Well, I've tried just about everything and my lovely '89 740 continues to refuse to start. It has new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil, and battery. It has premium gas with Heet in the tank, a new filter, and FPR. The starter is fine. The injectors are firing. Everything works, except no result. All I get from the car that did everything for me for four years is a strong gas smell and an interior that's falling apart.

It's getting cold, and I've reached the end of my money and time (college student). There seems to be nothing I can do but remove the battery, wash and wax, and roll it to a corner of my lawn and cover it. Don't worry, I'll plug the exhaust and air box and put rat poison in the engine bay. I've never felt this low.

It seems that my problems started when I decided to "put 'er down" untill I could afford to "fix" the tranny. A warning: DON'T DO THIS!!!! unless you are prepared to jump through hoops to get it running, and follow the storage porcedure to the letter. Even then, prepare yourself for the end of a friendship.

I'm not looking for advice, although many of you have helped me a great deal in the past. I'm just venting. If anyone who reads this, however, sees a mistake I'm making, please let me know. I'm not so stuborn to think I know what I'm doing, just confident that I have to do something to keep my pride and joy from turning into a pile of Swedish rust.

-- Aubrey Granner

Have you swapped out the Main Fuel Pump Relay (also provides power to the computer) and the Air Mass Meter with your spare units? I'm betting the culprit is one of these two.

Standard backup items to keep in the trunk of any Volvo I own:
1. Spare Main Relay (Fuel Pumps and computer)
2. Spare Fuel Pressure Regulator
3. Spare Air Mass Meter ($35 at the local U-Wrench-It salvage yard)
4. Spare Timing belt and tensioner (just in case they break while I'm a long ways away from home and thus I don't have to pay horrific prices at some small garage in the middle of nowhere).

You didn't mention whether you have a 740, 760, or a 780, since the relay locations were different between the 740/780 and the 760 cars in 1989. If you do indeed have a 740 or a 780, then take a read through the following recent post. The 1989 760s had the relays mounted next to the passenger's side left knee in the center console, and they relays are very different from the 740/780.
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=713968

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
--
'87 Blue 245, NA 228K
'88 Black 780, PRV-6, 144K

As Steve said, check for spark. (However, you must have a working ignition primary pulse for the pumps to run...)

I remember chasing a no-start 740 some years ago, and in fact it became a "brain teaser" for the BB.

Long story short, lots and lots of cranking had washed enough oil off the cylinder walls so the compression pressure had dropped -- and even with spark and fuel, it wouldn't fire up.

A few squirts of oil in each plug hole fixed that, and it stumbled to life. And exhausted clouds of smoke for 10-15 minutes.

If this works for you, be prepared to change to oil. No doubt all that gas is now in the crankcase, diluting the oil and creating a fire hazard...
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)

This is exactly what the problem is.
Volvos are more prone to this condition than other cars.
Although, I worked on many non-Volvos with same problem.

Basically, you have no compression, and your pistons / cylinder walls
are bone dry. Engine will not fire.
As Don suggests, put a bit of motor oil in each cylinder (after
removing spart plugs), remove fuel pump fuse, and crank the engine
for a short while to coat the pistons with oil.
Next, put the plugs and the fuse back in, and try to start.
It will struggle for a bit, but will soon catch. It will run rough,
and smoke like heck. Your neighbors may even call the fire department...
After 15 minutes it will all clear out, and run perfectly.
Schedule thye oil change ASAP.

Thanks, I can't believe I didn't think of this. I'll test the compression (with an engine with 180K I should own a guage anyway). If the compression is low, squirt some oil? Same as is in the sump? How do I know if I'm doing something wrong if it's going to smoke and sputter so bad?

You guys have made my day, thank you so much,
Aubrey

There is a simple explanation: see the fAQ for more help.

If you have spark: then check the radio suppression relay and the fuel injection relay for solder cracks.

No spark: check your crank position sensor, then possibly your power stage amplifier.

None of these are expensive; all are available at boneyards.