lights, so that feels nice.

 

[KevinC]

Good you had something go easy for a change, if seized in the front ones can be a bear to remove. With more and more of your components known good the ABS/TCS issues should decrease massively.

What is a Holstein sensor?

 

[jvanabra]

Holstein sensor:

More Information for HOLSTEIN 2ABS1067

www.rockauto.com

Not quite the cheapest but almost the cheapest sensor I could find.

I had an opportunity for another test drive. 20 flawless miles - everything doing exactly what it should. A have a couple things to work on, but it seems like it's in pretty good shape. Hoping to get an emissions test this week so I can actually start enjoying it.

 

[Ryengoth]

Good you had something go easy for a change, if seized in the front ones can be a bear to remove. With more and more of your components known good the ABS/TCS issues should decrease massively.

What is a Holstein sensor?

Yeah, I know all about seized speed sensors.

 

[Ryengoth]

I bought mine from Latvia on eBay. Took a couple weeks but it was like 40 bux.

 

[jvanabra]

ETS strikes again... You can't dyno a 9000 with ETS because TCS CTRL ruins everything. So I'm sitting here at the smog place while they do the old school 1500/2500rpm tests. Hopefully that means an easier time.

 

[jvanabra]

So weird seeing a '90s-era smog report.... they don't even bother with NOx! I guess there's an upside to ETS?

This was the last obstacle to this car seeing more miles. Well, I gotta go give the DMV some money I guess.

 

[KevinC]

That is a good result, you will at last get to enjoy the car!

You most definitely can run a 9000 w/ TCS on a dyno, mine has been several times, many others, most well known perhaps George's +500hp 9k with Quaiffe 6spd gearbox with TCS, many big power ones have been highlighted in Sweden.

 

[jvanabra]

I guess I should clarify... you can't run the car on a dyno without setting a check engine light... which would cause the emissions test to fail.

I still have some work to do... the front air dam is screwy and missing some pieces. Mostly an annoyance. It's filthy from sitting for four months, but it's probably too cold and wet to fix that. The passenger seat has An Issue with the seat back:

but it's fortunately in a usable position.

The rear muffler is in the trunk - fortunately it broke off at the muffler, so the flange is still there and probably a stock replacement rear section would be fine. What's interesting (to me) is that the exhaust is barely audible as is, so I'm not sure I feel the need to put a muffler back on. I may just have a shop weld in a pipe between the flange and the tail pipe for now. Or forever. It does need to be addressed though as with no structure back there the whole exhaust rattles around over bumps.

Probably the most important thing, though, is I gotta do something about the stereo. The seek buttons don't work, which means I am limited to static or CDs, and I don't really want either. I wish I still had this:

I'll figure something out.

 

[Ryengoth]

If you order a replacement tilt assembly for the seat, make sure it's the SAAB "repair" version that has the supple vinyl guide tube not the nylon that breaks. The transmissions for the tilt shafts also have a brass spline input instead of the nylon. You can tell by the picture if it has brass drive splines or plastic.

 

[jvanabra]

I didn't even know that was still a thing! I was expecting to have to wait for a 9000 to appear in a junkyard. Do you have a part number or source?

 

[Ryengoth]

I just found one on eBay and ordered it for my broken passenger seat.

Saab 900 Classic Fix for twisted seat Passenger / driver Power seat Cables motor | eBay

Up for sale is "seat twist fix" special deal. Have a Saab classic 900 or 9000 with power seats?. I Bet the backrest does not adjust properly! This is a very common classic 900 / early 9000 problem.

www.ebay.com