So, hot off the press. I have just driven to work - about half a mile from home I stopped at a roundabout, there was a bingbong, and the car stalled with a message on the SiD about a traction control system problem.
I only saw it momentarily as I restarted the car, and the message disappeared. I then carried on my journey without incident.
Later I'll try and see if there are any fault codes stored, but in the meantime, should I be worried?
The only answer is to pull the fault codes, it could be a lot of things ranging from a transient stray cosmic ray (yes, really!) to a fault with the P bus or a module on it or the start of ECU failure.
I see a transient "Traction Control Failure" message almost every time I use my Tech 2 on the car. I clear it and everything is fine again. But I don't get a stall. As said, read a code and see if it's relevant. Sometimes random codes indicate a battery problem.
I think the battery is now around 5 - 6 years old......so into the danger zone :D
The message came up again when I started the car to come home from work, but restarting seemed to reset it.
Just done a scan using the Torque app, and there are no faults stored!
But I managed to get a photo of the error message when it did it in the car park at work!
What's the voltage of the battery before starting the car?
Not sure I'd be concerned. Some years back I used to pull up to a particular roundabout and it would throw the traction control code. There was some gravel and a bit of an uneven surface. Didn't do it every time, but now and again at the same spot. I think I'd try to reproduce the fault by driving the same stretch. Might just be a gremlin.
I will need to check.....
Quote from: Audax on 21 February 2025, 03:44:33 PM
What's the voltage of the battery before starting the car?
Just checked, and showing 12V before I start the car.
Twelve point what though? If it's 12.6-12.7 it's very healthy, it's it's just 12.0 then it is getting to replacement time. The split battery on mine was reporting 12.1V with the engine off but was obviously toast at that point.
Quote from: Steve McF on 21 February 2025, 10:29:46 AM
I think the battery is now around 5 - 6 years old......so into the danger zone :D
Aye. I always replace at 5 years, had so many failures pushing it beyond that point.
It showed as 12.0V, so probably on the way out.....
Any recommendations on a good replacement?
And could this voltage cause spurious fault messages like this one?
Quote from: Audax on 22 February 2025, 02:21:22 PM
Twelve point what though? If it's 12.6-12.7 it's very healthy, it's it's just 12.0 then it is getting to replacement time. The split battery on mine was reporting 12.1V with the engine off but was obviously toast at that point.
Yes it can..https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/e44/ , https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/bosch/s5008/
Ah ok.....had a quick look and as I read before, 027 batteries come up on a search, so are the 097 batteries heavy duty?
Sounds like the battery is failing so I would replace it first 027 were fitted to some cars and 096 to others, measure the battery you have before buying as removing the battery box and refitting the captive nut for the larger battery can be a pain or just get the 096 and get on with the job. The Tayna links from aerojon are good but I got a Varta blue a bit cheaper from amazon which is one range down compared to the one from Tayna and it was £84 with delivery.
Are you sure about "097". The battery in our Saab's are "096". The only 097 batteries I can find have square bolt-on terminals.
What is the voltage at the battery when cranking? Anything below 10v is a bad sign. But make sure the battery is fully charged before you test it.
www.tayna.co.uk are usually cheapest for new batteries, but the last time I bought a battery, Halfords were surprisingly the cheapest for an 096 Yuasa.
The 027 battery is a physically shorter, consequentially slightly lower capacity version of the 096 (not 097)
I had a 2.0t 9-5 that was fitted with an 027. it now has an 096
Quote from: sgould on 24 February 2025, 10:02:45 AM
Are you sure about "097". The battery in our Saab's are "096". The only 097 batteries I can find have square bolt-on terminals.
What is the voltage at the battery when cranking? Anything below 10v is a bad sign. But make sure the battery is fully charged before you test it.
www.tayna.co.uk are usually cheapest for new batteries, but the last time I bought a battery, Halfords were surprisingly the cheapest for an 096 Yuasa.
Sorry, typo on my part!!!! "096!"
The last time my battery died it happened without warning at around 8pm on a weekday night, meaning I was at the mercy of the AA man, and got charged about 120 quid for an 85 quid battery :o So want to sort it early if the battery is on the way out this time.
I'd say 12.0V and 5 or 6 years old is getting close to replacement time, you might be able to nurse it on another year or two but personally I wouldn't risk it as it will fail at an inconvenient time and it's a consumable anyway. Also with your spurious error message it's probably the cheapest diagnostic you can start with.
12v is about 20-30% charged..Ignore the searches 99.9999% of the time they're wrong when it comes to the 9-3 battery..The battery box on the MY03 onwards is the same size in all cars and fits 096 battery.. just to add the exide also https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/exide/ea770/
Well I started it up at work all ok, no message. Got onto the M40 started to accelerate, and bing bong, and what felt like a brief loss of power/limp home mode, and the Traction Control Failure warning on the dash again.
But then the car carried on, no loss of power, but with the message staying on the SiD, and the traction control light on on the cluster. I drove home without incident.
Spoke to Fraser at Bagnal Saab and so I am going to try and book it in asap.
I didn't use the car for work yesterday, but thought I'd try it again when nipping out locally in the evening. No fault lights, check OK, drove faultlessly - so thought I would chance taking it to work whilst I try and sort a new battery as the first port of call.
However, this morning it struggled to start, with the traction control fault message coming on at the same time before stalling. I did managed to start it, with the fault message coming on again and staying on, so decided against taking the car to work.
So he's sat outside the house now waiting for me to try and get another battery as the next step. Will report back when I've got a new one in the car, and see if the fault goes away......... :-\
Just replaced the battery with a 5 year guarantee S27 Yuasa from Halfords, and changed it in the dark on the drive with just a workshop light and an LED torch (and sockets and spanners of course!).
Let's see what happens.
Not sure the battery that came out was even the right one for the car.....
Well quick test run. Started up no fault lights at all. Drove down towards the end of the road and suddenly 'Traction Control Fault' message again, and the engine cut out. It did start again though, and I carried on my way, but a little while later there was a sort of stumble, like a momentary loss of power, even though I was going at a steady speed. No warnings or fault lights though.
Came home and switched off. New battery showing 12.7V before cranking, whereas old battery was down to 11.9V. I started the car again, and no traction control warning on SiD or light on the cluster :o
So although it was time to change the battery, it looks like it is something else :-[ :thumbdown:
The battery that came out is an 075,which is a low height version of the 027, which is a short version of the 096
I guess there's something else going on
Can you read the codes ?
Sadly my code reader only seems to show engine related faults, so keeps saying no DTCs.
Rather than a Tech2, you could consider an "eSID3". I bought one last June at the Saab Museum Festival. It's been left connected almost continuously since. It picks up codes, but it also shows live data like misfires.
https://www.esid.se
Another alternative is Tech2win
https://vxdiag.com/pages/gm-gds2-and-tech2win
It's a PC based emulator which uses the bit of kit that you use to access the NG 9-5 with the later GM GDS software. Get that & you get the Tech2 bit for free.
I have it running in a Win10 standalone laptop, and a VMware virtual machine
Tested it out, just for fun & it seemed to do what a proper Tech 2 would do... but you do need a bit of PC expertise to get it working
Quote from: sgould on 26 February 2025, 09:37:47 PM
Rather than a Tech2, you could consider an "eSID3". I bought one last June at the Saab Museum Festival. It's been left connected almost continuously since. It picks up codes, but it also shows live data like misfires.
https://www.esid.se
I love my eSID3, wish I'd got one way earlier. Although for 03-06 cars it's a different model so make sure you get the right one if you invest.
The most useful feature of eSID is if the engine light comes on when SWMBO is away from home. She can call me and I can tell here whether it matters or not. Usually not, and she can drive home.
Quote from: carrera on 26 February 2025, 09:52:51 PM
Another alternative is Tech2win
https://vxdiag.com/pages/gm-gds2-and-tech2win
It's a PC based emulator which uses the bit of kit that you use to access the NG 9-5 with the later GM GDS software. Get that & you get the Tech2 bit for free.
I have it running in a Win10 standalone laptop, and a VMware virtual machine
Tested it out, just for fun & it seemed to do what a proper Tech 2 would do... but you do need a bit of PC expertise to get it working
Update:
I tried to use this in anger this morning
It doesn't work in an OG 9-5, something to do with the i-bus vs p-bus communications
But it does work on NG 9-3, apparently, but I cannot test that
https://www.saabcentral.com/threads/tech2win-no-communication-with-dice-help-needed.748902/ (https://www.saabcentral.com/threads/tech2win-no-communication-with-dice-help-needed.748902/)
Used the Aero for the first time in a couple of weeks. Started it up, no faults.....idled for about 40 seconds and suddenly 'bing bong' "traction control fault".
So cleared the SiD and drove over to my mechanic (not a Saab specialist), who tried two different diagnostic systems on the car. Both came up with this code relating to traction control system/ABS module:
ff,00,e1,05
Just wondered if that means anything specific to anyone?
Oh and I then drove the 3 miles or so home with no fault codes or bing bongs at all!!
your diag tool can't read the abs/tc module..
Yeah going to try and get the car booked in with Bagnalls to investigate.
The Aero has been confined to sitting in the garage for much of the last few weeks, with the battery disconnected because of the random alarm and the traction control fault. I've been moving it in and out of the garage whilst I am painting the inside of it (the garage, not the Aero!!!), although I did use it the other day to give it a bit of a blast.
Looking forward to getting it to Bagnalls next week to get it all sorted, including the small oil leak. I've been wanting to get that Stage 1 remap at Noobtune for a long time, but wanted to make sure he's running OK first. Hopefully won't be anything massively expensive to sort out, but will find out next week!!! And they might put me back in a 9-5 courtesy car again, which is always a chance for me to reminisce about my own that I had all those years ago (and still miss to this day!!)!
Well, I have still not managed to get to Bagnall's. The courtesy car they'd lined up for me was not returned on the day I was due to go up, and has subsequently still not been returned as I found out this morning. So someone has booked their Saab in for some work, taken a courtesy car, and not made it back to collect their own!!! And this is now days later. They said they were struggling to get in touch with the customer - which might suggest something has happened: illness, accident, in hospital etc :( :-[
Anyway, as I was due to take the car to them last week, I reconnected the battery and used the car for 2 or 3 days to try and induce the traction control fault again. And depite motorway driving, A roads, B roads, cross country etc, there was no sign of the traction control fault!!! Until, after a couple of days, I had driven home, and not far from home as I was in traffic, and just puling away turning left at a nearby roundbout, "bing bong", momentary limp home/loss of power, and "Traction Control System fault" message on the SiD.
It then did it another couple of times in the next 24 hours, so I have not disconnected the battery since to ensure the fault codes don't get wiped.
Just hope I can rebook the car in soon to get it looked at. These niggly things get on my nerves - just want them sorted. The oil leak is the other main thing (possibly crank seal).
In the mean time though, is there anything simple I can check myself regarding the traction control fault? Wiring/connections/sensors cleaning etc?
Finally got the car booked in with Bagnalls in a couple of weeks again. I've been going out on drives trying to get the fault again and covered a lot of miles with no fault appearing.
Until I got to work this morning. As I was reversing into a parking space, bing bong, and 'stability control failure' message on the SiD, which soon changed to 'traction control failure'.
Will see what the car is like later, but I did notice when I got in the car and tried to start it, I turned the key, all usual dash lights on, yet nothing happened - no cranking, nothing. Took the key out, then tried again, and it started ok. Not sure if these things are connected, or my car is just falling apart ha ha :P ::)
Today, Jet, the black Aero, made it to Bagnals in Brum!!
I was hopeful that they'd find the cause of the traction control/stability control fault, as it had a done it a few times in the last few days. Yet, despite that, no fault codes were stored!!
And despite road testing and running on the ramp, the traction control fault would not manifest itself at all, so they couldn't capture any codes.
All sensors and modules are working ok, and all wiring is intact and ok. So Fraser has cleaned everything up, and suggested I just drive it and if it does it again, to get it back to them.
Only other thing was the oil leak, which was due to the crank seal. So all done for far less than what I was expecting to be paying, but with a question mark over what the cause of the traction control issue was!!
Drove home and car was great, and no faults at all. I am hoping that the cleaning of the sensors and connections, and refitting everything may have sorted it......will see.............
could be a cracked reluctor ring..
I was going to suggest the same. I hadn't noticed anything untoward like the classic ABS buzzing when slowing to a stop, mine only triggered when I got above 60mph. So it didn't show around town, only when I was well into a journey.
The 9-3 doesn't have reluctor rings...
When it did do it, it seemed a bit random.
a) 75mph on the motorway
b) 50mph country roads
c) Low speed crawling in traffic
d) Pulling away from a junction
e) Idling on the driveway soon after starting
f) Reversing into a parking space
No real pattern, just all of the above at different times!!!!
It does sound like a dodgy connection on a wheel speed sensor.
If it was, I'm hoping he may have fixed it during checking everything, cleaning it all, and reconnecting everything!!
The fault has not reappeared since I left central Birmingham yesterday, and I took the car to work and back today, and did a bit of a run out on country and town roads this evening.
Well that's that then!!!
Been using the car for work and took it for a country drive last night. Then today, went to work again, and this afternoon drove to Cardiff. Car ran like a dream......and then as I got to the M50/M4 junction whilst doing about 60mph.....bing bong Traction Control System Fault.....and when I pressed clear, it changed to Stability Control System Fault!!!
Knew it had to be too good to be true ::)
Still en route back now, and it has done it once more again!!!
Back home now, and despite fault light being on, car performed ok. But there were a couple of instances where the car dropped out of cruise control without warning - not sure why, or if it is connected?
Dropping out of cruise control is linked to movement of the pedals
I would check the connections, switches & mountings for the brake & clutch pedals
If you are feeling brave simply disconnect them electrically & road test, but note, you will have to switch off the cruise manually then (assuming the 9-3 is similar to the 9-5)
Apparently the car threw the traction control fault for our mechanic as he took the car to and from his garage for the MOT, but as always, no faults retained!!!
So it got me thinking - whilst code readers can't read the Saab suspension/non-engine fault codes, I was wondering if Op-Com might be able to?
I have an Op-Com from our days of having a Zafira, and if I can get the car to do the fault , I need to plug up to the car with something that can read it before I turn the ignition off.
I don't know about Op-Com, but I'm having success with the eSID I bought last summer in Trollhättan. It reads all the Saab codes
eSID is excellent, I wish I hadn't held off so long before getting one.
Indeed. I wish Ihad got one a lot earlier. It's not just the direct reading, but indirect too, I showed SWMBO how to access the codes and when an engine light came on when she was 80 miles away, she could tell me what it was and I could tell here it was OK to drive home!! :) That one incident probably paid for it!!
Limited success with Op-Com, but it didn't recognise the type of car even though it did get the VIN number. Anything to do with the engine/transmission/chassis doesn't seem to work. But other stuff does, like the body control module, climate control system etc. But when it came to the ABS / traction control system, nothing doing!!!!! ::) :'(
Well I had written off the Op-com in being able to help diagnose the traction control/stability control fault. The car had been behaving itself and hadn't thrown the fault for a little while.....until today!! On my way home, doing 50mph on an A road and "bing bong", momentary stutter, and then he carried on driving OK, but with the warning showing!!! This time, I didn't press clear - I left it - determined to get home and try and plug something into the car before I turned the engine off to see if I could capture anything at all in the way of DTCs.
So I parked up with engine running, ran into the house to grab my ancient laptop and Op-com, and back out to plug it all into the car!!!! With the traction control system fault message still on the SiD, and the TCS warning light on the cluster, I plugged the Op-com in. I didn't hold out much hope because last time, it seemed incapable of talking to some systems on the car, including the ABS/TCS etc.
So I scanned through the BCM etc checking to see if the other faults it previously found were still there (LHS rear door switch, and a front fog light open circuit, and sure enough, they were). Then I thought I would just try the Chassis items again, and the first thing on the menu is the ABS/TCS - and to my surprise, it connected, and threw up this DTC:
U2105-00 CAN-Bus No Communication with ECM (Engine Control Module)
In various other modules I got these codes too, which may, or may not be connected:
B3057-48 <Unknown DTC>
B1023-09 <Unknown DTC>
B1023-57 <Unknown DTC>
U2155-71 <Unknown DTC>
I then turned the ignition off and on again to do another scan to see if the codes had disappeared, and the TCS fault came up on the SiD, and the car didn't start, but there was a loud buzzing from either the back of the steering wheel, or within the instrument cluster itself (if I can upload the video I took, I'll try and put it on here asap). I got this a couple of times, until I switched it all off locked the car, then unlocked and tried again, and the car started normally.
So am I any further forward? Is it all a disaster, or could it be something simple?
I have emailed all this info back to Fraser at Bagnals, who could not get the car to misbehave when he had it, so will see if any of that means anything to them. But I was impressed that the Op-com did actually find something......so it wasn't useless after all, and I didn't even have to go out and buy a new one!!!!! I had it in my toolbox gathering dust for the last few years!!!! And the ancient laptop I was going to get rid of, now has a new purpose again!!!!
From distant memories of those codes it's possibly/probably a bus problem, there's a chance with this that it's a CIM or MIUl problem or a bad earth or a couple of different problems. First off the actual fault code logged suggests a CAN bus problem between the ABS module and the engine ECU, possibly wiring or a bad earth but I think that connection runs into either the CIM on the MIU (main instrument unit, the speedo cluster) and that a faulty module there can cause weird issues like this, unfortunately it's 13 years or more since I last looked at anything like this and I've forgotten a lot of what I used to know.
B3057-48 <Unknown DTC> SCL not added
B1023-09 <Unknown DTC>
B1023-57 <Unknown DTC>
U2155-71 <Unknown DTC>
The B1023 sub codes don't exist,same goes for the U2155 sub code..
the only B1023 code= SID button is stuck,the only U2155 is U2155 1F O-bus. Intermittent Open Circuit before Control Module..
B1023 57 has a code: https://saabwisonline.com/9-3-9440/2003/dtcs/icm3/b1023-57
it's not showing in 04-06 codes 06 isn't even showing ICM1,2 or 3 just ICM...Plus no mention of what MY the car is in the thread..
It's not uncommon for the fault codes to not be in the correct years for wis, sometimes you need to look in the wrong year's to find them.
Quote from: aerojon on 24 July 2025, 07:53:39 PM
it's not showing in 04-06 codes 06 isn't even showing ICM1,2 or 3 just ICM...Plus no mention of what MY the car is in the thread..
The car is a 56 reg pre-facelift dash example, so assume 2006MY.
So since my last post on this, I have barely used the car. Been busy trying to get two of our other cars through MOT, which they did (one straight through no probs, the other with a bit of work following a fail ::)). I'm also in the process of getting my garage floor sorted (door threshold fitted, conrete floor prepped/primed/painted, hooks on the wall for ladders etc), and navigating around a calender that my missus keeps filling up with other stuff which slows me down!!!!! :o
Anyway, daughter came back for a few days yesterday and said she needed my 107 this week, so step forward the 9-3 on work transport duty again. Now each time I go out in it, I expect the traction control fault to appear at some point. Normally once it has done, there are no further issues, although the light is on on the dash. But I wouldn't risk a long journey in it. It's about 10 miles to work, so this morning, I took the Saab. Got part way through the journey and the road was closed, and the diversion sent me on single track back roads cross country. Everything was OK till i got to a T junction where I had to turn right onto a busy road. When I got the chance, I pulled out in spirited fashion so as not to cause anyone to have to brake etc, and as I was accelerating - bing bong traction control system fault - I pressed the clear button to clear the message on the SiD and the car carried on as normal.
But a couple of miles further on and I was in traffic, but all moving at 30mph through a village. The guy in front slowed to let a truck out of a junction, so I slowed too, probably to about 20mph, and then we put our foots down to pick up speed again......only when I pressed the accelerator pedal, the car continued to slow down/no power. I blipped the pedal and pressed it down further and then the power came back. There was no bing bong at this point, but I have never experienced that before, and the engine didn't seem to cut out/no ignition lights came on.
So now, I am minded to not drive the car again (once I get home tonight) until I can definitely get it booked in with Bagnals. I previously emailed them with the codes i got out of the car using Op-Com before, but I did not hear back from them. So time for a phone call, and get it booked in, because something is not right and possibly deteriorating........ just hope it can make the journey into the middle of Birmingham when the time comes :o
5pm on the same day. Got back to the car - SiD saying traction control fault immediately (instead of OK) and the car won't start.
Now waiting for the AA.......
Ouch! :(
Sounds like a CIM fault. Does anything happen when you insert the key? Steering lock release?
How's the battery voltage?
Doesn't start or doesn't turn over...which is it,there NOT the same thing..
I'd be looking at the abs/tc module..
Yes steering lock did release each time. Battery voltage was around 12.5V before cranking, and the battery is only about 3 months old.
Initially the car did turn over for a second or so, and then the traction control fault appeared on the SiD, cranking stopped, and there was a buzzing from behind the drivers side dash. After this when I tried to start it, instead of Check OK, the SiD immediately started showing the fault, car would not turn over, and the buzzing was still there.
I tried to start the car several times whilst waiting for the AA man and each time it was the same - immediate fault, no turning over, and the buzzing from the dash.
Then 5 minutes before the AA man arrived, I tried it again.....Check OK, and the car started, no fault lights!!! When he arrived, it again started with no problem. He did a diagnostic scan and got the code U2105. He had a look around the wiring and couldn't see anything, apart from he peeled some sleeving back at a harness junction on the passenger side of the engine, and found what appears to be a repair to one of the wires contained within. I'll try and get a pic when I can.
Otherwise car was running as normal. So he followed me home to make sure all was well, and I got home with no faults!!!!
So no further forward, but have quite a lot of symptom descriptions and fault codes to get investigated......
There are various sub codes to U2105. All related to computer bus problems.
Full list of codes here https://saabwisonline.com/9-3-9440/2006/dtcs/#miu
U2105 ** appears in the TCS section and others.
Harness with 'repaired' wires.....
More.....
And again....
Nothing to do with the TC,that's the ionization module wiring..
Ah OK.....red herring then? :-[
Quote from: sgould on 27 August 2025, 07:15:57 PM
Sounds like a CIM fault. Does anything happen when you insert the key? Steering lock release?
CIM fault would be my best guess too.
Guessing!!,IMO=£££££££££££££
Quote from: aerojon on 29 August 2025, 07:18:11 PM
Guessing!!,IMO=£££££££££££££
Don't think anyone is suggesting repairing based on a guess and you'd need Tech-2 to go any further, but given the U2105 fault code and the symptoms CIM is the best guess I can make without having the car in front of me.
Can a CIM module be repaired, or are new ones /refurbed ones available (if it is the CIM)?
I need to get the car to the specialisr, armed with the fault codes and symptoms I have in this thread. Given that the car is not guaranteed to exhibit the issues whilst with the specialist, should they be still able to investigate?
Fraser checked all the sensors and wiring last time, but as the car was functioning ok, he found no cause.
I believe you can get repair kits for the cim, given what you've said so far this is exactly how cim faults used to manifest. They'd be a bit weird and intermittent and if you were lucky they'd die. Saying that I replaced loads with symptoms like yours and never got it wrong but that was 15 years ago now.
As long as you don't disconnect the battery, or clear the codes, the specialist will be able to read them.
The 9-3 has codes with two more digits than the basic set, but they are only readable with a Tech2 or eSID3, as far as I'm aware.
The last time I took the car to the specialist, I hadn't disconnected the battery, or cleared any DTCs, since the last time the fault appeared. But each time I turned off the ignition and turned it on again, the faults/DTCs seemed to clear, so when Bagnals had the car it was not demonstrating the fault, and they couldn't get any codes out of it. That made me think there was a dodgy connection somewhere that was occasionally breaking the circuit, which would simulate a disconnected battery.....but I could be way off the mark with that theory!!!
But at least I managed to get some codes using the Op-com on the one occasion I got home with the fault showing, and I hadn't turned the ignition off. The previous time I tried the Op-com when no fault was showing (but had done on a previous journey) it did not find anything other than a BCM fault to do with one of the door lock mechanisms
This video (although for a V6) has similar non start symptoms to what I had last week. He gets the U2105 code as well, but he also gets a P0605 code relating to the ECU which we have not picked up on my car.
https://youtu.be/akyq0j9G_2M?si=Cr-R3snhedscmklU
Cyclone Sid (and someone else) talks about an ABS module repair for a code U0212 for a no crank/no start issue in another video, but we have not picked up that code either.
I have just been looking at SaabCentral and found a thread where someone describes very similar symptoms to what I am getting (whilst driving), and the associated U2105 code:
https://www.saabcentral.com/threads/advice-diagnosing-u2105-tcs-esp-and-check-engine-lights.749440/?post_id=6579400&nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#post-6579400
He found an issue thus:
"For anyone who comes across this same fault - the issue was caused by a poor ECM ground. A home-made ECM spacer setup was installed by the previous owner and the ground strap coming off the ECM was a bit dodgy. Fixed that up and the problem was solved."
A while back, I installed the Noobtune ECU heatshield kit, which has a new earth wire. Looks like first thing is to check before booking it in with the specialist might be the connections on that, clean them up, and refit, do a DTC clear, and see how we go............
Well I had a quick look at the earth cabling around the ECU and seems ok, but I don't have a decent multimeter to check the earth from there to the negative terminal on the battery. Must invest in one.
The car has not moved since the AA incident a couple of weeks back, but this morning the alarm went of randomly again, so I grabbed the old laptop and op-com, and plugged straight in to see if there were any new codes associated with the alarm. There were no new fault codes related to that (same codes as before). Whilst looking at the laptop, with ignition on, but engine not running at all, the traction control fault suddenly came up on the SiD, so I checked the codes and thought I got the same U2105 code I'd got before, but noticed it was actually U2103-00.
Not sure that makes much difference?
Got to get the car to Birmingham (if it'll make it) or find a local auto electrician who may be able to check the wiring/earths for me.
U2103 00 is a parking heater fault. I doubt that you have a parking heater. It's a Scandinavian thing for winter.
This is what I got ..
Similar CAN bus communication issue to what I got before.
U2103 varies depending on what module it's discovered in, it's clear it's TCS/ABS https://saabwisonline.com/9-3-9440/2004/dtcs/tcs/u2103-00
I would still suggest it's likely a faulty CIM unit or possibly ECM or TCS module, possibly wiring but CIM sounds the most likely from the descriptions so far. Although, if you fitted an ECM heat shield and don't have a multimeter and haven't cleaned the grounds that might be the case, or maybe you damaged the ECM when fitting the spacer?
The heatshield kit was fitted last year so has been on the car for a fair few miles now. So hopefully the ECU is OK.
Op-com can scan for CIM faults, but when i did check that, it said no DTCs were present for it. But whether it would show a fault, I don't know.
When they start to fail they won't necessarily show any fault, I remember replacing a fair few back in the day when they were super expensive (well over a £1000+ bill!) with fingers crossed that it would solve the problem, especially when it was intermittant similar to what you described.
Managed to acquire a new multimeter and did a quick resistance check between the earth connection on the ECU/heatshield kit and the negative terminal on the battery. Got a reading of 0.6 ohms.
Spoke to Bagnals about getting the car to them, but need to call back on Monday when they can confirm a date - hopefully not too far in the future!!
Quote from: Audax on 22 September 2025, 02:42:28 PM
When they start to fail they won't necessarily show any fault, I remember replacing a fair few back in the day when they were super expensive (well over a £1000+ bill!) with fingers crossed that it would solve the problem, especially when it was intermittant similar to what you described.
What is it that fails in a CIM, and can it be repaired? Is the CIM a common part with any other cars?
The electronics break down, there's a repair kit and they are Saab specific and require tech2 to fix. I'd still get it diagnosed properly as it could be something else but without seeing the car or you having the right diagnostic tools you're not going to make any progress.
The car is still sat in my garage - I was all due to take it up to Bagnals a few weeks back, when the hospital rang and brought forward an eye op hospital appointment, so I had to cancel/postpone. I'll try and call them again in the next couple of days to try and get it booked in.
But today I had the day off, so decided to do one of the checks that Cyclone Syd recommended in one of his videos, and that was the earth connection to the body under the battery tray. These apparently corrode, so it is worth cleaning it all up with a wire brush, and putting some grease on it.
Well I got as far as removing the battery, and starting to take out the torx fixings holding the battery tray in place. The first two came out no problem, but the last one was stuck fast, and looking a little corroded itself. And then the torx head started to round off, meaning I couldn't get it out!!! So I decided to leave that for the specialist when I get the car back in.
But, what I did find was 3 relays in the box in front of the battery box clicked into place when I pressed them, suggesting they might not have been fully in place to begin with. There was another in the main fuse box too. Probably a red herring, but I thought I'd just clean the contacts, and refit each of them, ensuring they were clicked in place fully.
Finally got round to trying to remove that battery tray again to check for corroded earth terminals underneath. A screw extractor set failed to shift the stubborn torx bolt/screw, and I ended up tryint to drill it out. Even that wasn't going too well, until I was able to wedge a wide flat head screwdriver into the hole and physically start turning the bolt. So I got it out, and took the battery box out to find that actually, things seems to look OK under there. No notable corrosion that I could see, but I still undid what I could, wire brushed it and used contact cleaner, and then put back together. There is an earth point on the top of the longitudinal/chassis leg, another on the inner side of it pointing into the engine bay, and another on the gearbox mount.
The one on the top of the chassis leg and the gearbox mount were easy to access and clean up, but the one on the inside edge of the chassis leg was not easy to get to because of a very stiff harness that passes over the top of it (and which I still stuggled to move very far, even with the clip holding it doen removed. So I left that one for now - that said, there was no sign of corrosion on it.
I took the opportunity to also unclip the big connector into the ABS module and clean that with contact cleaner too. By that time, it was nearly 8pm, so I called it a day. However, the beauty of having a proper water tight garage is that I can leave the car in there, open, and tools all out for when I come back to it!!!!!! :thumbsup:
All back together now, any different ?
Not back together yet. I left it mid job on Friday and not been back to it since, but hope to put it together maybe tomorrow night, and then need to give it a blast. It's been parked in our garage for about 5 weeks!! Problem is the TCS fault could appear after 10 miles, or not till over 200 miles!! Or if I've been successful, might not come back at all 😉😉😉 We'll see.....
Quote from: carrera on 07 December 2025, 05:23:13 PM
All back together now, any different ?
Well, took a half day off and got back to it. Got a replacement M8 bolt for the battery tray, and greased the 3 earth connections I'd previously cleaned up and refitted. Refitted the battery tray and just sprayed the fixing heads with a bit of grease to prevent them corroding like the one I had to butcher.
Battery back in, scuttle panel on (after sealing around the pollen filter housing a couple of weeks back), bonnet closed, tyres pumped up .... and......start the car!!
Check OK, which is what we like to see!!!
So thought I'd brave taking the car out on the road for the first time since the no-start AA incident a few weeks ago. Did some dual carriageway driving, country road driving, and town driving in traffic etc. Got a bit of fuel (Tesco Momentum), and then a bit more stop start rush hour traffic, before heading back home.
Not a murmur, not a bing bong, no error message, and no stuttering/momentary loss of power. So that's good so far.
I might start chancing taking the car to work again and live with it a bit. It might not have thrown the traction control fault today, but there's always next time. We'll see........
Then again.....
Took the car out again today for a bit of a spin with high hopes. But then suddenly at 50mph cruising in the outside lane of the A46 with an HGV behind me doing the same (through some road works, 50mph limit), I got the dreaded bing bong, momentary loss of power and 'Traction Control' message on the SiD. As before, I was able to keep driving with no further symptoms.
Got home and did another Op-Com scan, and tried to start the car on and off, and had a couple of dodgy starts where the traction control message came up immediately.
This time I now got:
U2103-00 No Communication with CAN-Bus (High Speed)
U2105-00 CAN-Bus No Communication with ECM
I don't think I've previously got both of these codes together (got one or the other).
So, it's not the battery (fairly new battery fitted earlier this year), and it's not those earth points that I have just cleaned up.
I got a few other DTCs in different modules that are probably the same ones I got previously:
B1023-57 Unknown DTC
B3057-48 Unknown DTC
U2155-71 Unknown DTC
U2100-00 Unknown DTC
B0195-02 Unknown DTC
So definitely going to get onto Bagnal now to get the car booked in asap (which will be January now anyway).
There's a full list of codes here, but be careful, some of the codes you show are not on the Saab list. So I think you need a proper Saab Tech2 read.
https://saabwisonline.com/9-3-9440/2007/dtcs/
This is the second one: https://saabwisonline.com/9-3-9440/2007/dtcs/bcm/b3057-48
Thanks, Will.
Absolutely, this year has been a funny one. If I was using the 9-3 as my only car I'd have had it with the specialist much much sooner. Although the one time I did have it in for investigation with Bagnall, the car would not show the fault!!!! So Fraser couldn't actually diagnose it.
It didn't really change much until the day I had to get the AA out, and because I couldn't risk that happening again, the 9-3 got parked up for weeks (during which time I also had an eye operation, so everything got pushed back again!!).
I'll try and get the car booked in asap now, and hopefully it'll make it to Birmingham OK. But otherwise, I just don't trust it enough to use regularly until this is diagnosed and fixed onced and for all.
Interestingly, one of the unknown DTCs is B3057-48, which in the WIS relates to a BCM "control module not programmed" that causes the car not to start. I had a couple of incidences this afternoon where it didn't want to start.
B1016-00 seems to relate to VIN not programmed into CIM control module.
U2155 seems to relate to the DVD/navigation system, that I don't have, although I do have an ICM3 head unit (but no sat nav etc). B1023 57 also relates to the ICM3, but there doesn't seem to be any problem with the ICM3.
B0195-02 relates to the interior fan rotor 'blocked'. It does sound like it might be catching as it starts up. I did grease the upper bearing, and it got better, but it may be the fan needs replacing.
A few words of advice from my experience with the 9-5 NG's
Don't worry about all the codes. When running diagnostics you need to start with a clean sheet so that only the new ones show up.
These modern cars seem to like throwing ghost codes for fun
I also remember using a generic code reader on an OG which gave one gearbox error code. Tech 2 showed a different one...
I won't be clearing any DTCs before I can get the car in for a proper Tech2 scan. Often the case that there is the one main DTC that triggers other ones, but they all disappear when the root cause is fixed.
Will see!!!
Car now booked in, but earliest they could get it in was 28th January!!! :o
Just out of interest, pre-empting my visit to Bagnals later this month, are ABS modules and CIM units out of later cars compatible with earlier cars such as my 2006? I've seen a few post facelift breakers being advertised and wondered!!
And are the parts the same regardless of power unit?
Not sure, but I seem to remember someone saying that petrol and diesel are different.
Can't see why the ABS modules would be different, but I can see the CIM module needing to talk to the ignition system on a petrol for immobilisation
I would be careful as I vaguely recall that CIM modules for ESP are different to those for TCS, and early CIM units won't work with later cars but later units work with earlier cars. Also, ABS modules can be service programmed and the earlier ones can put a spurious code about the ABS pump in if they've not been updated and basically no specialist knows about this and will suggest you replace the module as the steps to reprogram it are fairly obscure and not clearly laid out in WIS.
It's a 096 that you need. I don't know why the search engines come up with 027. All the Saabs that we have owned were new enough to still have the factory fitted battery when purchased and they were all 096.
The Tayna battery site gives the dimensions of all the batteries they sell.
Yep 9-3 uses a 096 battery 278mmx 175mmx190mm...As above i don't why the wrong size battery is listed for the 9-3 as they(MY03 onwards) all take a 096..
Quote from: sgould on 26 January 2026, 03:31:26 PM
It's a 096 that you need. I don't know why the search engines come up with 027. All the Saabs that we have owned were new enough to still have the factory fitted battery when purchased and they were all 096.
I have seen the smaller batteries as factory fit way back when, all early cars with either the 1.8t or 2.0t.
Well day of reckoning is here at last.
Just dropped my car off after a tense run from Warwick to Bagnalls.
Car took several attempts to start, even though battery was fully charged last night to be sure.
Then TCS/SCS fault appeared about a mile into the journey, and I had a couple of incidents of the car stuttering, losing power and the battery light flickering.
But I made it up the M40/M42 and through all sorts of rush hour traffic in Birmingham to finally get there.
I left a list of fault codes in the car that I've previously got using Op-Com, but hopefully this time they are getting the car just after it has thrown the fault (and done some other weird stuff on the way), and Tech2 will give them more clues.
Let's hope they can get tp the bottom this. Most helpful that she's just been giving loads of trouble.
Based on your comments above, I'm thinking this might be a loom / earth problem, which are not the easiest to solve...
Fingers crossed
Well when I saw the battery light flickering, I did wonder. I haven't seen that before, although it didn't give any fault message on the SiD, and no engine light.
A couple of times pulling away from rest, the car seemed sluggish in first gear, but fine in second, so not sure what was happening. I hope that as ther car played up when starting, and whilst driving and the TCS/SCS fault appeared, that they can get some god info via Tech2. Last time the car was there, it would not exhibit the fault (like it wouldn't when the AA guy came out to me!!! ::) :o), and there were no fault codes to go on. >:(
I looked at the three earth points under the batery tray before Christmas - they seemed to be OK/not corroded, but I still cleaned them up with a wire brush, just to be sure. Didn't fix it though ha ha
The Aero is still with Bagnalls, but Fraser called yesterday to say he thinks they might have got to the bottom of the TCS and starting issues. There was another bad earth I had missed by the ECU, and he said they replaced (I think it was) an ABS control unit. The oil leak was the timing chain cover gasket, and they tracked down the random alarm triggering to be due to a dodgy rear door switch solenoid. That part they didn't have, but he's holding onto the car so they can fit it when it arrives.
Other than that they've also done the well overdue service.
So, really hoping they've managed to get my boy back on the road reliably again. I must admit, I had started to look at him sat in the garage and wonder if I should SORN him and break him for spares.
But if he's running well, I might just get up to Nottingham to see Karl at Noobtune for that Stage 1 remap I've been promising myself since I bought the car!!!!
Fingers crossed and I'll update you once the car is back!!!!
Oh, you'll notice the difference with the remap.
Really notice the difference
Enjoy your new car, when you get it back :Fawlty:
Well today I got the train to Brum and a short Uber ride from Moor Street to Bagnalls to pick my boy up at last!!!!
So in theory, the door lock (random alarm triggering), and the traction control fault should be sorted. Also had a well overdue service. Only thing outstanding is the oil leak, which is not a big one, so will get that in again asap to get the timing chain cover gasket replaced.
But back to the TCS/SCS fault, they replaced something on the ABS system (not the module itself), and fixed another dodgy earth at the ECU.
The last time I drove the car, it was tentatively up the M40/M42 in the inside lane in case of breakdown.....which luckily it didn't do, but made for a tense drive all the same.
Today, what a difference. Car seemed smoother and altogether nicer to drive....and more to the point, no TCS fault message at any point on the drive home!! Fingers crossed it carries on like that.
Tonight is the first time I have parked the car outside with the alarm set for a couple of months, so hoping no more random alarm trips......watch this space.
But already, I feel better about the car again.....after starting to think I might break it for spares.....nooooo!!!!
Back on the agenda:
- replace driver's side front wing with a better one I have
- sort front bumper paintwork, fit Aero front splitter (and dummy antenna cover) both of which I have
- stage 1 Noobtune remap
- alloy refurb (no rush on that but needs doing)
- could do with getting another driver's seat, or refurbing current seat as leather/foam base is knackered
- rusty rear wheelarch cut out and replace (as and when funds allow)
Mmmmmm it's back as my project car again!!!!!
Most encouraging, fingers crossed for you
It's been a long few months.....
Took the Saab to work this morning, first time since it wouldn't start a couple of months back. Including the run back from Brum on Friday, that is two reasonable journeys with no traction control fault at all, so looking good at the moment :)
Sounds good, I hate the anxiety of a car that was unreliable getting fixed as it takes a few weeks to gain confidence back in it. I had that with my 9-3 and the faulty battery with the random symptoms!
Quote from: Audax on 09 February 2026, 12:16:02 PM
Sounds good, I hate the anxiety of a car that was unreliable getting fixed as it takes a few weeks to gain confidence back in it. I had that with my 9-3 and the faulty battery with the random symptoms!
Yes that's the main thing. In all the years of having cars, we've only ever had one that has physically broken down whilst out on a journey, and that was our Zafira DTi when the oil cooler failed. But we managed to get that fixed, and it is still on the road to this day. the only other times I have been let down, was when cars wouldn't start, normally because the battery has died. That happened with this car early in my ownership too, but then didn't happen again until the TCS related incident when the AA had to be called at work a couple of months back.
But this prolonged period of the intermittent TCS fault, and not being able to get it diagnosed initially (as the car seemed to lose the fault codes/DTCs, and /or not demo the issue when the specialist tried to look at the fault), coupled with the random alarm triggering, the door that would/wouldn't lock sometimes, and the chirping interior fan...oh and the 3rd oil leak from the RHS of the engine since I've had the car, ....it was all conspiring to make me look at the car sat in my garage and wonder whether I should get rid!!! But luckily, the car is back and running well!!!
It's day 5 now of using it as my daily driver again, and no incident!!! No misfires, no stuttering, not TCS fault/loss of power, no random alarm triggering....it's bliss again!!!
I even treated the car to a full tank of Tesco Momentum last night :D :Fawlty: :Fawlty: :Fawlty:
Over a week now since I collected the Aero from Bagnalls and have been using it as my daily driver since, and all is well.
No TCS fault and no random alarm triggering. But also....the front passenger door lock is working as it should whereas before it often would not lock or unlock. I'm surprised at that as the dodgy lock showing on Tech2 was the driver's side rear door, and they replaced a door lock solenoid as I understand it.
There's a possibility that the earth they cleaned up was shared with the door so the solenoid can operate properly.