Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 07:10:32 -0500 From: "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com> Subject: Re: Help! check engine light on and off and engine runs cold
bmw540 wrote: > > I have a '95 900S convertible with 92K miles. the last few weeks, the > Check Engine light has been coming on, and the temp needle stays in > the cold zone. This happens intermittently, and after driving a while, > the needle goes to the middle. Also, sometimes when the needle goes > down, the air being blown out of the heater drops in temperature. I > live in minnesota, and winter is very cold here, and I need to get > this fixed. I am very busy and can't spend too much time leaving it at > the mechanic -can anyone suggest what may be wrong? > thanks! I had persistent check engine light problems with my 1996 900SE (85K miles). I also have problems with the engine taking a long time to warm up on very cold days. I won't go in to all the ins and outs of what happened with taking my car in to a Saab mechanic to have the computer checked for trouble codes that would indicate why the check engine light came on. Suffice it to say that you may want to make the relatively small investment of a new gas cap, just to see if that will cure the problem. In a similar quick fix vein, it seems that you may need a new thermostat. However, you may be able to cure the engine temperature problem by putting some aluminum foil in front of the radiator. That's what I did last winter, and then I took the aluminum foil out in the spring. On a recent long drive on the first very cold day of the winter here, the temperature guage wouldn't get out of the cold at all. So I stopped, bought a roll of aluminum foil, and put in a sheet in front of the radiator, which took care of the problem. The radiator grill snaps out to provide the necessary access. Of course, while the aluminum foil is in place, you need to keep an especially close eye on the temperature guage, to make sure that you don't overheat -- during prolonged stop-and-go traffic, for example.
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