Saab 1987 900 Owner's Manual page 60

58 Car care and scheduled maintenance
cable to a solid, stationary metallic
point on the engine of the car with .the
discharged battery, as
fa~ ~s p~sslble
from the battery (such as hftmg nng on
cylinder head). Do not allow the vehicles
to touch.
D. Start engine of vehicle with discharged
battery.
E. Remove booster cables by reversing the
above procedure. Remove last negative
(-) connection first.
NOTE! Do not reverse the battery con-
nections. If the cables are reversed, even
momentarily, the alternator will be
damaged. The insulated positive cable
must be connected to the positive
(+)
post of the battery and the ground cable
to the negative (-) post. The battery rr:ust
not be disconnected from the electncal
system ofthe car while the engine is run-
ning.
Alternator
The alternator is located near the firewall
on the left-hand side ofthe engine.
It
is dri-
ven by two v-belts from the crankshaft pul-
ley.
It
is important that the correct tension
of the V-belts be maintained. To tighten
slack belts, slacken nut (1) and pull the
alternator outwards by means oftensioning
nut (2). When correctly tensioned, there
will be approximately 0.2 in. (5 mm) move-
ment in either direction at the mid-point of
the belts.
Ignition system
A breakerless ignition system is used. 900 S
models (16 valve naturally aspirated) are
also equipped with a kn<;Jck
detec~or .s~steI?
which automatically adjusts the IgmtlOn m
the event of engine knock.
WARNING!
High energy ignition system develops
dangerous primary and secondary volta-
ges.
If the spark plugs are removed, take care
that no dirt enters the cylinders. Use only
the recommended spark plug heat range
and gap to specification. Resistor-type
plugs should not be used as resistive wire
leads are used for radio interference sup-
pression.
To remove the plugs on 16 valve engines you
must first remove the two screws holding
the spark plug cover in place and remove
the cover. On all engines remove the plug
wires by gripping the protective boot with
special boot removal pliers to prevent
damage to the wire. Never pull directly on
the wire. Install spark plugs carefully to