I have a 2003 9-3 SAAB. For a couple of weeks now have noticed every once in a while not beeing able to turn on my cruise control. At those same incidents, the car does not have the normal power to get going after a stop. The next time I start and drive the car again, everything seems to function normally. Today, while going up a hill, I suddenly lost power so bad that the car eventually stalled! Kind of a hairy situation on a curvy wintery mountain road. I restarted the car, and in spite of that loss of power again, I managed to get up to speed and continue up the hill and the remainder of the trip. No cruise control, however. No problems on the return trip.
For a couple of months now, I’ve also been driving with my check engine light on. According to my mechanic, everything looks ok, and the cause has something to do with the secondary air intake.
Any suggestions?
You seriously need another mechanic if he/she thinks everything is okay and your check engine light is on. Ignoring a light for months on end is going to likely lead to a breakdown.
Is your CEL flashing when your cruise does not work? Some cars disable the cruise when the CEL light is on and the error it senses is happening.
Everything my mechanic checked looked ok. He has not been able to locate the problem with my CEL. ? This also does not blink when the loss of power/cruise happens. Also, last time after the car was checked and the CEL turned off, it did not come back on until three days and at least 200 miles later. The car was running fine today (0 degrees!)on my long daily commute.
The CEL comes off but a code is stored. The CEL only indicates a fault (obvious symptom in your case of loss of power). CEL do come off when the error condition does clear after a few driving cycles(on-drive a bit-off) but if it returns it is obvious something is wrong.
You should get it checked out. Loss of power is something more serious. Maybe a Saab specialist if this mechanic is not?
Thanks for the advice. I’ll get it checked by a dealer or special SAAB mechanic.
Almost 400 miles since the last incident 4 days ago, I have not had a problem. ? ? ?
If the CEL was flashing take it immediately. However it has been a while. Something is likely wrong and lurking. But if an oil change or something else is coming up you may be able to couple that with checking this out at the dealer or Saab specialist(use them if out of warranty).