Hi Jimmy,

What you did I wanted to do when I turned 16. I brought home an ugly $65 smoking, dented, 56 Oldsmobile a few days after I got my license. Dad didn't want it in the driveway and advanced me $500 to buy a 63 Fairlane. Missed a lot of driveway fun having a reliable car.

Now, most of the advice for Marcia does not apply to you. Her car is about three fuel-system generations behind yours. For example, the #7 fuse in hers vaguely corresponds to the blade fuse you've gotten good advice to clean up.

The soldering of the relay: it develops micro cracks around the heavy component leads, namely the frames of the relays inside. We call it a "fuel injection relay" but it is actually two relays inside a box on a circuit board. The relays are quite trouble free themselves, but the circuit board is prone to solder cracks. So much so, Dan is advising you go get that $50 relay for a spare.

Now, I would just carry a jumper wire and a test light. In fact what you see below, plus a cellphone, is my emergency kit for the volvo. You might want to add the Bentley, until you know by heart where all the circuits are like most have us have come to do with these electrical-problem heavy 80's volvos.

One more thing. I happen to know for a fact, by personal experience, some of the LH2.4 computers used in your 89 do not cycle the pumps at key on every time. This "priming" is not a useful function, but helpful for diagnostics, and some -561 computer firmware does not operate the pump until you actually crank.

If you want to hear both pumps, one at a time, get a jumper wire. With the key out of the ignition, remove fuse #4. Run the jumper wire from either side of fuse #6 first to the left side of the fuse 4 spot, then the right side. The left side powers up the main pump, and the right side the tank pump. Put the fuse back in, and run the jumper to either side, and both pumps will run. This bypasses both the fuel injection relay and the 25A blade fuse, so if your pumps run this way, but not during cranking, you know where to look next.

There are many other reasons your car might not start, and in some cases there may be two things in play. For instance, starting it with the throttle wide open may tell you there's a leaky injector flooding the cylinders with fuel after you park it. Finding that might be tricky, like removing the plugs and using your eyes and nose before trying to start it. A fuel pressure regulator (another FPR word) can fail with a leaky diaphragm to ruin your gas mileage and dilute your motor oil. It will wash down your cylinder walls, making compression difficult.

Get to know your on board diagnostics. Look for this recent post http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1327972/220/240/260/280/89_245_random_stalling_problem.html for some OBD info.

There are some tests you can make with that little box under your hood. No, not in 7 degree weather, but when the sun shines and the wind dies down, or you can't get it started.

Don't overlook the timing belt in a dead no-start. It is the first thing to check, by noting the cam turns as viewed through the oil filler when the car is cranked.

Best wishes.




--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.