2000 Saab 9-5 Owner's Manual - Page 135

Starting and driving Recommended fuel: The engine in your Saab 9-5 is designed to operate on unleaded gasoline that has an octane rating of 87 or higher. Octane rating is determined according to the formula: MON + RON 2 135 possible running problems) is to keep the tank well filled. Before the onset of freezing temperatures in winter, it may be advisable to add gasoline anti-freeze to the fuel a few times to dispel any condensation in the system. where MON is the Motor Octane Number, and RON is the Research Octane Number. The average of these two values is the octane rating of the gasoline as it appears on the pump at a retail gas station. This value is sometimes referred to as the "Anti-Knock Index" (AKI) or the "Average Octane Number" (AON). To avoid deposit formation on the fuel injectors which can cause poor driveability, use only quality gasolines that contain detergents and corrosion inhibitors. Because gasolines sold at retail gas stations vary in their composition and quality, you should switch to a different brand if you begin experiencing driveability and/or hard starting problems shortly after refueling your car. In recent years, a variety of fuel additives and alcohols or oxygenates have been blended with gasoline. These types of gasolines may be found in all parts of the United States and Canada, but particularly in geographic areas and cities that have high carbon monoxide levels. Saab approves the use of such "reformulated" gasolines in its products, which help in reducing pollution from all motor vehicles, provided that the following blending percentages are met by such fuels: • Up to 10% ethanol by volume, with corrosion inhibitors. • Up to 15% MTBE by volume (methyl tertiary butyl ether). • Up to 5% methanol by volume, with an equal amount of a suitable co-solvent and added corrosion inhibitors. Other, less common, fuel additives used by some gasoline dealers are also acceptable, provided that the resultant gasoline is not more than 2.7% oxygen by weight. Some Canadian and U.S. gasolines contain an octane enhancing additive called methlycyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl WARNING • Never use fuel for any purpose other than as engine fuel. • Fuel is highly flammable and can cause severe burns. Never use an open flame in the vicinity of gasoline and do not smoke when refuelling. Opening the fuel filler flap in an emergency, see page 126. IB470