Saab 99 Odd Instrument Issue (w/ CIS issues just for fun)
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:58 pm
Hey All,
My 99 has started to have the typical crappy cold idle issue... no surprise really. I just usually leave the car to warm up so that temperature registers, then it runs flawlessly. However this morning, I didn't have time to wait, so I just drove it while it was running crappy (which I have done before with no issues, it just takes longer to heat up). I made it about 100m down the back alley and then the car just died while doing 30 or so.
In the alley, I pulled the king lead off the dist, had spark there but seemed weak, pullled a plug and had nothing at the plug (it was greasy though). I popped the dist cap and reseated to be sure, but that didn't make a difference.
Got it back into the garage, and I swapped the coil to one from the 900, and didn't seem to make any difference in the spark, so the coil was good. pulled all 4 plugs, which were soaked at this point (I had cranked it a lot in the back alley trying to get it started again and while checking spark). I pulled the fuel pump relay, then grabbed a spare plug and plugged it into one of the wires and then cranked. It had spark at the plug. I then took all 4 and torched em, cleaned them with a rag and stuck them back in.
I didn't try to fire it up yet, but instead left the relay out, and then took the bellows off the trottle body, sprayed in some carb cleaner then turned it over. It fired immediately and then I ran it till it died.
I then popped the relay back in, and then fired it up again, and it ran.. but absolutely terribly even though it was warm (I had plugged in the block heater to try to evaporate some of the gas in the cylinder). I left it running for 5 mins or so, and it didn't improve, so it is time to start looking for vacuum leaks and check the bellows for proper operation. I'm also going to check the distributor to make sure I didn't screw up anything... I never had the problem before.
Now to the part that actually pisses me off, and the real point of this post... At some point, during this, something happened to my dash cluster, and now none of the guages are working. Fuel level, temp and tach are not working. Also I have a oil pressure gauge in the center console that isn't registering either now. Dash lights work fine, and the battery light also works (didn't try e-brake, and signals have never worked). No fuses are blown that I can see, which I assume would effect the lights as well not just the instrument.
Are there any hidden fuses or anything that I should check? I find it odd that they all went at the same time unless they are linked at some point. I really would like to get them working before I run the car much more since I am worried I may have gotten gas into the oil and want to make sure my pressures are up.
Any ideas?
My 99 has started to have the typical crappy cold idle issue... no surprise really. I just usually leave the car to warm up so that temperature registers, then it runs flawlessly. However this morning, I didn't have time to wait, so I just drove it while it was running crappy (which I have done before with no issues, it just takes longer to heat up). I made it about 100m down the back alley and then the car just died while doing 30 or so.
In the alley, I pulled the king lead off the dist, had spark there but seemed weak, pullled a plug and had nothing at the plug (it was greasy though). I popped the dist cap and reseated to be sure, but that didn't make a difference.
Got it back into the garage, and I swapped the coil to one from the 900, and didn't seem to make any difference in the spark, so the coil was good. pulled all 4 plugs, which were soaked at this point (I had cranked it a lot in the back alley trying to get it started again and while checking spark). I pulled the fuel pump relay, then grabbed a spare plug and plugged it into one of the wires and then cranked. It had spark at the plug. I then took all 4 and torched em, cleaned them with a rag and stuck them back in.
I didn't try to fire it up yet, but instead left the relay out, and then took the bellows off the trottle body, sprayed in some carb cleaner then turned it over. It fired immediately and then I ran it till it died.
I then popped the relay back in, and then fired it up again, and it ran.. but absolutely terribly even though it was warm (I had plugged in the block heater to try to evaporate some of the gas in the cylinder). I left it running for 5 mins or so, and it didn't improve, so it is time to start looking for vacuum leaks and check the bellows for proper operation. I'm also going to check the distributor to make sure I didn't screw up anything... I never had the problem before.
Now to the part that actually pisses me off, and the real point of this post... At some point, during this, something happened to my dash cluster, and now none of the guages are working. Fuel level, temp and tach are not working. Also I have a oil pressure gauge in the center console that isn't registering either now. Dash lights work fine, and the battery light also works (didn't try e-brake, and signals have never worked). No fuses are blown that I can see, which I assume would effect the lights as well not just the instrument.
Are there any hidden fuses or anything that I should check? I find it odd that they all went at the same time unless they are linked at some point. I really would like to get them working before I run the car much more since I am worried I may have gotten gas into the oil and want to make sure my pressures are up.
Any ideas?