UKSaabs

Hi guys,

I recently bought a 2005 9-3 2.0T Aero and I’ve been having a couple of issues with it.

A little bit of backstory, I purchased the car last Monday and the previous owner had only done about 100 miles in it since It’s MOT in October 2018, he said it was due to him only using the car to ferry his customers to the train station (he ran a valeting service). After doing all the checks and test drive I purchased it and drove it home which took about an hour where I didn’t notice any issues.

Here’s where the issues start. After driving the car a couple of days later I noticed that it lost acceleration in first and second gear when pulling off, with the boost gauge limiting itself to halfway. However the engine light itself did not turn on. though this isn’t an issue in the other gears, after taking it home and restarting the engine the issue seemed to have disappeared. I also noticed on hard and soft acceleration it sometimes feels like the clutch is slipping.

This Saturday I changed the oil and spark plugs (Castrol 0w-30 and NGK platinum spark plugs) and the car seemed to run a bit smoother. However today I took the car for a longer drive and noticed that the same issue has reappeared, this time with the engine warning light switching on! I pulled over and restarted the car and whilst the 1st & 2nd gear acceleration issue going away, the engine light stayed on.

I googled the issue and thought that it may be an issue with the MAF sensor, so I’ve cleaned it with contact cleaner and the issue still hasn’t disappeared. Anyone have any idea what could be wrong?

Also I’ve ordered an OBD scanner which will arrive tomorrow, hopefully I can get some codes.