Hi everyone i have an 1989 volvo 244 GL with a little over 140,000 miles. i have a serious drivablity problems with it-meaning it wont drive more than 2 miles without dieing out on me. the symptoms are that the car will make 2 miles running perfectly and then just all the sudden start hesitating sputering and finally stalling. after stalling the car cant be started after sitting for awhile most of the time. i am out of ideas please help me!! below is a list of the stuff i have done to it:

New gas tank
2 new fuel pumps w/filters
injecters
throtle position sensor
New crank position sensor
idle control valve
Air mass meter
intake throtle body
fuel pressure regulator
distributer
plugs and wires
fuel relay
computer

Hey everyone again i thought id give you all an update. I put some thermal grease on that power stage and in the connections. then after that i go and start the car and it starts. after letting it run for i dont know, 5 mins. after that 5 mins the motor started shuttering and shaking and finally stalling. i then took the fuel line off and guess what, i had air in the lines not just alittle quite a bit of air pressure. so i thought it was a freak thing so i cranked the motor over a few times to get some fuel to come out and then put the gas line back on. then i started it again and let it run for some time and it stalled again after shuttering and stuff. so i took the fuel lines off again and guess what more air pressure. how in the heck is air getting in the fuel lines when there IS some gas in the tank(little more than a 1/4tank). Please let me know if you have any suggestions on why this would happen.

I realize problem has now been solved and nice to have some future diagnostic possibilities. The @2 mile thing was interesting. Never saw anything about possible vacuum forming in fuel delivery system. Would something like that manifest itself w/in 2 miles? If so, and that was the problem, what would best way be to diagnose and fix?
TIA

I have never had a power stage fail, but it does fail due to it not being able to dissipate heat. If you suspect an intermittent PS the first thing to do is get a fresh coat of heat sink thermal grease on it.
If the power stage fails completely the symptoms are wet spark plugs and no start. Dan

25 amp fuse on the inner front Drivers fender?

If it's got a bad connection at the Holder, as the car runs it will heat up and build up resistance causing the fuel pumps to suffer. After it cools, it will run again.

Just a guess, you swapped out all the other Main Players.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

I just looked at the fuze holder today and its ok not corroded or anything and its getting good contact and everything. Im gonna look in to the power stage thing this weekend.

did you replace the engine computer..pink label with a non pink label version?

or another pink label which is notorious for failures

Yes I replaced the computer with another computer with the exact same number on it.

I wonder if this is one of the rare cases of ignition power stage heat sink failure? Or corroded terminals at same. The gray Bosch thing on the fender or strut tower can heat up and shut you down. Thermal conductive grease might be lacking or the stage might need replacement. Real easy, visit a pick and pull if this seems like a possibility.

I'll bet Bob is correct, Power stage/ignition amplifier. Dan

My son had the car towed home while i was up in Buffalo NY. It died while on the highway. Came home and it started right up. Came out five mins later and it wouldnt start. NO spark. Found the ignition amplifier intermittent. Replaced it and happy motoring. Good luck Dave. PS. 016 AMM are $275. new Bosch from Tasca Volvo.

Thanks for all your help so far everyone. Now, ignition power stage heat sink failure, is this the bosch thing thats in front of the battery by the headlight? also on that 25amp fuse issue, is it the fuse thats mounted on the fender? or is it the fuse that sits by the battery and is not mounted and is basicly an inline fuse? Im pritty sure its the one mounted on the fender but i just want to make sure before i replace it.

The 25 amp fuse is between the engine wire harness and the positive battery terminal. The fuse holder and connection at the battery need to be clean, tight, and corrosion free. Dan

Yes it is the Bsoch thing by the battery on the fender by the 25 amp in line fuse. Mine was an intermittant failure.

Replace the 25amp fuse and holder on the fenderwell near the battery.Prone to corrosion and often overlooked.

Bill

Have you pulled any codes from the LH 2.4 diagnostic box? You don't need a CEL to have codes. You might have a faulty EFI Temp sensor, and the 2 miles might be how long it takes for it to heat up.

The check engine light never comes on when the car is having problems. I know how to get the codes with that blinking light system but no codes are there.