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My 1986 244 has fallen on hard times. A lovely driver with a strong engine and pretty good transmission (Sometimes needs a little prayer before it gets overdrive). Years ago, I closed the hood on a prybar laying on the wiring harness. It shorted something out in the harness. I worked on it for a week or so, following wires out and repairing bad places. Stuck a ebay ECU in. It would start, but it wouldn't take throttle, just ran in the limp home mode. The car was then parked outside under some oak trees while I explored the country in other vehicles.
Fast foreward 12 years. Last week I pulled the 244 up to my shop and washed the accumulated grunge off. There emerged a good looking, shiny volvo under it. No rust! I was amazed. So after looking it over. checking fluids, I tossed a battery in it. The dash lights lit up, the lights lit, the flashers worked, and the starter cranked the engine. Amazing. Shot a squirt of 2-cycle gas mix in the manifold and cranked it again. Viola, it burst into life, briefly. Sounded so good I did it again. The next day it not only started, but it ran! On 12 year old gas!. Still in limp home mode. Clutch worked transmission shifted, car pulled. I drained the tank and put 5 gallons of fresh gas in, and the remainder of the week was spent trying to run the wires and see what was missing. No luck. It seemed that no pinout could be Googled for the ECU that matched my car. It is no nearer running than it was 12 years ago.
So I am in a quandry. It is a lovely car. A pleasure to drive. But I'm just running into a wall trying to decipher this wiring and ECU. Should i try to fix it? Sell it? Junk it? Part it out? A friend suggested a Mega Squirt injection control unit. I'd be happy to stick a carburator on it if i could find a suitable manifold. Anybody done this?
Thanking you for your advice, steve in middle Tennessee.
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