my 1982 volvo 240DL will eventually start in the cold...but takes forever, and sometimes it never starts...symptoms are that it will crank, but fires a couple of times, but not enough to get the engine going. After about 30 minutes of cranking it will finally start. Within the two months I have replaced the following.

Spark plugs, plug wires, ditributor cap, fuel pump relay, fuel injector o-rings, fuel injector holders, cleaned fuel injectors, all new belts, thermostat.

Within the last year I have replaced entire wiring harness, main fuel pump under chassis, all new fuses.

Car gets regular oil changes and maintenance.

any ideas...they want $86 to do a diagnostic at the Volvo dealer, and I am paying $20 a day for a taxi to work... when you make $8 an hour like I do, that doesn't work out too good!

I don't know how cold you are talking. I have had no problems starting Kjet equiped cars down to minus 25 celcius. With a good battery I would guess they will start at lower temps but it just does not get that cold here.
I would wonder about a few things:
Kjet has a cold start injector that becomes active below about -10 celcius. If that system is not working it will be difficult to start when it is cold. It richins the mixter a bit when the engine is cold like a choke.
Second how strong is your battery? The more voltage you have the more chance you will get it to start
Third air filter/fuel filter Have you changed them lately?
Fourth you said your engine was high milage. How is your compression? An engine with low compression won't even start well in the summer.
You can manually choke a kjet by pumping the gas pedal a bit when you are trying to start it. I just got a friends poorly tuned kjet Mercedes going last night doing this (it was about -22 celcius here). Unfortunatley its a fine line between choking it and flooding it.

what about the starter and the starter solenoid?

battery?

its a brand new battery , purchased about 7 days ago... its a good diehard with plenty of power. The temps are in the teens, not even below zero. I have had problems starting the car in normal (above 40 degree weather). Sometimes it takes 45 seconds worth of cranking for it to start.

not sure if this has been mentioned, and if it pertains to your year car, but you did not say anything about your fuel pressure regulator. from what i understand, the rubber inside will won't wok as well and consequently allow the fuel pressure to go from around 40 to 100 or units of pressure. this will result in flooding your injectors and a bitch to get started again. you have to change the plugs. if the regulator hasn't been changed in a while, it might be a good place to look.

steve
--
'90 245 DL 253K M47

a starter---may be
does it make a noise ---grinding noise--- when you started the engine?

no excess noise when starting...once running sometimes I get a high pitched whine (not a belt type whine), and a pulsting whirring noise.

The screwed down Dist cap sounds like (early) Volvo/Chrysler Ignition, which I believe means (early) LH 2.0 Fuel Injection (details like that up front would help with tips). Being a transition year for the FI, the service info is spotty and sometimes conflicting. But here goes...

Here are some Ignition and Fuel possibilities:

A - Ignition:
1) Clean off both Coil Primary connections (#1 and #15) by taking the connectors on and off 2 or 3 times.
2) Run a jumper* wire from Battery Positive (+12v) to Coil #15 before you try to start it the next time. If it starts, you can leave the wire in place, but take it off when you shut the engine off.

* This coil wiring is known to have troubles, which can worsen with cold temps, The jumper wire BYPASSes the suspected problem spots. If it helps with starting, post back for a more permanent fix.
Also post back with what you have in the way of test equipment (ie meter, test light, etc) and hands-on experience. This info will help to tailor any tips to your capabilities.

B - Fuel
1) Double-check the 25 Amp blade fuse near the coil, and fuse 12 or 13 in the fuse box.

I don't know if LH 2.0 has a Cold Start Injector. I don't think so, because there should be a Blue-Green wire from the starter wiring someplace (manual says "Remote Starter Pick-up Point") that goes to the ECU pin 4. I'm assuming it's purpose is to "ask" the ECU for extra fuel when cranking.

2) So I'd take the ECU connector off and use a meter or test light to check for +12Volts at pin 4 while someone else tries the starter briefly.

3) The ECT (Engine Coolant Temp) sensor signal to the ECU may be wrong or missing. Without it, the ECU won't provide the extra fuel needed for cold starts. Let us know if you have a voltmeter to test it with.
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67

I am positive it is a K-jet fuel system. But the engine in this car is not original...so the parts peices might be slightly different.

I have a test light, tons of extra fuses, and plenty of time!

I do have a cold start injector. I am not sure how to check/clean it though.

Good on the Test Light, Cold Start Injector, and K-jet (the injectors are in the head, right? Not in the Intake Manifold? And there's a round rubber boot under the throttle body?) But I'd like to be clear on the Ignition. If it's Volvo/Chrysler, there will be three (3) wires coming from the distributor body—if only two (2) wires, it's the Bosch Pointless.

Your problem can be either fuel or ignition. I can't say much on ignition till we're sure what kind. But assuming it is the V/C (as per your dist cap description), then what I suggested yesterday (Item A - 1) and 2) would still apply.

As for Fuel problems, air leaks as Nickvg mentioned are always troublesome—especially in the cold, when lean mixture problems show up more. For now, here's how to check your CSI.

1) Get Fuel pressure up by jumping +12 volts from Fuse 6 or 7 (left/input side) TO Fuse 5 left side. Both pumps should run. Three or four seconds is enough.

2) Kill the ignition (for SAFETY) by pulling the ground wire off the coil #1 primary terminal. Then, if you have the right allen wrench (5mm I think), remove the CSI and stick it in a small clear jar. You should be able to see it spray when you crank the engine over.

TIP: You can crank it from under the hood (Ign. OFF) by Jumpering +12v from the battery to a single, unconnected wire terminal in the firewall area near the Fuel Filter. It's probably tucked behind a wire bundle. Should be a Blue Wire with a standard flat terminal inside a black plastic cover.

If it doesn't spray, unplug the wires and check for cranking voltage at the terminal that is fed by the Blue-Yellow wire(s). Peel the covering away as needed to see the wire colors.

If there's no Cranking Voltage, the B-Y wire is "open" between the CSI and Starter Terminal 50 (the +12 V should come from Ign. Sw. –> to –> Starter 50 –> to –> CSI.

If there IS voltage but no fuel, the CSI ground path (White Wire) needs to be checked. It goes to the Thermo-Time Switch (TTS), then through normally-closed (N/C) TTS contacts to ground. The possibilities are:
> Open in the White wire
> TTS Plug off or loose
> Bad TTS contacts

Be aware that the TTS N/C contacts WILL BE OPEN if you've been cranking repeatedly for several seconds, because it's a heated Bi-Metallic switch inside. Every time the CSI gets voltage, so does the TTS heater. This stops the CSI fuel — by OPENING the TTS ground path contacts after 10-12 seconds of cranking — to prevent flooding.

Let us know your progress,

Bruce

--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current), '80 GLE V8 (Sold), '85 244 ti, '83 245t
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000Km), 73 142 (98Km)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78, Used '62 122 from '63 to '67

thanks for everyones help so far... I am going to do some heavy duty diagnostics this weekend... will let you know the outcome!!

it is a k-jet fuel system. it does idle a little off, maybe that is part of the problem... I should also mention that I am a novice mechanic, so please explain things in as much plain english as you can... still learning to love my Volvo!!

If your running the K-Jet system I would be suspecting a possible air leak between the intake valves and the air flow sensor. Although this type of FI system is easy to work on and less of a hassle (IMHO) a leak causes havoc at cold starts because the air is cheating the air flow sensor thus the sensor plate does not move up far enough resulting in a lean mixture when you really need a rick mixture to start. Another thing to check (if you do have the K-Jet) is the control pressure regulator. When this plugs up it keeps the control pressure above the fuel distributors plunger to high thus the plunger can not muve down as much as it needs to and it can not give you the rich mixture needed. Anyways if you have the K-Jet and need more help feel free to e-mail me. Good Luck!

Sincerely,
--
Nickvjr

1979 264GL B27F 122K

Features Added:

BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts

Next Project:

Add Cruise Control

I have an 86 240. Last winter, when the car sat all night at -20C, it had the same problem. It wouldn't start at first, and when it finally did, it would run rough for a few minutes, and then would be fine. At -10C, it showed no symptoms.

Some of this may not apply, due to yours being an '82.

I checked the ECU temperature sensor, and it met spec. I did a bunch of related maintenance since. When I tried a morning start at -20C recently, it started fine.

I did a number of things that you did:
- plugs
- wires
- cap
- fuel treatment

The only things I did that you haven't specifically mentioned are:
1) cleared clogged hose from flame trap to intake manifold
2) fuel filter and check valve
3) distributor rotor
4) O2 sensor - set 50% duty cycle at test point
5) air filter

I've put these in priority order of what I think may have fixed the problem.

Comments:
1) My crankcase wasn't getting ventilated, and eventually I found that my dipstick was getting rusty, presumably due to excess moisture. When I later pulled the plugs, the contacts were rusty!
2) You may have done the fuel filter, and the check valve may have gotten done with the pump.
3) Same with the rotor - I imagine you did it with the cap.
4)I wouldn't think that the O2 sensor would affect actual starting; more likely, just how it runs after starting.
5) My old air filter wasn't that dirty, so I don't think replacing it was a factor


Good Luck!

Get you a spray can of starting fluid and spray some into the air intake.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US

If you have a white distributor cap, you have the Chrysler ignition. I think they have a Hall sensor that can be replaced. Are you getting spark when you crank and it won't start?

when I get the car started it idles okay.. I mean it has 300k miles on it, so it idles good enough given the circumstances. About the distributor cap...mine in black and it mounts down using screws instead of clips.