help 86 240dl,poor acceleration,stalling& difficult star

joeyroberts · Post by **joeyroberts** » 22 Aug 2005, 15:24

I read this post and it is exactly what I am experiencing:

My post follows the one just under the one below from jum rapheld

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my 240dl 1986 is cutting out during acceleration between 20 and 30 mph then it smooths out above 30 . if i put the transmission in neutral and rev the engine it sounds normal please help!!!!
thanks
jim rapheld
san jose calif.
408-947-9384

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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 11:36 am Post subject:

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OK- ME TOO, HERE IS MY STORY.
mine has been doing the same thing.

I had the following repairs done about 8 weeks ago.
replaced cat converter
replace head pipe from exhast manifold & gaskets
replaced fuel pump & filter
replaced overdrive relay
replaced fuel pump relay
Intake fuel pump

replaced temp sensor switch
changed oil/filter
changed wires to spark plugs
chanded crank shaft pulley (cause it was wobbley and read to fall off) & AC belt

after my volvo guy fixed the above car ran good, now 6-8 weeks later I am
experiencing:
poor acceleration and staling
difficulty starting
car will be ok in the morning (I park inside sheltered parking structure) when engine is cool, but when I leave work at the end of the day, I've noticed after the car has been sitting in the hot sun 90 degree weather (California) it will take several trys to start the car before it will switch over. I let it run & warm up, car will idol funny (shaking) then stall, start again ok let engine warm up and attempt to go home for the day, I have to accelerate very slow or else it will lose power and stall again. When I stop at a light some times it will stall & some times it won't, I very slowly accelerate and gradually work up the mph speed, then it seems to be okay... then uh-oh another red light same thing.

The car ran this way before I replaced the Cat Converter and after I replaced it the car seemed to run much better... then untill recently its just doing the same thing... it's like a compression problem- theres no pressure-
I have a very good Volvo mechanic who specializes only on Saabs & Volvos, he told me the wiring harness will soon need repairing/replacing and that could be it... but I don't know,
ps: car is 240 DL 1986 model, pushing somewhere around 180,000 miles on the OD, not sure because the OD stopped working few years ago and stopped calculating at 147, 000 miles when I bought it from the original owner who provided me with the cars complete service history & reciepts showing what work he had done to it through out the years, so I know it had be well serviced with the proper maintenance. I don't drive far- 5-10 miles a day between work, & picking my son up from school, so I know that I'm not racking up the milage.
help help

Kmaniac in California USA · Post by **Kmaniac in California USA** » 22 Aug 2005, 17:48

OK, I see now that your mechanic did replace the in-tank fuel pump as well as the main fuel pump. I hope your invoice includes replacement of the in-tank filter sock. I certainly hope your mechanic did not reuse the old filter sock or forget to put one on the in-tank pump. I would expect an experience Volvo mechanic will not miss this important part. But hey, we are all human. A deteriorated in-tank filter sock (or missing one) will allow dirt in the gas to contaminate and foul both the in-tank pump and main fuel pump, causing irrepairable damage to both units. Your symtoms sound similar to my experience with the fuel system on my 1986 740 GLE. Again, search the forum for my posts on the subject and keep us posted on your progress.

joeyroberts · Post by **joeyroberts** » 23 Aug 2005, 10:00

okay, I'll call and ask about the intake fuel pump, although I remember him showing it to me, the old one looked deteriorated (it's small, right? & the sock kinda wraps around the in tank pump??? can't remember/describe it exactly) anyways this morning it took a few attemps before starting, I let it warm up a bit, stalled- again was ok, then preceeded on my way & it seems like it only acts up when I stop & go again. once running it will be okay.

So,what about the transmission?
what syptoms would I experience? I was reading posts on transmission problems & I was just kinda worried that it may be transmission related, the gears seem to switch okay.
Who know's, I'm just a girl--

(learning an awful lot on volvos, ask any ol' girl walkn down the street and ask 'em if they know what a ballast resistor is! )

keep ya posted!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE!!

dpauto.com · Post by **dpauto.com** » 23 Aug 2005, 23:13

joeyroberts,

Your vehicle seems to run ok when it's cold but acting up when it's hot out, sounds to me the engine is running too rich ( too much fuel ). Now we have to find out why it's running too rich ? There are many things that can cause a vehicle to run rich. There are many things .... just a few examples ... Bad oxygen sensor, air mass meter, temp. sensor, fuel pressure regulator, etc...

Without seeing the car, I can only tell you what I've seen most common that is related to your problem. BAD FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. A bad fuel pressure regulator will do two things:

1) Diaphram inside the regulator get stuck and there goes up the pressure .. high pressure = rich running = stalling, hestitating, won't start (but ok when engine is cold ---- you can check by hooking up pressure gauge.

2) Diaphram inside the regulator get punctured,ripped ... raw fuel is then sucked straight into the intake manifold thru the vac. hose = rich running = stalling, hestitating, won't start (but ok when engine is cold ---- You can check by pulling the vac. hose out from the regulator while engine is running, look to see if any raw fuel comes out.

Regards,
Dave

BTW .. I am quite sure your transmission doesn't have anything to do with your problem.

joeyroberts · Post by **joeyroberts** » 24 Aug 2005, 12:21

joeyroberts · Post by **joeyroberts** » 24 Aug 2005, 12:22

I'll have to him (or ask him if he already) checked the fuel pressure regulator--
so, this morning I noticed this:
Usually when I start her up in the morning I turn the ignition without giving it any gas it won't start up right away, however when I pumped the gas petal it started a little better. It didnt stall after that, (it usually stalls a couple times when its warming up)
As I preceeded on my way the car didnt stall at all this morning, however I noticed that when Im at a stop it will idol funny, like it wants to stall, so I put it in Park untill green light, when I accelerate I have to slightly pump the gas petal or else it will cut out, pumping the gas petal seems to help and it will eventually pick up speed. Now- yesterday when I went up a hill, poor thing tryed so hard to make it up & she did but very slowly, like there was no power, I feel so bad for the people behind me!

A.Baker · Post by **A.Baker** » 26 Aug 2005, 10:24

My 740 did the same thing. I cleaned all the contacts on the ecm.and that helped.But what fixed the problem was the engine temp. sensor on the l/side of the block.it was telling the ecm the engine was cold all the time. and running rich. check the tail pipe if it is black and sootie then it is running rich. Ask your Tech. to hook it up to a gas colector and measure the Co2 and Hc's That will tell you if it over fueling.
Hope this helps.
A.Baker