Saab: Saab 9- 3, serpentine belts, saab dealer

Question
I have a 2002, 9-3 turbo, automatic. This year I have had to fix serpentine belts, throttle body twice, brake booster and more. The latest problem which has happened before,  is that the car will sometimes not start for quite a while. (40 minutes today.) The check engine says ok, all of the other panel lights come on, but it doesn't even try to turn over. It seems like it must be too hot or something?? The worst was today when both the oil light and general emergency symbol went on while driving. I immediately stopped. It wouldn't re-start. I added a little oil and waited, and it finally started 40 min. later. Now the emergency light and oil symbol are not coming on. Help! I feel like I'm putting in a fortune and nothing is really getting fixed properly.  Thank you.

Answer
Lori:
 I believe there are two separate problems, according to your description. When you note that it "would not even try to turn over" it suggests a malfunction when the engine is hot. If this is the case, that is, it always starts when cold, then I suspect the problem lies with the starter motor, inasmuch as it's quite common for a starter to fail when hot. {If my assumption is inaccurate, please respond with correction/clarification).

 The second [unrelated] problem I sensed involves the oil light going on while driving. When you added oil, the light went away. Did you check the oil level before adding? I suspect, the car was low on oil...does it habitually use oil in the course of normal driving?

Then you noted that the car would not "try" to turn over for 40 minutes or so...back to the first paragraph above, i. e., starter not functioning when the engine is hot, which shows consistency.

 Bottom Line:  I would consider a new starter (at least have a mechanic check it). A local garage can do the job at a much better price than the SAAB dealer). Secondly, watch the oil consumption, adding when necessary. If the consumption/loss is excessive (more than 1 quart per 500 miles), you may have more serious problems (valve guides, ring job, etc) running into the "thousands" to remedy. Also, when an engine burns lotsa oil, the possibility of a clogged catalytic converter increases. This could be very serious and dangerous to boot!! (I once had a car catch fire and burn up from "under me" (of course I jumped out!!) due to such a clogged converter.

              Hope this helps,
                            Jerry S.