My 2003 Saab 95 3.0Tid, the fluid level warning light keeps coming on. Its been back to the garaage 4 times, it had a new thermostat and sensor, at week 1, this then was not put in properly, and returned for adjustment. They keep telling me the 3.0 engine does get air locks and may need topping up...but i cannot believe it. The engine is down on power, and up on fuel usage... any suggetsions

SOURCE: Engine Malfunction Light

Hi I have a 2001 9-3 SE 2.0T and the same problem.

My garage have checked the car three times now and each time the OBD 2 has reported that the Cat is reporting a substandard output. They have tested the cat each time and it's well within it's limits.

In the end I got sick of paying £49 to clear the MIL check light only to have it appear a few weeks later. So I bought from Ebay an ELM327 for about £50 and now turn off the MIL Check light myself. Also now when it come on I can check the cause and my garage can't pull the wool over my eyes on the cost of possibly non needed repairs.

I hope this has helped.

SOURCE: Saab 93 2.2TID 2003

Is there black smoke coming from the exhaust?

SOURCE: check engine light came on

Your car needs serviced - this will resolve the problem.

SOURCE: I have a 1997 saab convertible need help with putting top down

The handbrake must be on.

SOURCE: We purchased a 1998 Saab 900 SE Turbo for my son.

Hi!

I'm sad to hear that you're having so much trouble with the car :(

Your problem is (almost certainly) not related to the alternator or the starter.
Your engine seems to lack fuel, air or spark, either due to a clogged hose/valve somewhere or a quirky electrical connection/relay.

Have you made sure that the fuel pump is supplying sufficient pressure when the problem is present?
Can you hear the pump when turning on the ignition?
If the pump (and its relay) seems ok you should make sure you have spark when the problem is present. If there's no spark the problem should be easily traced, probably to a intermittently faulty sensor or a faulty coil.
If both fuel and spark check out ok there is probably something wrong with the air supply when attempting a warm-start.

The things mentioned above are things you can check out yourself without high costs or special tools (you'll need a multimeter if you want to check voltages, but that's a cheap tool that might come in handy).

Oh and the car also has a check valve to keep pressure in the fuel lines. These valves can cause problems similar to yours, so you might want to check it out.

Good luck mate!