I have a 1988 Volvo 240 sedan with a 2.3L gas engine (B230F), automatic (AW70) transmission, and the Bosch LH 2.2 fuel injection system.

I am having a spark issue. I have no spark at any of the plugs, though I do have spark at the coil. I tested this by unplugging the coil wire from the distributor cap and holding it up to the negative battery terminal while someone cranked the engine. I can clearly see spark. But when it's plugged into the distributor cap and I try the same thing with the spark plug wires (keep in mind I do put a NEW spark plug in it), I get nothing from any of the wires. I replaced the cap, rotor, and ignition coil thinking that might be the issue. It didn't change anything. So I replaced them again thinking I might have a defective part. Still nothing. Without any guidance and no idea what was going on, I put a new distributor and Hall effect switch in it. And no spark yet again. This is outside of my league and I don't know what to do to move forward on this.

A brief history on the car. Purchased it in august 2016. The odometer reads 287000 miles, exact mileage is unknown as the odometer quit working in 2001. The previous owner drove it daily up until I bought it.

August 2016 (after purchase). Installed a brand new 750CCA battery from NAPA. Tune up, new NGK V-power spark plugs, Beldan spark plug wires, NAPA Echlin distributor cap, rotor, and ignition coil. Oil and filter change. New air filter. Front brake pads, rotors, and brake lines. Rear brake pads, rotors and calipers. Transmission oil and filter change. Rear differential gear oil change.

September 2016. New radiator, water pump, and thermostat. Flushed cooling system and heater core. New intake manifold gasket, valve cover gasket.

November 2016. New shocks and struts. New front lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, endlink bushings, wheel bearings re-greased.

December 2016. New timing belt and tensioner. New power steering pump belt. New fuel pump, new in-tank fuel pump, new fuel sending unit, new fuel filter, new fuel pressure regulator, installed re-manufactured OEM fuel injectors.

Late January 2017. Car stalls, it hasn't ran since. It has fuel pressure at the rail. Has injector pulse. I ran a compression test, it has between 140 - 145 psi on all four cylinders.

All of the work I listed above I did myself. The only thing that has been done by someone else was an alignment and mount and balance new summer tires and winter tires.

I really could use some advice from someone who may have had the same problem and hopefully solved it. Or someone with more knowledge on these cars. This is outside my range of automotive knowledge. I can't find any shops near me or in the surrounding towns that are willing to work on my 240. And I really don't want to scrap it.

Check that the engine block is grounded. The spark plugs are grounded through the engine block to the -ve battery terminal.

Also check that the distributor rotor is turning. If not, the timing belt is broken or has teeth missing.
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb, M46 trans, 3:31 dif, in Brampton, Ont.

Hi. Is the distributor rotor turning?

Have you cleaned the cap and made sure there is no HV path on the inside of the cap / distributor?

Is the coil wire broken inside somewhere possibly?


I would say you have a short somewhere in the cap / distributor.


Goatman

You have isolated this as a Spark problem and even narrowed it down to a Spark that does not carry thru from the Dist to the individual wires.

So attack the problem with this narrow focus.

"I tested this by unplugging the coil wire from the distributor cap and holding it up to the negative battery terminal while someone cranked the engine"

An unpugged coil wire sitting on the top of the valve cover should spark...why did you hold it to the neg battery terminal??? Even and unplugged coil wire AT THE COIL, the coil itself will exhibit a pulsed firing that can be heard ---without an assistant.

---When I change my oil and filter I unplug that wire and give the engine a few turns to prime and fill the filter and I can hear the sparks from the drivers seat (yes I know very OCD of me)----

So then... is Why is that Spark, which can be assumed to be going from the coil thru the cloil wire and into the coil terminal at the center of the Distrib Cap and then into the top of the Rotor, NOT making it thru to the 4 Terminals that feed that spark pulse into the individual wires. That sparks path is off the tip of the spining Rotor to the fixed terminals.

Is something amiss with this Spark Path.

If this is indeed the problem then it is one of Timing...the Spark from the Rotor is missing the terminals inside the Distrib Cap and thus NO Spark can get thru to the Plug wire and onto the plugs.

Timing is controlled by the position of the distributor AND/OR the timing belt. On this 88, the last year it could be done, the Timing can be adjusted by turning the distrubutor.

Timing Light and Hand Held Tachometer required.

1st check ...with a timing light or a simple bulb with two probes, does the light go on when the rotor is aligned at the #1 firing position on the distributor.