almost sounds like the alt. when did you last check it?

Casey

 

If the battery light came on, that means the alt isn't cranking enough juice, thus the battery died. The car can only run so long on just the battery.

 

If the battery light came on, that means the alt isn't cranking enough juice, thus the battery died. The car can only run so long on just the battery.

I don't recall seeing it until the car was actually stalled. I thought it would come on more than 3 seconds before failure?

any way to test the alternator?

 

right but then the battery would have been dead and they would have had a weak/no crank on the side of the road.

 

Is your serpentine belt still there?

 

it cranked weak, but then we swapped the DI and it barely cranked, and then started doing the weak battery interior lights flickering, and click click click starter motor noise. I will have to check out the belt later. I'm freaking exhuasted, I ws up late looking for parts online and up early swapping snows off the wagon so I can drive it today.

 

I've driven 30-40 miles on the battery alone without using elctric stuff in the car (radio, lights etc). It will should go more than 3 seconds after an alternator failure.

You can check the alternator on the car while running, but you need to remove it if your car does not run (not fun).

You can check fuel pressure with a good battery with a fuel pressure gauge. I'd also look into a ground cable failure.

 

Sounds like a dead alternator to me too. They sometimes don't fail completely. I had one go bad in a 95 CSE...it ran for 2.5 hours all the way back to Rochester at highway speeds. Slow speeds the voltage would drop way down and the light would come on.

 

well I am due for a new battery soon Anyways. I am gona pick one up today and if the car starts or I can hear the pump run, then it's not the fuel pump.

This is actually a "blessing" that it happened when it did. Before it got dark, 1/4 mile from home. My wife was going to take this car up to Maine (4-5 HRS away) this weekend! :shock:

 

sounds similiar to what happened to my 9-5 not too long ago...turned out to be the alternator.

 

dont listen to anybody it could be alt. but if you try to jump it , the car will start !!! so if it do not start even when you jump start it ,it is nothing to do with bad battery or alt. I was runing on bad alt and dead battery for a week , before i get new one , so its 100% sure it is something else wrong with it , could be pump.

Also if you put light knob in between running light and head light,(you running lights will be off ), like not there and not here it will save you somme battery on start

 

fresh battery, NO START.

I am pretty sure this is not the alternator

Seems like it's not getting fuel. I suspect is has spark since I tried two different DI's.

 

that what i told you , not a problem with bat or alt , ether pump or ...smell plugs if pump works and gas actualy get there they will smell gas .

 

if pump works and sparks fly it is 99% bad compression , and as you know it is big deal.

 

I'll have to smell the plugs next. good idea

 

Pop the passenger wheel off, pop the belt cover off, with a 27mm and a breakerbar on the crank pulley see if you can physically turn the motor over by hand.

This will rule out some bad stuff, of which we dare not speak its name

 

I'm hoping I don't need to go that far yet.

I had my wife crank it while I had my ear on the pump and I didn't hear anything. Also tried just turning the car on without cranking and it didn't make a peep.

on my other cars I am pretty sure the pump can be heard pressurizing the lines.

 

I'm hoping I don't need to go that far yet.

I had my wife crank it while I had my ear on the pump and I didn't hear anything. Also tried just turning the car on without cranking and it didn't make a peep.

on my other cars I am pretty sure the pump can be heard pressurizing the lines.

Check for voltage at the pump with a multi meter when cranking. If there is voltage but you don't hear the pump running, that is 100% for sure the problem.

If there is no voltage, first check the fuel pump fuse. If it's good, check and see if you have spark with some DI to plug extension cords. If you don't have spark there I'd then lean toward the CPS being bad, or possibly a faulty ground somewhere in the system. If it comes all the way down to this, the one I'd check would be the one bolted to the manifold near the fuel rail.

 

There is a schrader valve on the fuel rail, depress it with a paperclip or small screwdriver you should get a steady stream of fuel pressure (watch your eyes) and no aeration.

At the mileage you have I wouldn't hesitate to drop a pump in, less than a 100$ for just the insert, you will need the SAAB fuel pump removal tool and about 45 min. Be careful with the very fragile fuel line retaining clips.

 

Also, you didn't just gas up before this happened did you?

 

Yes, I think earlier that day I put gas in.

I almost wanted to think the fuel filter could be clogged but that was just done.

 

Was it a well used station? Delorean had that whole water in the tank issue not to long ago.

 

yeah, I don't remember. I think it was a stewarts, I'd have to look at my bank account to see where it was.

I wouldn't mind having a new pump regardless at this mileage. It's bound to shit soon if it hasn't already :lol: it's definitely original !

 

the fuse for the pump looks fine.

I smelled a plug and it "kinda" smelled like gas for the first 1/2 second I had it out, then it didn't smell at all.

I pushed in the schrader valve and a tiny trickle os gas came out. like a few droplets, it dribbled out, not sprayed out. I am guessing this means there is no fuel getting there. I've done 3 FPRs and injectors, and each time I would run the car until it stalled without the fuel pump fuse in, then when I would take off the fpr/injectors, it seemed like alot more fuel was left in the system than these couple droplets???

 

it lives!!!! and it's fast as F****

it was the fuel pump. I got one for 250 with free shipping from europartsdirect. It came the next day. It was the entire assembly, the white bucket with fuel level float thing, all wiring, new o-ring and new lock ring. Had SAAB connectors (red and black connectors with SAAB scratched out :lol: instead of the white and red like the scantech ones) and a walbro pump.

Mcrowley and my trusted saab tech made a house call and it got swapped out in 20 minutes through the back seat.

took it for a reun down the road and it feels so damn quick!!!!

 

Faster than before?

 

yes, faster than it's been the last few months. The pump was probably on its way out for a while because it has been a little weak feeling for some time. it also had extended crank/starting time and I thought nothing of it because of a Saab tech bulletin I read that said 99's have that problem and the fix was hotter plugs.