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Help. I am the original owner of a 1991 240 wagon with 90,000 miles. For almost a year it has been doing the following. Starts every morning. Will start after a five minute drive. After a longer drive, say twenty minutes, when the engine has time to warm up, if I let the car sit for ten minutes to an hour, it sometimes will not start. If the outside temperature is warm, that accentuates the non-starting. If we pop the hood, the car cools down quicker and then will start, although this can take twenty minutes or more sometimes, depending on the outside temperature. If the outside temperature is cool, it usually, but not always starts. Even when the engine is warm and the outside temperture is warm, it often starts. Even when engine is warm and outside temperature is warm, it might start five times a day perfectly for a few days and then, all of a sudden, not start on the fourth day several times.
Several shops have seen this vehicle, including McKevitt Volvo. They changed the Fuel pump relay. Also changed have been the fuel pump in the tank and the main fuel pump. The coil. Spark plugs and wires. Fuel filter.
It does spark even while failing.
I had an auto electrical engineer look at it yesterday. He said the car is perfect. completely up to original factory specifications in every way. He suggested that we try a lower octane of gasoline (we presently use 91). That is all he could come up with. Sometimes we use non-name gas but sometimes we use Chevron. He suggested that we always use a name brand gas too.
Today we are replacing the starter because we have ground it into the ground.
Has anyone heard of this problem? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Goose
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I vote with Oty too. Crank position sensor. The mode of failure fits a theory that heat build up when engine is shut down opens up the sensor. But let us know.
Yes the car is probably electrically perfect when working, but when that connection inside the sensor expands just enough...
Be very careful of the bracket, if no one else mentioned, it is flimsy and easily broken - and cheap. But folks say you gotta drop the transmission to replace it if you break it. Please check the 700-900 FAQS, there is something about a color dabbed on the sensor's cable that tells you if you have the version prone to failure.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
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I think Oty has hit on it. It is an inexpensive item, just be careful removing it as not to break the bracket. If you have a tach, it will not pulse during turn over if this is the problem. (see other posts and FAQ on this sensor)
The only other thing I can think to check, is the radio suppression relay. Not sure where it is on your 240. Should be under the hood on passenger side by coolant reservoir or other side at strut tower. I had same problem with my 91 940. No shop could find the problem. I dicovered it was the relay, which I resolder to get going and then ordered new one from Swedish Engineering for $25.00. There are also other posts on this with FAQ where you will find that you can use your electric radiator fan relay to test.
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To the best of my knowledge, the 240's don't have a radio suppression relay. I believe that item came with the 700 series and prersisted into the 900's.
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does sound like a fuel pump relay, are you positive they changed it? I would resolder it (does have a date on the side). Mine (89) had the same problem, resoldering the relay solved it.
Also check the 25 amp fuse on the drivers side fender wall. You may consider replacing the holder with a weather proof one, or at the very least, clean the contacts.
Also check all fuses, clean the contacts and inspect them. Somethimes they can have hair line cracks on the contact ends.
Also try this, next time, remove the gas cap and see if it does anything.
I am positive that this is the classic fuel pump relay problem, it drove me nuts for months, the same problem.
by no start, does the engine turn?
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I don't think it's related to the gas you're using. The classic test of a failed/failing air mass meter (AMM) is to disconnect it when the ccar won't start. If the car starts (computer defaults to "limp home mode"), then the AMM is at fault. You might try this, although I think the usual case is that the AMM doesn't fail intermittantly. I'd be curious to know if during the no start condition, your injectors are still firing? Next time it happens, you might pop off the fuel rail, disconnect the negative lead to the coil (and wrap it in tape), and crank over the engine to see if they are firing. For extra safety, have four baby food jars with a 5/8" hole drilled in the lids handy so you can set the injectors in the jars.
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My 89 240 wagon had a problem very similar to this. It would radomly quit on me with no real input as to why. I went through the fuel system, the ingnition, even changed out the fuse box and ECU. It was just driving me nuts, it would quit and I would go home to get a trailer, when I returned it would start right up.
Finally, as I was pulling into the garage one day it quit, so I was able to pull up the diagnostic codes before it cooled down. I got a code that indicated the ECU was not getting a signal from the engine speed sensor, so I pulled it off and did a continuity check on it. Checked out good, so I put it in a glass jar and set it in the sun for a few hours, then tried the continuity check on it. It failed the check so I replaced it, never had another problem with it.
Suggestion: next time it quits, run the diagnostics check from the station behind the drivers wheel well. See if it gives you a code before the engine can cool down.
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