Morgan Bearden (216.229.75.221) - Wed Jan 16 21:52:39 2008

My 20 year old daughter has a 1993 240 (110, 000 miles) that occasionally won't start.

It seems that this happens most frequently when she is running around doing errands. She'll park the car, go into a store or restaurant, and then it won't start for 20-45 minutes.

A couple of years ago the car had a problem with cutting out(and occasionally stopping)at low speed/rpm. That seemed to be cured by replacing the distributor cap, presumably taking "distributor dust" and moisture out of the distributor - or so we were told.

I'll probably swap out the distributor cap, but does anyone else have a better idea?

Thanks,

Daddy-O

Rolla, Missouri

Reply #1 miguel (222.127.111.235) - Thu Jan 17 00:35:33 2008

try checking the a/c condenser, too.

• Bully Dog Dyno Dominator Performance Programmer

Reply #2 Jpatty (98.96.154.70) - Thu Nov 6 12:03:42 2008

I am having the same problem. With my vehicle, I was told, it is a grounding problem. I'm not too confident that this is really the issue. It actually will not start right now. I am a bit concerned. if anyone has any remedies please let me know.

-JP

Reply #3 bill (207.172.114.202) - Sun Dec 14 18:45:02 2008

Try replacing you fuel pump relay, they over heat and shut down the fuel pump, only to cool off.then car starts back up.

Reply #4 cathy (67.241.67.119) - Sun Dec 21 11:31:41 2008

I have a volvo 240 1990 that won't start. The mechanic change the wires and spark plugs. He put a dist cap on. The fuel pump is new he says that the relay is working but the spark plugs get flooded. There is too much gas being fed to the engine and it floods. WHat could this be. I have paid mechanics 4 times this month only to get it home and have it not start two days later. Oh ya I had the whole exhauset system replaced this month as well with new convertor.

Reply #5 jpatty (98.96.154.70) - Tue Jan 6 15:24:20 2009

I had the problem fixed. Apparently something was shorting a ground wire near the ignition switch. The car ran fine for a couple of months and recently I had the exact same issue. This time they say that it is the shifter mechanism that needs to be replaced. I'm not sure if that really is going to fix anything. That seems to be the problem with these vehicles. You make a repair and you never really know whether that fixed it or simply patched it.

Reply #6 tim pollock (74.128.157.191) - Sun Jan 11 16:51:56 2009

the problem sound like the crank poistion sensor on top of trans that plugs in at fire wall they heat up and go bad will not let car start, crank put no start

Reply #7 Andi (71.113.67.19) - Wed Jan 21 18:44:02 2009

Hello, my 1978 volvo died the other day after I got gas I called some shops and one guy told me to wiggle the fuses that was the common problem in his volvo. So I did and it started right up. Then I brought it home after a long trip and parked it, And now it won't start again. I replaced all the fuses just in case and pulled off the distibutor cap to see if it had froze and it seemed fine. So was wonder what is possible it turns over but does'nt seem to get a spark to actually start. What do you think?

Thanks for your time

Reply #8 Jim Curran (192.138.54.196) - Thu Jan 29 15:49:32 2009

I'm considering buying a friend's 1993 Volvo with 125k miles. For the last 18 months it has been dying while driving. Volvo replaced the fuel pump plus some other service that didn't work. It might run fine for a few days on a 35 mile commute to work, mostly highway, and quit. Pull off the road for a few minutes and it will start. It might quit two or three times in one trip and none in others. Any sugggestions

Reply #9 Shirley (205.209.69.213) - Fri Jan 30 22:27:28 2009

OK, replaced fuel pump relay, crank position censor, and the voltage censor (not sure of official name but under the car the wire coating was gone). Now car turns over but just won't stay on, like a clogged fuel filter but the engine light is on. Any advice?

Reply #10 Jon Strode (70.130.154.134) - Sun Feb 8 13:57:22 2009

I bought this 240 1993 Volvo about four months ago. It has ran well but is a little shaky. Now the shaky vibration has gotten worse. Then it just died at a stop light and i could not get it back going. I have not taken it to a mechanic yet bc of the pricing now days so i was wanting to get some ideas to try out first. It feels like it wants to start. Battery is strong. Please help!

Reply #11 LouDogg (216.37.173.109) - Wed Feb 18 18:57:40 2009

I have had three of these 240s now and I have had a variety of problems. What could be the problem for some of you is the Air Mass meter, mine wouldn't start and we unpluged that and it started right up, but you couldn't accelerate until we got a new one or one from the junkyard.

Just recently my third one start with the dimming and draining a new battery. Now I just got a new alternator and I tried to put the battery back on and it arced like crazy! I'm thinkin its the way I hooked up the alternator, I'm gonna see if i can fix it tomorrow.

Maybe it is in the shifting mechanism cuz my backup lights dont come on and its kinda outta whack. I hate cars!

Reply #12 Robert Lotze (96.253.109.179) - Mon Mar 16 19:20:48 2009

We have a '95 250 bought used for my daugher, and recently it has given some problem staying running when starting. It dies and has to be started a few times. Once running, it is ok, but idles rough until warmed up. Is there a automatic choke that is not working, and if so how is this fixed? This happens only when my daughter is starting it. I check it and find no problems. Any ideas anyone?

Reply #13 Travis (68.5.88.55) - Wed May 6 17:09:51 2009

I've had the same problem as the original poster--same problem, same symptoms. My Volvo is a 1986 240 DL wagon. I used a circuit tester and discovered that the ignition coil is not getting any electricity. I found a wiring diagram of the starting circuit on scribd.com

www.scribd.com /doc/3698833 /volvo-240-1986

(remove spaces)

I'm going to test the wires with a voltmeter. I have a hunch that the problem has something to do with the junction box (little metal box next to the battery). When I tap on the junction box it seems more likely to start than if I don't.

It looks to me like a lot of the posters in this forum have been ripped off by their mechanics. You may be having a slightly different problem than me, but if it's the same, then it has nothing to do with the fuel filter, fuel pump, etc. it is clearly an electrical issue and the problem is somewhere before the ignition coil.

Reply #14 jeff knowler (144.173.5.196) - Thu May 28 10:59:24 2009

I have a 1994 Volvo Wentworth which is suffering this (REALLY ANNOYING) problem of cutting out for no apparent reason. I have so far spent nearly £800 on trying to get someone to find out what is causing it. I've had a complete new "maff" sensor, the usual service stuff done and last visit to garage left the car with them for five days - they even left it running overnight! 300miles later-same problem. It seems to be fuel/auto choke/fuel pump and/or relay/temperature sender(sensor)related but still no cure. Even the volvo expert cannot suss this problem out. The car has got to go.......

Reply #15 Volvo won't start (72.199.43.181) - Fri May 29 18:29:49 2009

I have a 1984 Volvo 240 sedan that just stopped running and won't start back up. The fuses are fine and the car has over 175, 000 miles. I bought this car new and this is the first time that this has happened ever. I was going to take it to the dealership but they always hit me for over $1000 no matter what they do. I was told it could be the fuel pump, it has 2 of them. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, George.

Reply #16 rick (72.199.248.133) - Tue Aug 4 23:05:59 2009

I have a 1986 volvo 240 and it will crank but it won't start.

There is 12 volts at the coil in both the on position and in the start position. There is no spark at the spark plugs. What is wrong withthis car?

Reply #17 Mark Crittenden (68.6.75.121) - Tue Aug 25 23:15:50 2009

1993 240 Sometimes won't turn over after a trip (short or long, does not matter. no click or noise. It will instantly starts with a jumper battery. I have replaced the alternator twice and have a new battery. The alternater reads at minimum at idle, and low under load (as if power is being drained). Any ideas? Thank you, Mark

Reply #18 Curtis Riess (97.113.93.74) - Sun Sep 13 11:55:06 2009

1990 240 DL.

Starter turns but does not turn over the motor ? Worked fine until I spilled some raiator fluid on the that side of the motor changing the thermostat ???

Weird - any suggestions ou there ???

Curtis

Reply #19 john (24.166.131.215) - Wed Sep 30 11:34:00 2009

Car Starts with a shot of gas or starting fluid in the intake. Not without it however. Runs great down the road. Fuel Relay? or perhaps ECT sensor? Today it's cold and it won't start only fire and quit. It also won't idle well. I have to keep a little throttle with the brake applied when stopped in drive but when I punch it it flys. What up?

Reply #20 e. madera (72.50.59.32) - Fri Oct 2 23:57:21 2009

I bought this 240 1993 Volvo about a year ago. It has ran well but is a little shaky. Now the shaky vibration has gotten worse. Then it just died at a stop light and i could not get it back going. I have not taken it to a mechanic yet bc of the pricing now days so i was wanting to get some ideas to try out first. sometimes it feels like it wants to start. Battery is strong. Please help!

Reply #21 Bo Knutsen (64.234.21.188) - Mon Oct 5 21:57:03 2009

I'm not sure why I'm here I guess it's just fate. I have a small automotive electric shop here in south central Texas. I also own a 1986 Volvo 240 DL. I have had this dieing problem happen To me 2 different times as well. The first time I traced the problem to the ignition/fuel module inside the right front fender. The vehicle would run, but then would cut out and die cruzing down the highway. I replaced the module and no more problems until around 4 years later. This brings us to the second instance when my car would start sometimes and sometimes just crank. OK checked spark - OK Checked Fuel Pressure - OK Checked For Injector pulse at injectors - NO PULSE! OK I know the pickup coil has a hall-effect switch inside which pulses for the ignition/fuel module. The module did not receive the pulse so I traced it back to the hall-effect switch inside the distributor. Replaced the hall-effect switch and walla my car starts everytime now. Hope this helps. Can't say that this will fix YOUR problem, but it's something that needs to checked out.

Happy Motoring,

Bo Knutsen

Reply #22 Carl Hansen (24.226.46.217) - Wed Oct 28 21:03:04 2009

Sounds like a lot of people have problems starting their 240's. I see a lot of suggestions but nobody have touched the secondary wire attached to the + battery terminal. If this wire is lose or dirty the engine will turn over but fails to start. This could also be the cause of stalling on the run.

I have a 1993 240 which failed the emission test, after checking everything else I found that the CKP sensor wires had been taped. At the same time I discovered that if I rev the engine it pops or backfires through the tailpipe upon deceleration. I wonder if the Crank position sensor could have anything to do with that since it controls the timing? The engine starts and runs semingly normal but uses more than the normal amount of fuel. I have a Chilton manual, it shows only two prongs on the connector but it deals with all Volvo models. All the ones I've ever seen have three prongs. The manual tells me to test the OHM value between the two wires which should be between 200 and 500, On this car the reading is 176 between two of the three wires. I checked my 1989 car it reads 165 ohms wires. I am actually a retired mechanic believe it or not but of the old school with carbs, points and condensor that sort of thing. I am kind of lost in the mase of electronics. Any ideas to my backfiring problem?

Reply #23 Kimberly (66.42.193.183) - Sun Nov 8 17:21:09 2009

Hi everyone,

I have an '86 volvo 250 GL, this is by far the ugliest car in the world but its my baby. I ended up trading it off for a van to have more room for my kids, a little over a yr later the guy emailed me and told me I could come get it cause it won't run anymore. After replacing the intake fuel sending unit, including the fuel pump, the car still tries to start, even coughs sometimes but will not catch. I did ALOT of research and found out about this hall switch. Apparently its very easy to break the connections. Anyways, my car:

-has spark

-is getting fuel and returning it to tank

-new injectors

-new intake fuel pump

-new distributor cap

-just had a full tune up bout 18 mon ago

Question is, does anyone know more info about the hall switch and would it make the engine rev then refuse to start again?

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