Dear all (Volvo owners)
Can any one help with Engine Idling & Engine cutting out & dead power steering.

I have just brought friend, a Volvo 940 GLE 2.3 unleaded, non-turbo estate 1991 H reg. the problem is when the car is standing still and the engine is ticking over (Idling) the engine seems to be running slightly unevenly, you can see the engine slightly shaking like its misfiring if you like to put it. However, when you rev up the engine, its fine, there’s plenty of power but also if you keep the revs up at say 2000 or 2500 RPM you can still see and hear the engine is still not firing even.

also my Volvo once tried to cut out on me when I came up to a junction or when I just took my foot of the accelerator, the engine just stopped like if I had ran out of fuel but though you could tell if the engine wanted to stop because you could fill the engine accelerator not right. When the engine did stop, it would start again but stop strait away it took 3 or 4 attempts to go again and it would be fine for couple of days of driving. I have notice that when driving above 30 or 50 MPH and putting gear in neutral and taking the foot off the accelerator (free rolling) the revs on the engine will stay at about 1200 RPM or sometimes 1000 RPM and then drops down to proper revs (850 RPM) when you stop at a junction or traffic lights.

One more problem, help with dead power steering? When the Volvo has parked up for a while or first start the car from cold. the steering is very very hard to turn the wheels when i am driving away in the car but as the engine worms up or just driven for a short while the Power Steering is starting to work fine and very easy to steer the wheels but as soon as you leave the car for a while again its back to hard to steer again.

I own a:
Volvo 940 GLE 2.3L, cataliser, estate, non-turbo, H Reg

P.S the car is serviced i.e. check gaps on spark plugs and cleaned breather pipes unless I have missed a pipe. Cleaned the throttle body out
I have checked the idle air valve because I connected it on a 12V battery and heard a clonk but I can not hear it when it’s properly connected to the engine. I do have a lot of knowledge of engines but this one is doing my head in.

Many Thanks
Harvey from no good UK