QuestionQUESTION: My saab suddenly died on me the other night while I was
parking it on my street. It is a saab 900 s non turbo. I
know the serpentine belt needs to be changed, but it was
odd when it died and did not seem related. The radio
shorted out on and off and the computer screen went black
on and off and now the engine won't turn over but all the
dash components come on when I turn the key to "on". I've
checked the fuses and I'm going to check the wire block
connecting to the spark plugs (I had that problem on a
previous car) and go from there. Any other suggestions?
I suspect that it is either a fuel filter problem or one of
the many relays that are in my car.
ANSWER: Marc:
Based on your description, my belief is that your alternator has failed (or you have a slipping/worn out drive belt), hence your battery discharged which led to the car stalling. With a depleted/dead battery, it is possible that there is adequate energy remaining to light the instrument cluster, but not enough to energize the starter.
My recommendation: Charge up the battery with an external battery charger and then try starting the engine. If all is well then, the situation as described above is correct. You will need then to replace the alternator or drive belt to it and have the system thoroughly rechecked.
If the above doesn't work, feel free to get back to me, but with a more detailed explanation of your observations.
Jerry
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QUESTION: I did what you said and I didn't get anything. The same
problem persists, but not as bad? I guess you could say.
Could it be possible that it is just the serp. belt
considering it runs the alternator? I'm not sure if what
you are saying when you say "drive" belt because i'm not
all that car savvy.
Anyway, thanks for your time and I appreciate your
response.
ANSWER: Marc:
I did mean the belt that drives the alternator.
As I understand it, you DID charge the battery and then tried to start the car. Did the engine crank and turn over, (but not start)or was there no response whatsoever? If it did not crank at all, then there is a problem somewhere in the starting/charging system. Also, due to your speedy reply, can I assume that you DID recharge the battery before my reply? To properly recharge the battery would take at least 3-4 hours minimum. Unless you provide me with answers to these questions and more, I cannot but guess at the real cause of failure.
Another possibility is that there was a massive engine failure and the engine locked up and won't turn. Can that be ruled out?
Sorry for the sketchiness, but without the complete picture, that is the best I can do.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I actually had a spare battery that was fully charged and I
was charging the battery while I originally posted on here
(just in case). The engine is not turning over or
cranking. The only response I get is from the electrical
components. I don't think that it is massive engine
failure, or so I hope. The way the car shorted out and
then died doesn't indicate that has happened, but it has
151k on it, so I wouldn't put it past the car.
Sorry for the short answer, I replied while I was on my way
out the door to work. And again, thank you for your time.
AnswerMarc: Ok, more detail...good.
It now sounds like an electrical problem...do you have a voltmeter to check for voltages? The starter or starter solenoid should be considered. See if voltage is getting to the solenoid..there are 2 wires on the solenoid 12 V should be on the smaller of them when the key is in the 'start' position, but ALWAYS on the larger one since it comes directly from the battery.
This is still puzzling if one tries to link it to the sudden engine stoppage you experienced.
By the way, when you try to start it, do the instrument lights dim and/or is there a "click" from the solenoid?
Also, a bad ground wire could account for your observations.
As you can imagine, I am necessarily speculating based on limited info. Keep up the hunt!!
