[djtaylor]

This could be way off base because I'm not familiar with the distributor timed Saab engines and I don't have my EPC to hand but it that by any chance the air mass meter connection?

If so and if it's wired wrong then you'll end up with the fuel injection ecu misunderstanding the amount of air entering the engine and will provide incorrect fuel accordingly.

The only thing like you describe happened to me when my induction pipe popped off the throttle housing. Complete loss of power, the car would start, I could rev it momentarily then it would die again. Same type of problem, the AMM wasn't seeing any air going into the manifold and so fuelled wrongly, in my case cut fuel so the engine wouldn't run again.

David.

 

[djtaylor]

Can you post a photo?

I'm wondering if it's the throttle position sensor which again would cause a problem because you're opening the butterfly to add air yet the TPS doesn't know what's going on (or you've got it wired wrong - it's a potentiometer).

That has 3 wires.

David.

 

[djtaylor]

Trouble is i'm not sure which 3 wires your talking about. Any pic of any sort would help tremendously. The only one I can think of is the throttle position sensor and as I said, if you've wired it wrong, it will just not work right.

I wouldn't have said the problem you've got is due to poor spark. Just about the only other thing I can think of that would give you low power (assuming everything else is working just fine and i'm not sure that it is) would be that the distributor has moved and the timing has been retarded loads. This happened to me once when I had replaced an engine and the chain of the hoist, pulled the ditributor round. I hardly had any power to climb the hill outside the house yet the engine would start and idle just fine.

Really really need to post a picture of the bit with 3 wires, doesn't have to be good, just show the location.

David.