I posted this at another forum and have yet to hear anything... while cruising around I found another guy that HIGHLY suggested this one so... here we go.

Hello all. This is my first post so first of all a very very heart-felt thank you for any and all advice. My wife drives a 1986 Volvo 740 with a 4cy with no turbo. My car has been in the shop for a number of weeks (waiting on parts) and I have had to drive hers. The other day it started stalling. Just before the first stall (and almost every one there after) I notice a very irradic RPM needle. It jumps to 0 then to 2000 RMP then back to normal, then repeats the whole process. I took it to my normal mechanic, who basically laughed at the thought of even attempting to work on a Volvo (apparently quite different from most other cars) and after about thirty minutes suggested about thirty different things it could be. Heres the run down. The stalls seem to occur more often then not after it has been running for a while (thats not to say it only happens then). But I've noticed there is a pretty good amount so smoke coming out of the intake after it stalls. Don't know if that is normal or not...not so much normal for any car I've worked on. Often times when the car is stalling it shakes really hard. If lucky enough to catch it with the hood open, it's a bit frightening. The entire engine looks like it's gonna jump up and bite you. Then it just quites. While it shakes the RPM needle is sitting on the bottom just quivering...kinda sad really. Any who then it stops with a loud rolling thump (kinda like taking a stick down a picket fence really fast) then you get lots of smoke out of the intake after it finally stops. We checked that there was a constant spark...everything looks good. It's pulling in air as it should. I had the mass air sensor checked and it came back fine. This left me thinking fuel. However, after it stalls, if you try and turn it over a couple of times you can smell gas. I'm not entirely sure which dirrection to go next. I've replaced the plugs, the plug wires, all filters, checked all fluids, checked belts, checked fuses, and checked the relays. Does any one have any other thoughts. I'd be more than happy to answer any other questions. Just let me know. Thanks.