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1996 S90 Rough Idle

Help, Advice, Owners' Discussion and DIY Tutorials on all Volvo's "mid era" rear wheel drive Volvos.

1975 - 1993 240
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1990 - 1998 960
1997 - 1998 V90/S90

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oranged
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 November 2011
Year and Model: 960 1996
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

1996 S90 Rough Idle

Post by oranged »

Hi,

Just recently my Volvo has started to act strange. I was driving it home one night and the engine started to sound really rough, almost like it was going to stale. If I give it gas, it seems to run fine. The engine light comes on and stays solid.

The day before I had noticed oil leaking and found the oil filter as a culprit. I changed the filter and it no longer leaks oil. I topped up the oil level thinking it may have been that, however it didn't change anything.

It starts fine, just sounds very rough and about 5 seconds after running, there is a low rumble type noise and then the engine starts to vibrate.

Any thoughts

oranged
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 November 2011
Year and Model: 960 1996
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Post by oranged »

Update:

I've changed the spark plugs and apart from them being really old and dirty on the ends, the one near the oil fill had oil in it. I cleaned it as best as I could, replaced the plug and tried it again.

The strange rumble noise is now gone, however it still has the rough idle and doesn't sound right when it is running. There is a pinging/ticking noise at all times and it gets louder when you apply the gas or accelerate.

The check engine light is still on and solid. I've thought about disconnecting the battery to reset it to see if it still comes on.

What would have caused oil to get into the spark plug hole, the coil packs seem pretty tight and are sealed. I'm going to run it for a few days and then check that plug hole again to see if there is more oil. What is the best way to clean them? I did my best, however there is still stuff in there.

Thanks

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rspi
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Post by rspi »

The best thing to do is stop by a car parts place and have them read the codes for you. Then post the codes here. Disconnecting the battery is not a good method of trying to clear the cel.
'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos

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rspi
Posts: 7303
Joined: 5 November 2011
Year and Model: 850 T-5R Wagon
Location: Cincinnati OH
Has thanked: 34 times
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Post by rspi »

Oil usually gets on your spark plug because you have a bad valve or piston. A compression test is in order.
'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos

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