Grounding Point #8

[saab90089]

hello everyone,

This morning the gremlins were acting up, I guess they do not like the cold weather.....or the fact that it was a few weeks since I drove the saab .

Causing the following symptoms:
-Tach was not working properly. Read low if at all
-No turn signals
-No cigerette lighter
-Brake Fluid warning light on
-Parking Brake warning light on
-No blower motor for the heating system
-Base boost only

After getting 1/2 way to work like this I hit a bump and everything started working again........great.........

Everything kept working correctly the rest of my drive to work.

I have eye-ed up 3/7 of the wiring diagrams and talked with my dad we think it might be the grounding point behind the insturment panel (G8 in the bently). I pulled out the driver side speaker but can not find this grounding point.

Any advise on finding this grounding point would be great. Or a picture of it would be even better.

Thanks,
Ian

[DeLorean]

The grounding point under the dash is pretty reliable, don't think I have ever seen that one go bad, but it is up near where the wires come into the cabin. You may be able to get to it by laying on your back and getting up under the bolster, but it might be easier to get to by removing the bolster.

In my 89, I had similar symptoms when I first got it. Lost the turn signals and a bunch of other stuff. This was just after I replaced the radiator. Turns out the front grounding point on the lower support beam was so corroded that some of the wires popped out of the ground bolt when I was messing around with replacing the rad... Anyway, a few new connectors and some fresh crimps and it was good to go.

[saab90089]

Humm

I had checked the grounding points at the head and driver fender-well when I got to work...they were ok. I did NOT check that grounding point near the radiator; I will give that a check when I leave work.

Anyone else have other suggestions?

Ian

[ric]

The only grounding points I have had a problem with is the one at the radiator and at the connectors for the tail lights.
I guess your car is a 900 -89 by your nic name, I have a -88b and there is one ground point by the handle where you pop the hood it´s 2,5" towards the back and 3.5" up (ish) this one grounds most things on the dash. There is also one at the gear shifting thingy on the left side on the bracket, just behind the ignitionlock.
But I agree with DeLorean I never have had a problem there, but there is always a first time
And there is one on the center beam in the trunk on the left side quite far back but that one is only to the rear lights, fuelpump, fuellevel sensor and some relay for power windows in the back, maybe something more.
the last one I can complement with without looking at the wiring diagram is the one on the left c-pillar it´s for trunk light and the light in the ceiling but I can´t imagine you have a problem there good luck

[Geoff]

Those symptoms sound like what happens when the starter gets stuck on (or maybe its the solenoid that gets stuck). I've had this happen a few times and pretty much all those symptoms are the same ones I've experienced. The cold weather and the fact that the car was sitting might support my theory. I'm not sure if the problem is at the starter or at the ignition switch but if it happens again try shutting the car off and starting over. Some WD-40 in the ignition barrel might help too (maybe the key didn't return all the way).

[Crazyswede]

check your battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and tight. Also check the point where the battery ground goes to the body.

[saab90089]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I still have not expierenced the problem in my additional 50miles of driving (including stone/dirt/bumpy road). I have not had a chance to look at anything yet.

I had a friend of mine suggest that it is a resistor on the blower motor. Now i've heard of other car manufactorers have this perticular issue. However I have never heard of the saab having this issue. But my buddy said he had just about the exact same symptoms with one of his cars (not saab).

What do you guys think?

Ian

[DeLorean]

a bad blower motor resistor should only cause problems with the loss of one of more of the first 3 fan speeds, I have never seen any problems but that related to a bad blower motor resistor.

[Jordan]

I had the same thing happen to my girlfriends 900 that Geoff was talking about with the starter solenoid sticking because the key got jammed in the start position.

[Crazyswede]

I just remembered I had a problem with my 85 900 turbo last year where on right hand turns all the lights in the car would go dead. In the end it turned out that a dime had fallen down into the console and was rolling back and forth across the ignition switch. It was shorting out certain terminals and causing odd things to happen.

[xassh]

i would recommend that, rather than just 'checking' the ground points, to remove and clean, squish down any crimp connectors just a little tighter, then reinstall.

i have had bad grounds - that were tight! you just couldnt see that there was so much corrosion under there without taking it apart.

[DeLorean]

i would recommend that, rather than just 'checking' the ground points, to remove and clean, squish down any crimp connectors just a little tighter, then reinstall.

i have had bad grounds - that were tight! you just couldnt see that there was so much corrosion under there without taking it apart.

excellent point, and you have a California car!

[monte 283]

FWIW I had a similar problem in my 1984 900S; dead tach, low power, etc. Jerry Sweet advised me to pull the ignition relay, shine the spades up and put it back in; if that didn't work then swap in a good used relay. I cleaned up the spades and it solved the problem.

[saab90089]

Well sorry I have been fairly absent from this forum but I have been busy the past week with a Subaru Chairty Drive (I'll start up another thread for that when the time comes).

Anyway I have not expierenced this perticular problem during the past 100 miles of driving the car. At about mile 110 the problem happened again.

To imeadiatly solve it & to hope to get an idea as to where the problem might be....maybe. I started banging on various things: ignition area, top-driver corner of the dash, & top just to the right of the insturments on the dash.

The last item in that list cause everything to start working normal again. I know I porbably should have done something slightly more scientific to figure out the problem while it was presenting itself but for now that will work.

Ian