crankshaft position sensor installation

How to remove and replace the crankshaft position sensor or “CPS” on the SAAB 9-5

Start with a completely cold engine. You will be right against the exhaust during this repair and it’s going to be uncomfortable enough without adding some 2nd degree burns to your hands.

Unhook and remove the battery and battery tray from the car. Removal isn’t essential, but it will make it easier to route the wire bundle at the end of the install. Unhook the battery to prevent electrical problems at the very least.

Remove the diverter valve (DV) from the intake and the aluminum recycle tube from the turbo. Remove the aluminum heat shield between the engine and turbo. There is one nut and two clips holding it.

The CPS is located on the lower left front of the engine, near the transmission and behind the catalytic converter. You might spray the one Torx screw with some liquid wrench.

Use a T30 Torx bit and whatever contraption you can find in the way of a wrench setup that fits the area to remove the one screw on the lower right of the CPS heat shield. I used a small ratcheting “L” shaped screwdriver to loosen the screw and then used my fingers an a 3/8in Torx socket once the screw was loose.

The heat shield will come off with the screw. The Crankshaft position sensor will come out with a slight twisting/rocking motion as you pull. Follow the cable to the right of the throttle body near the firewall. The connector was the first of three in a row (light blue in the photo below). It unhooks like all SAAB connectors, with a small screwdriver prying the red lock loose. There is a metal cuff that holds the cable to a pipe midway between the CPS and the connector. It can be pulled off with your fingers.

Clean the hole where the CPS goes and make sure the rubber washer on the old CPS is out. You don’t want two washers in that hole.

Push the new crankshaft position sensor into the hole. It will go most of the way with little effort, but a hard push/twisting motion will be needed to completely seat it. Really cram it in there and line up the screw holes as best as you can. You will want to thread the screw without the shield first, just to make sure your holes are lined up first. Then remove the screw again, add the heat shield, and re-thread the screw back into place. This will take some effort and time. The screw will not want to start threading and the area is really tight.

Once the screw is finger tight, use your T30 size Torx wrench setup to tighten it the rest of the way.

Re-route the wire bundle back to its cradle next to the throttle body and install the metal cuff  onto the cable/pipe. Reconnect the cable to the car, install the battery, heat shield, and everything else removed for this project. Clean up the area, put your tools away, and start the car.

Free DIY Dent Repair

A video about repairing dents with canned air was posted on SAABCentral. I went out and got a can of air and tried the technique on a door ding I had collected a few weeks ago.

The dent is about the size of a nickel.

I heated up the area for about a minute with the hairdryer and then sprayed the air upside down until the spot was frosted over. The dent is not gone, but it is more like a shadow of what it was before. There was no damage to the paint as far as I can tell.

This would be a good thing to try before sending the car to the body shop and would be interesting to see on a larger dent. Anyone willing to give it a try on a larger dent?

At any rate, you might be satisfied with the results and would save some money. If you aren’t happy with the results, then you aren’t really out anything and can get the car fixed by a professional afterwards.

The two images look strange because I ran the photos through some filters to enhance the dent area. Both photos had the say filters applied. The dent doesn’t show up well in the untouched photos. I marked the spots so you can at least look in the correct area. See the dark spot on the right edge of the dent in the “after” photo? That’s where it didn’t change and can still be seen when looking at the door in person.

Before:

After:

So, the bottom line- the dent didn’t disappear; sort of flattened itself out around the edges instead.

I guess it is really a $5 repair, since I had to buy the air, but it would be free if you have a can of compressed air sitting next to your computer already.

SAAB 9-5 Cabin Air Filter Replacement

I replaced my cabin air filter as part of my 90k mile service. The cabin filter is not part of the standard 90k service, but I had a feeling (which seems to be proved) that my filter was original to the car. Now was a good time to correct that issue.

I won’t go into great detail about the removal process because there are several good sites that explain in detail how to replace the cabin filter in the SAAB 9-5.

Old filter, possible from 2000 with 90k miles on it.

Brand new filter from TheSAABSite

I was shocked how large the filter is, it’s about has the width and length of a sheet of paper. I always imagined it to be maybe 4×6 inches. I thought they had sent me the wrong filter when I opened the package and saw how big it was.

You start by removing the carpeted cover on the passenger’s side foot-well, there are a few plastic rivets holding it on.

Then the plastic dash panel and glove box are removed, around 6 or 7 Torx screws are holding them in place. The glove box has an air duct and two wires that will need to be pulled off before the entire box can be removed.

There are about eight Philip head screws holding on the black plastic panel that seals the cabin filter. The panel is in the lower right side of this image

Once the panel is gone, remove the old filter by moving the cable bundles to the side and sliding the filter out. You might want to put something down because my filter was host to a handful of tiny leaves and damp rotten foam chunks.

The new filter is installed in reverse, the supplied foam goes in first, at the top with the holes fitting over the two pipes. The new filter can then be slid in with some delicate pressure. The black plastic panel is reinstalled, the wiring and ductwork for the glove compartment is reattached and the box is installed, the dash panel is returned into place and the carpeted cover is riveting back. That is all there is to this project. It was easy to do and only took about twenty minutes to complete.

SAAB 9-5 ACC 08 Error Code; Blend Door & Stop Arm Repair

This is the most frustrating repair I’ve ever had to do on my 9-5. Supposedly the dealer charges up to $2000 when the ACC throws an 08 code. I heard they fix the problem by replacing the entire heater box. I can understand why they don’t dink around under the dash with this repair.
The symptoms of a broken stop arm and/or blend door are a clicking noise behind the dash, and no control of the temperature or venting on one side of the vehicle. This can be confirmed by pressing the “off” and “auto” buttons simultaneously on the ACC controls. The computer will check the system and any codes will show up as a series of numbers. An 08 code will a classic confirmation of a broken stop arm or blend door lever on the driver’s side.

Once I had my code I got under the driver’s side dash, removed the four Torx screws, OBD-II port, and plastic panel, this exposes the offending parts.

The motor, vent elbow, and blend door are located under the dash near the gas petal, behind the center console.

I started removing the screws holding the motor and vent elbow. There are about six of them and they are all hard to get at. You will also want to undo the wire harness on the motor and the sensor on the elbow.

Here are the parts to set aside

This exposes the blend door

I had a broken stop arm, but that soon became a broken blend door shaft when I started banging on it with a jeweler’s hammer. Not my most brilliant moment, I admit.

I was unable to fix the the blend door arm as described on other online sites, so I set out to fix the arm my own way.

I started by lining up the broken arm and using jeweler’s glue to set it back in place (super glue on the tip of a toothpick would work). I let it dry and then used a two part epoxy that hardens into a clear plastic to coat the entire shaft. I used the epoxy to build up several coats. By the time I was done the shaft was extremely rigid, possibly stronger than when it was new.

With the shaft fixed, I was able to focus on the part that started this whole ordeal. I had ordered a new stop arm from The Saab Site.

The stop arm goes on the end of the shaft between the box and the motor. I had to file down, and ultimately remove, the small plastic clip on the shaft.

This, along with some grease, made it possible to slide the new arm on the repaired shaft. Make sure you press from both the front and back of the blend door to keep from putting pressure on the repaired shaft.

You will want to move the blend door stop arm all the way down. Then turn the metal shaft on the removed motor so it looks like this, with the notches facing in this direction:

Hopefully you can skip the next step by matching my photo above, but I found this shaft position by taking the motor apart and turning the motor’s shaft until it fit the blend door shaft before putting the motor back together again.

Once the motor was back together, and aligned to fit the blend door shaft, I reinstalled the vent elbow (after gluing the loose foam rubber) and reassembled motor, hooked up the wiring harness and sensor, and tested the ACC again.

No more 08 ACC error. My vents work and the temperature is correct again.

This repair isn’t technically difficult, but it’s a hassle because the area under the dash is tight and the blend door area is even tighter. There are a lot of tiny screws to remove and they don’t go back easily.

I used a headband lamp to light what I was looking at while I was under the dash. I don’t know if I could have done it with a drop-light or regular flashlight.

How to Get Perfect Fluid Levels

The SAAB 9-5 has some of the hardest to read dipsticks. The markings can be confusing and the fluid seems to end up on parts of the stick that you know doesn’t reflect the fluid level. Personally, it leaves me doubting my level readings.

I use my fluid vacuum and a clothes-pin to get the perfect level after a fluid change or top off.

Start by refilling or topping off the appropriate sump as normal. Add a little extra fluid so it is just slightly over-filled. Less than a quarter quart is plenty extra.

Line the end of the vacuum tube with the max level line on the dipstick you are using.

And then clip the clothes-pin on the vacuum tube where it lines up with the top of the dipstick seal.

Put the vacuum tube into the sump, stopping when you reach the clip.

And then start sucking out the extra fluid. The vacuum pump will stop when the fluid level is correct.

Remove and De-badge SAAB 9-5 Name and Model Emblems From Trunk

Not everyone wants to de-badge their car. That’s fine with me, I tend my own knitting. There is nothing wrong with the brand and model badges on the back of the 9-5, but I really do love the way the trunk looks with just the blue SAAB emblem in the center and no other identification.

It is easy to remove the chrome SAAB and 9-5 badges from the trunk ( or boot) . The results are really clean and I think it makes an improvement. The chrome letters and numbers on the SAAB trunk always looked cheap to me and they were great at collecting gunk (as you can see in my 9-5 emblem’s “before” picture). I decided to remove the offending parts, leaving only the center emblems to identify my vehicle brand.

To start the de-badging process I used my wife’s hairdryer to heat up the emblems. It only took a minute and the letters were loose enough from the heat that they could be pulled off with my fingers. You might want to use dental floss if you have some tougher chrome letters than I did. I think it helped that the foam tape underneath was eight years old.

Next I used a combination of thumbnails, WD-40, paper towels, and a plastic wedge to remove the foam tape and adhesive residue. This part isn’t hard, it just takes patience and some muscle. After all of the residue was removed there was an outline of the numbers and letters left on the trunk. I used a clear coat cleaner from Myguiar’s to remove the lines without damaging the paint. Everything came clean and there is not difference in paint from the newly exposed parts compared to the rest of the trunk.

I also like the idea of people not knowing what kind of car I have. SAAB is a very rare make in my area. Yes, a few might recognize it as a SAAB from the body shape or the logo, but even less of those will know the model. I want people to see my car and wonder what kind it is.

While I didn’t have problems with paint fade (eight years old, but white paint and garage kept), I would caution people that might have discoloration due to weather and time to only take one emblem off at first and check to see what the paint under the area looks like. You might have to stick the emblem back on if the paint is too drastically changed.

SAAB 9-5 Automatic Transmission Fluid Change

Let’s see…

Loud “exhaust” sound when accelerating and no evidence of an exhaust leak exists? Check.
Rough gear changes, especially during spirited driving? Check.
“Engine” vibration when idling in gear, but the engine mounts are solid? Check.

Looks like it’s time for me to change the transmission fluid.

I used an easy three-part process to service my transmission fluid. The fluid change takes a total of 30 minutes, divided in three ten minute parts.

First I used my vacuum pump to suck out the old transmission fluid.

I got almost three quarts out on my first pass. I had let the fluid get a little low because a little more than 3 quarts can be drained this way. I then refilled the sump with three quarts of Valvoline Max Life, but any quality Dextron III or compatible ATF fluid will do.

I then drove to work and back before draining/refilling the fluid for a second time. I drove to school and back before draining/refilling the fluid for a third and final time. This final time I added about 3.2 quarts instead of just 3, to top the sump off to the recommended level.

This gently replaces the bulk of the 7.5 quarts inside the transmission. I have read cautions against aggressively flushing the transmission on the 9-5. People have reported problems with valves sticking and seals leaking after having their transmission flushed. The process I used is supposed to prevent these possible issues.

Renewing the fluid made the car drive quieter, softened the shifting, and reduced vibration (especially when backing out of the garage and parking spaces).

Replacing the brake light, tail light and turn signal bulbs on a SAAB 9-5

The bulbs for the brake, tail, and turn signal are all part of the same socket assembly. Instructions for changing any one of these bulbs is the same. These instructions are for the saloon/sedan model. I do not have any experience with the estate/station wagon.

Start by opening the trap door in trunk behind the tail light in need of attention.

The bulb assembly is clipped into place and can easily be removed by squeezing the two clips together, as marked in the photo, and then pulled out.

There are three bulbs per side; a brake/tail light, a tail light and the turn signal. The bulbs are marked in the photo. The burned out bulb is removed with a light push in, a twist and then pulled out. Instal in reverse.

The assembly is then clicked back into place and the door is closed. Test your lights to make sure everything is in working order.

The bulbs are:

7507A (amber)- Turn signal
7528- Brake light/ Tail light
7528- Tail light

Replace “Fasten Belts” Bulbs on the SAAB 9-5

Two of the three bulbs in my “Fasten Belts” light have been out since I purchased by 9-5. I decided it was finally time to replace those bulbs.

I purchased replacement bulbs from Memotronics Electronic Components. It was an excellent shopping experience. I ordered five 2721 bulbs for less than fifty cents each. That is much cheaper than other online sources I found. I was unable to find a local source for 2721 bulbs. The bulbs arrived securely in my mailbox a week later.

Removal and Replacement:

Use a small screwdriver on the forward edge of the dome light lens to carefully pry it loose and then set it aside. This exposes the one size-24 Torx screw that holds the plastic trim of the console.

Remove the Torx screw and pull the trim down. Don’t pull too hard because there are wires attached to the thermometer and microphone. This exposes the three light sockets for the fasten belt sign.

You will want to use some small pliers or tweezers to carefully remove the old bulbs because the space up there is tight. I suggest putting on rubber gloves at this point to keep skin oil off of the new bulbs to extend life and reduce discoloration. The new bulbs then press back into the sockets. I was able to do this with my gloved fingers, you might need a combination of tweezers and fingers to get the bulbs in place.

You can see the two new bulbs on the right and middle, they are a little longer than the bulbs that were in the light before. Now you will want to turn on the ignition to see if all the lights come on before you reinstall the trim, screw, and lens.

And here is the finished product; a fully lit “Fasten Belts” light.

Replace The Low Beam Headlamp Light Bulb

I got in my 9-5 late this morning to go to lunch and immediately there was an info display alert, my front left headlight was out. So I turned off my lights, went to lunch, and then picked up a $7.99 replacement bulb at Target on my way back home.

The 2000 SAAB 9-5 uses the common H7 bulb for both the low and high beams. The driver side bulbs look like they are much easier to replace compared to the passenger side because of the air intake cramping the right side of the engine compartment.

This was my first headlamp bulb replacement in the year and a half I’ve owned the car, so I haven’t tried messing with the right side headlight or the high beams.

You won’t need any tools for this job. You will want a pair of latex/rubber gloves, a soft rag, or a tissue to keep skin oil off of the new bulb. I personally always wear latex gloves when I work on the car to protect against light abrasions and to make washing up easier when I’m done.

How to remove the burnt bulb from the headlamp:

The back of the head light assembly has a large round black plastic cover. It twists off with a half turn like a jar lid. Set it off to the side.

This exposes the light socket. Remove the brown wiring harness from the back of the bulb by pulling away with a slight rocking motion.

There is a metal wire clip holding the bulb in place. The top of the clip held by a hook at the top. Press towards the headlamp and over to the passenger side to free the clip from the hook.

The burnt bulb now can be removed from the head light with little effort. The new bulb is put in its place, lining up the notches in the bulb with the base to make sure it seats correctly. Use the rag/glove/tissue when you handle the new bulb to keep it clean and free of skin oil. This precaution will make the bulb last longer and keep it from discoloring. The wire clip is lifted back into place and secured and the brown wiring harness is pressed into the new bulb. Return the plastic cover and you should be back in business.

I accidentally pulled the wire clip off completely as I was removing the bulb because I didn’t remove the wiring harness first. It just goes back into place at the bottom of the headlamp. Luckily you shouldn’t have to worry about this because you’ll follow the directions.