Thanks again for the advice from my previous thread. I got down and dirty, and pulled the plug on the bottom of the tank, after first seeing how empty "empty" on the dash gauge really is. About 1/8 of an inch above the lower edge of the red zone equals about a quart and a half (1.5 liters)of fuel. Good to know when you're running on fumes.
Anyway, what I managed to pull out of the tank, besides the big plug, were two brass circles, one with a 1/2 inch hole in the middle. This appears to be all that was left of the filter. These were covered in a gritty sludge which I think is the remains of the brass mesh. I wiped around the inside of the hole and came out with more, but not a whole bunch. I've located a new filter "sock" at San Diego Volvo which somewhat restores my faith in the dealers willingness to support the "older generation". If they are correct, the part number I need for the in-tank filter is 1274817. Anyone have info to the contrary? How about retro-fitting a generic, or later type of nylon filter sock, one that won't dis-integrate down the line? Otherwise I'll go pick it up tomorrow, for the princely sum of $28.00, plus 8% tax.
What's my next move? Just "assembly is the reverse of the above"? I feel like I should maybe flush out the whole F.I. system (fuel lines, fuel rail, hoses, etc. replace the external inline filter), or at least wash some fresh gas through the tank.
BTW, mounted ahead of the fuel tank, on the outside, and just behind the rear axle is a fuel filter with a rubber tube in and one out. It's about the size of the Bosch ones used on the 240 series. Is this stock Volvo, or did someone (the P.O.) just attempt to bypass the defective mesh filter sock I'm now dealing with?
I'm thinking that there is no "magic bullet " for my hesitation and bad performance issues, just a series of delayed maintainance problems to be eliminated, one at a time. Thanks all,....