Help. I am the original owner of a 1991 240 wagon with 90,000 miles. For almost a year it has been doing the following. Starts every morning. Will start after a five minute drive. After a longer drive, say twenty minutes, when the engine has time to warm up, if I let the car sit for ten minutes to an hour, it sometimes will not start. If the outside temperature is warm, that accentuates the non-starting. If we pop the hood, the car cools down quicker and then will start, although this can take twenty minutes or more sometimes, depending on the outside temperature. If the outside temperature is cool, it usually, but not always starts. Even when the engine is warm and the outside temperture is warm, it often starts. Even when engine is warm and outside temperature is warm, it might start five times a day perfectly for a few days and then, all of a sudden, not start on the fourth day several times.
Several shops have seen this vehicle, including McKevitt Volvo. They changed the Fuel pump relay. Also changed have been the fuel pump in the tank and the main fuel pump. The coil. Spark plugs and wires. Fuel filter.
It does spark even while failing.
I had an auto electrical engineer look at it yesterday. He said the car is perfect. completely up to original factory specifications in every way. He suggested that we try a lower octane of gasoline (we presently use 91). That is all he could come up with. Sometimes we use non-name gas but sometimes we use Chevron. He suggested that we always use a name brand gas too.
Today we are replacing the starter because we have ground it into the ground.
Has anyone heard of this problem? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Goose