UKSaabs

I few weeks ago I aquired a Saab Park Assist Module from a 2002 9-5.

Finally got around to plugging it in to my OG9-3 yesterday and result! It works.
First thing the SID said on startup was "Park Assist Failure" - there were no sensors plugged in.

Ran the Tech-2, updated the configuration and the Tech-2 was able to diagnose the problem (the sensors weren't plugged in!)


My next job is to find a set of sensors from a Dame Edna as these fit through the bumper skin rather than in a trim strip that won't fit the bumper of my 9-3.

I need to look up the wiring diagram, as I think it needs a permenent and a switched live, plus an earth and interface with the I-Bus. I bodged it into to connector for the CD-Changer which i'm not using, but I could only give it a permenent live on both feeds from there, and I don't want it to drain the battery.

Once i've finished i'll post up pictures and a wiring diagram for anyone else wanting to fit the proper sensors (essential mod on a 'vert IMO as there is so little visibility when the roof is up).

Opens up new possibilities for fitting mirror memory units (i'd need memory electric seats too mind!), and possible even folding mirrors if the mechanism can be transfered into the mirrors on the 9-3. I need to have a look through at what other modules sit on the I-BUS and might be able to be programmed in.

Need to try fitting a unit from a 9-3SS and see if Saab used the same coding on that I-BUS as well.

Finished fitting these today, however my phone has run out of battery so there are no pictures.

Step 1 - Bumper off and dismantled
Bumper removes with 4 M10 nuts underneath the plastic cover at the boot. Then lever back the sides and push rearwards. The bumper will fall off.

Getting the bumper apart was the hardest thing to do, second hardest was putting it back together!

Remove the 2 top pieces of polystyrene which give the top of the bumper some support when fitted.
There are 12 clips holding the aluminium crossmember in place which have to be pulled back. You need to do 3 on one side from one end, then lever the aluminium out at the end, then work along 2 at a time, then repeat for the clips on the other side. The plastic is quite soft and does spring back eventually when re-assembling.

To remove the main body of polystyrene you need to pull back the lower part and the top part together, then lift out the polystyrene. Needs 3 people in my opinion, but I did just manage to do it on my own by pulling back the lower and jiggling the body out.

My bumper skin already had holes for sensors drilled for the aftermarket sensors which had been fitted. I opened these out a little and cut some slots for the sensor housings from a DE 9-5. I think the skin on the 9-5 is a little thinner than the 9-3 as I had to bevel the edge slightly to get the clips to hold. I think in future I would remove all the tabs bar 1 from the sensor housing, and possibly bond them in to get a better fit. The housings are shaped to allow the sensors to point out horizontally from the bumper. The two outer ones will need to be rotated a little to allow for the curve of the bumper.

Fit your sensor housings, then your sensors, then the loom, with the connection to the car at the near-side of the car, above the exhaust. Tape some paper together in a long sheet, then rub an impression of where the sensors and the connectors are, and also the centre line of the bumper. Position this on the polystyrene and mark out where you'll need to cut the body to go around the sensors.

Cut out areas of the body to fit the sensors, I used a hot-wire cutter. You need to go deeper than the groove in the body to fit over the sensors.

Refit the body to the bumper. It may take a couple of attempts to get the cuts in the right place and deep enough to go around the sensors. Make sure the loose end is above the polystyrene. Refit the aluminium crossmember, tap into place with a rubber mallet until the clips clip.

You may want to repaint the bumper and sensors at this point to match your car as none of the DE colours will match an OG9-3. Don't spray too thickly over the sensors.

Remove the carpet from the near side of the boot and fit the SPA module. I went low down, using one of the mounting points for the CD changer as I don't have one anymore, the carpet is a snug fit over the top of it, higher up may be better, possibly off the rear light point next to the arial.

The connector for the bumper loom won't go through the hole in the boot floor used for the trailer wiring, so you'll need another 6-pin connector and length of loom to pass through the grommit. Make sure it matches the one for the boot loom, there are different tab positions so not all will fit.

Pass the wires from the loose connector up through the grommit, then join to the sensor connector for the SPA module. If the colours aren't the same on the wires, make sure you are connecting the right wires together. Doing it this way means that you can remove and reconnect the bumper to the car without having to re-do all the soldering on the loom.

Join the power/bus connector for the SPA module to the loom at the CD changer connector. The SPA module is supposed to have a permenent and a switched live, however the 9-3 doesn't have any switched lives rearward of the dashboard. Either put a new connection into the fuse board (5A should be enough) or splice into the switched power for the radio, or just connect them both SPA wires to the permenent live on the CD changer (I did this). The current draw of the SPA module appears to be negligable so it shouldn't cause a battery drain by being turned on all the time.

Before connecting the bumper, check the module is working correctly by turning the ignition on and putting the gearbox into reverse. The SID should flash "Park Assist Failure" as there are no sensors connected.

Assuming your wiring is right (and it's only 4 colour coded wires!), connect the bumper to the new connector above the exhaust and try the unit again. It should say "Park Assist" and beep if you wave stuff in front of it. If not, check your sensor wiring.

Refit the bumper and the trim and Robert is your mother's brother: you have genuine Saab Park Assist working through the SID. And in my case, I can now put the roof up and down without the parking sensors going nuts at me (I think they were getting interference from the roof signals).

Any fault codes can be diagnosed with Tech-2 as normal. Anything more in depth (such as checking the individual signals, whether the unit is getting the right triggers when reverse is engaged etc) has to be done as though the car was a 9-5.
Select "9-5" on the Tech-2, and a model year greater than 2001. It will give a warning about incorrect selection. Dismiss this, navigate to Diagnostics \ Body \ SPA. You are now in the SPA module and can diagnose as with any other module. There aren't many options or inputs on this unit, it's pretty simple.

Excellent work

Silly question..........would the same principle work for a retro-fit of a 2001 9-5 park assist to a 1998 9-5?

Yes.

You'd probably have it easier by just swapping the whole bumper over and avoiding the need to dismantle and cut at the bumper.

beardydave wrote:Yes.

You'd probably have it easier by just swapping the whole bumper over and avoiding the need to dismantle and cut at the bumper.

not sure if an estate and saloon have the same bumper?

9000Parts wrote:98 and 01 bumpers are totally different, let alone the saloon/estate differences.

even if both are pre-facelift?

9000Parts wrote:In that case no but dont recall seeing a pre-facelift 01 plate car before?

the Aero estate is on a Y-plate and has the number 1 as the 10th digit of the VIN.

Just double checked the EPC, every part of the estate bumper is a different part no. to the saloon.

I suspect they won't swap. It's not possible to remove the trim strip either to swap the sensors in. Looks like you'd need to find a pre-facelift saloon with sensors and swap that bumper in, or drill and fit the DE sensors.