Hi all,

I've picked up an old 1988 Volvo 240 Estate as a workhorse whilst I renovate my house. However it appears to be encountering some starting issues.

When the car hasn't been used for a while - overnight, 4-5 hours during the day etc., it doesn't want to start. The engine cranks, turns over, yet nothing fires. You can persist for a good 30 minutes or more trying to get the thing going but it has none of it. Come back the next day and sometimes the issue sorts itself out.

When it does work, the engine has to be started on the throttle and revved to 2-3k to keep it from dying. During this process, the engine runs very rough and generally doesn't seem to be pleased with life at all until the car warms up. At which point it settles down, runs more smoothly and idles.

I've not had an issue starting the car when the engine is warm.

The car is the 2litre 4 cylinder non turbo. It appears to be an injection engine.

Any advice on where to start would be very much appreciated!

Thanks

Ed