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Car Forum / Saab Cars / August 2005push starting a C900?
is there anything wierd about push starting a C900 (with a manual transmission)? i had to go on a 2 week trip, and i knew the battery was getting bad in my '87 C900, so i made sure to park my car facing down hill at the parking garage just incase the battery didn't last the 2 weeks of being parked. of course, when i get back to the car and try to start it, nothing happens. so, i figured it would be no big deal, i'd just coast down the hill and catch the car in gear, like i've done a million other times in other cars. no luck! everytime time i popped the clutch, the front wheels just screetched and the engine didn't turn over. when i finally did find someone to give me a jump, the engine turned over without issue, so it wasn't another problem or anything. as i have come to find out, saabs are wierd cars, is there something wierd that prevents them from being push started? (i had the key in the on position, i was coasting at probably around 10 mph, tried it with the shifter in both 1st and 2nd gear - like i said, i've done this a million times in other cars without issue before) mike > is there anything wierd about push starting a C900 (with a manual > transmission)? Nope. > (i had the key in > the on position, i was coasting at probably around 10 mph, tried it > with the shifter in both 1st and 2nd gear - like i said, i've done this > a million times in other cars without issue before) I don't know of a thing that would explain that behavior. Your lucky it still runs after 18 yrs . good luck papa > Your lucky it still runs after 18 yrs . good luck papa Why? I see dozens of Saabs that old and older running around here. >> Your lucky it still runs after 18 yrs . good luck papa >Why? I see dozens of Saabs that old and older running around here. My two running C900's are 22 and 20 years old respectively. Quite a number of SCCA members have Saab 99's in conditions right up to showroom pristine level (including their operating status). Craig.  SignatureCraig's Saab C900 Page --> http://lios.apana.org.au/~c900 Sydney, NSW Australia Craig's Saab C900 Workshop -- For all Saab C900 Enthusiasts world-wide! http://www.saab900classic.net http://www.saab900.org c900@lios.apana.org.au Come and explore our site, and check out our web-forums, mailing list, etc. In article <3652a343e2bd4b6f2e04df3371fa30db@localhost.talkaboutautos.com>, barberirealty@msn.com says... > Your lucky it still runs after 18 yrs . good luck papa My 20 year old 900 T16 would start first time on the button everyday. If left more than two days, it would drain the battery if the alarm was set. But other than that, either started everyday, or with the alarm ground disconnected if storing a garage for more time while I was away. No worries, fired up every time. The problem was the 20 year old Saab turbo battery. Hard to find locally without taking a mortgage. SignatureCarl Robson Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com > In article > <3652a343e2bd4b6f2e04df3371fa30db@localhost.talkaboutautos.com>, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > The problem was the 20 year old Saab turbo battery. Hard to find locally > without taking a mortgage. Is there something unusual about the battery? I've always just gone to Costco and gotten something close, never had a Saab Turbo though. > Is there something unusual about the battery? I've always just gone to > Costco and gotten something close, never had a Saab Turbo though. It's smaller than the normal 900 battery. At costco it say on the Bosch book Saab 900 (Not Turbo) Local shop looked up the model listed and it said "Dealer supply only" Didn't have the car with me, because the battery was flat so he couldn't measure up. But it didn't even list a part number, just the needed rating. SignatureCarl Robson Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com > is there anything wierd about push starting a C900 (with a manual > transmission)? i had to go on a 2 week trip, and i knew the battery [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > mike Not terribly familiar with '87, but if there is a fuel injection ECM or computer-controlled spark, you will have no joy with a completely dead battery. The computer will not even know the engine is turning, no fuel pump, etc. Coasting a few feet at 10 mph will not generate enough juice through the alternator to get everything going. the start process is not limited to truning the engine over, which is all jump starting it like this will do. you also need battery power to run the ecm and other electronic systems. this is true with SAAB and with other cars. my 92 olds is useless with a dead battery. >the start process is not limited to truning the engine over, which is >all jump starting it like this will do. >you also need battery power to run the ecm and other electronic systems. >this is true with SAAB and with other cars. my 92 olds is useless with a >dead battery. It helps to not have an auto transmission as well. My C900's have autos so if I had to start them with a dead battery, assuming there isn't something else wrong electrical, I can't push-start the cars! Unless it's down a very long steep hill but I bet the torque converter would self-destruct with so much reverse power being applied to it. 8-) Craig. SignatureCraig's Saab C900 Page --> http://lios.apana.org.au/~c900 Sydney, NSW Australia Craig's Saab C900 Workshop -- For all Saab C900 Enthusiasts world-wide! http://www.saab900classic.net http://www.saab900.org c900@lios.apana.org.au Come and explore our site, and check out our web-forums, mailing list, etc. >is there anything wierd about push starting a C900 (with a manual >transmission)? i had to go on a 2 week trip, and i knew the battery [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >mike I don't know about the C900, but my 9-3 seems to have a very short first gear. I can well imagine the wheels slipping if I tried bump-starting it in first. Second should be okay, or even third if you have a decent hill. Cheers, Colin > is there anything wierd about push starting a C900 (with a manual > transmission)? i had to go on a 2 week trip, and i knew the battery [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > with the shifter in both 1st and 2nd gear - like i said, i've done this > a million times in other cars without issue before) As others have said, you need a little bit of juice in the battery to power the electronics. But I don't think that was your problem in this case. You say "the front wheels jus screetched" - the simple answer is that you were using too low a gear - when roll-starting, 3rd gear is best bet. SignatureGrunff 2nd gear on flat or slight upgrade, otherwise third should be fine. Used to work (lots of times) in my '81 900 and the '78 99 - unless with the 900 the fuel pump relay was stuffed. Cheers Yes, the battery must have some 'juice' in order to run the fuel pump. I left my running lights on one day and the batery was completly discharged. I tried roll starting the car to no avail. When I got a jump start, it started (jumper cables connected) after giving it a few minutes to charge my battery. Upon disconnecting the jumper cables, the engine immediately quit. I had to leave the jumper cables connected for about 5-10 minutes in order to have enough power in the battery. I also had one of those 'weak' regulators in the alternator that produced only about 13.5 volts. This is sometimes a problem with the bosch alterators. Worn brushes will also cause low power even though the 'idiot' light does not come on. Fortunetly you can buy new brushes (and complete regulator kits) that can be installed without removing the alternator. Jim '87 C900 247K miles forgot about the whole fuel pump thing. the last time i ever had to worry about my fuel pump, it was a mechanical one. since i never repaired an electronic one, i never thought about them being electronic. here's a question though: even with the fuel pump off, shouldn't the fuel line be pressurized so that there would be enough to run the injectors a little until the engine kicked over? mike > forgot about the whole fuel pump thing. the last time i ever had to > worry about my fuel pump, it was a mechanical one. since i never [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > fuel line be pressurized so that there would be enough to run the > injectors a little until the engine kicked over? If you have enough voltage for the fuel injection computer to work, and for the relay that energizes the FI computer, and the electronic ignition (hall effect sensor and related electronics). A K-jet (mechanical fuel injection with electronic pump) push starts almost embarrassingly easy on a very drained battery, an L, LH-jet or Trionic (electronic injection) no so easily. Bill > forgot about the whole fuel pump thing. the last time i ever had to > worry about my fuel pump, it was a mechanical one. since i never [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > mike The fuel injectors are also electrically operated. Without power, they won't open. Additionally, if the ECU has no power the engine will -never- start. The fuel line won't hold full pressure for more than a few hours or a day at most. |
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