1990 240 Weird Gas Tank/Not Starting Problems

ashmoore · Post by **ashmoore** » 04 May 2010, 10:01

Hi Everyone -

The gas tank of my 1990 240DL was (somehow) filled with water a few months ago. We thought we drained it at that time, then filled it with gas, and my husband managed to drive the car 3 hours from Knoxville to Nashville. It did fine, until we pulled off the interstate for a stop; it had trouble starting again but it did and he got it to our new home. Since then, he has drained the gas tank completely and replaced the fuel filter. It ran great for about two weeks now (much better than the other times when we thought the tank had been totally drained); we really thought we had it fixed. Then this morning, he drove it to work, it sat for about an hour, then he went out to go to lunch and it would not start. The gas tank is at about 1/2 full; this happened each time after his other attempts at fixing it - nearly full and it would run, but getting down to about 1/2 is when the problems start again, much to our disappointment. I've tried starting it in this state - flooring the gas pedal and no response. Is it a fuel line problem or a fuel injector problem? He has mentioned something about the spark plugs being fouled - is that a possibility? I've also seen mention of the low pressure pump - eh? Any advice is much appreciated.

Post by **billofdurham** » 04 May 2010, 11:48

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

You have the classic symptoms of a dead in-tank fuel pump. This is a priming pump to take the strain off the main pump. If it fails the main pump works overtime to pull the fuel through but when the level drops to half or just under it can't manage and the car stops.

When you first switch on the ignition you should hear the in-tank pump momentarily. To make it easier to hear, remove the filler cap and listen at the filler opening whilst somebody switches on the ignition. If it is raining make your husband listen whilst you sit in the dry car.

Replacing the in-tank pump can be done without removing the tank as those nice people at Volvo have put an inspection hole in the floor above it.

Bill.

ashmoore · Post by **ashmoore** » 04 May 2010, 14:20

Hi billofdurham - thank you so much for your suggestion. We actually managed to get the car started and it's back in our driveway. The fact that it started made it all the more mysterious, but this all makes sense after reading your post. I'll post again if this is the fix - thank you so much!

stjames · Post by **stjames** » 23 Nov 2012, 13:39

billofdurham wrote:Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

You have the classic symptoms of a dead in-tank fuel pump. This is a priming pump to take the strain off the main pump. If it fails the main pump works overtime to pull the fuel through but when the level drops to half or just under it can't manage and the car stops.

When you first switch on the ignition you should hear the in-tank pump momentarily. To make it easier to hear, remove the filler cap and listen at the filler opening whilst somebody switches on the ignition. If it is raining make your husband listen whilst you sit in the dry car.

Replacing the in-tank pump can be done without removing the tank as those nice people at Volvo have put an inspection hole in the floor above it.

Bill.

Hi,

I have a similar issue, wondering if you think it's the same in-tank pump or something else. My 1990 240 has recently developed a quirk wherein it's harder to start when the gas level gets to about 1/3 of a tank or less. I have to pump the gas pedal while turning the key (which I often have to do regardless) and it often takes 2 or 3 attempts to start. [No significant problems when the tank is full.] What's truly new, though, is that the rear end of the car kind of shimmies side to side and rumbles a bit as it struggles to start. I also just noticed the initial exhaust looks smokier than usual too. I will try the listening test you mentioned, but if you have any other insights into the situation I'm all ears. Thanks.

lummert · Post by **lummert** » 23 Nov 2012, 15:07

stjames, have you checked the engine temp sensor?

stjames · Post by **stjames** » 24 Nov 2012, 14:27

I have not but not sure how to - any suggestions? If it's the same temp sensor that relates to the radiator I had it replaced a few months ago when I had the radiator replaced also. Car has been running nice and cool since then.

Post by **billofdurham** » 25 Nov 2012, 12:34

On the 240 it is the same sensor. You can check it using an ohmmeter or multimeter. You do not need to remove it from the engine.

240 Coolant Temperature Sensor check.pdf: (102.59 KiB) Downloaded 161 times

If the car is struggling to start you will hear all sorts of noises as they do tend to move around a bit when you are cranking them without starting. However, in the interests of safety you should check the bushings on the rear end. After a prolonged period of cranking where it is possible that more fuel than usual has been pulled into the engine you can expect the exhaust to be darker. This would indicate that fuel is being pulled through but for some reason is not firing. Possibly not enough to get the engine to run immediately.

However, some other things to check are:
Spark plugs are firing a good, strong blue spark. Remove the plugs one by one and reconnect them to the plug lead. Lay the plug to be tested on the engine with the tip near to metal and crank the engine. You should see a good, blue spark.
Fuse #4 which covers the in-tank fuel pump.
The earth (ground) connections on the intake manifold.
The engine speed sensor.
The in-line injector fuse which is a 25 amp blade fuse mounted on the left wheel housing near the coil.

Bill.