1996 960 cutting out

[davolvo]

Hello everyone! You have been so helpful in the past so I am going to trust you all with another question(s)..

I notice sometimes at a stop light my Volvo starts idling down almost to a stop, I give it a little gas but I need to keep tapping the gas to keep it idling right. I have also noticed the idling going down sometimes while going up a hill, small hills. Does this seem like a fuel issue or timing issue? It is time to change the timing belt, should I get the whole kit or just the belt? I do not have a big budget. AND, one more question, at how many miles should the spark plugs be replaced? I was told 3000 miles, 15000 miles and 25000 miles

Car facts: 1996 Volvo 960 188,500 miles ~ no drips or leakage underneath.

[Camaro37]

Man dunno if its the timing or fuel but since its got few miles on it, sounds like the throttle body is pretty clogged with carbon etc. My 740 turbo was EXACTLY the same when I first bought it, started fine until it got warm then didn't want to idle.

I actually took my throttle body off and cleaned it since black gunk was all through it and blocked the little holes that let it idle. Plus also check all the egr & vacuum lines, some might be clogged or leaking vacuum. I used carby cleaner which worked brialliantly then reinstalled it. Not sure if it will fix it but hey it did for me and only cost me $6 for the can of cleaner. Oh and yeh, if in doubt I always put new plugs on and new wires cause really old ones can go bad with the heat.

After that I also put the IPD extended service kit through it and it ran heaps better again! As to the belt, I just bought the whole kit because its cheap and the tensioner won't need doing ever again, but if the old one broke it would have killed my motor.

Hope it helped!

Also does it start up fine? Has it been down on power alot more than usual? Otherwise might be something bit harder to fix.

[davolvo]

You know, the other day it was starting rather weird almost felt electrical but after the fourth time I pumped the gas first and it started without a problem. Since then, it has been starting fine. Could you tell me where the throttle body is located? I have changed plugs and stuff but being a female I don't know all the lingo!

What mileage would you suggest changing the plugs at? And thank you for the timing belt advice, I will by the kit and a water pump as well since they are going to have it all apart right?

[billofdurham]

I'll answer the easy one first. Recommended change interval for 960 spark plugs is 30,000 miles.

Now the harder one. The throttle body is located between the air cleaner and the intake manifold of the engine.

To clean it you need a special throttle body spray cleaner, household oil, cotton swabs, lots of paper towel and a tooth brush or other small brush. Some parts stores sell a special throttle body cleaning brush which is soft enough to not cause damage to the throttle body.

The throttle body is connected to the accelerator pedal of your vehicle with a linkage or flexible cable, which moves the throttle shaft when the accelerator pedal is depressed. If you're having difficulty locating the throttle body, ask a helper to press the accelerator - with the engine off - so you can see the movement of the throttle shaft.

On the attached the throttle body is part #17.

960 throttle body location.pdf

(134.71 KiB) Downloaded 464 times

Park your car outside with plenty of space to work around each side of the engine compartment. As a safety precaution, disconnect the earth terminal (negative) of your vehicle's battery after making sure you have the radio code.

Locate and label any small hoses that attach to the throttle body or to the air ducts that you must remove in order to gain access to the throttle body. You can use masking tape and mark each hose and coupling to help you remember which hose goes with which nozzle/coupling. Do not disturb any wires attached to the throttle body.

Remove the air duct that attaches to the throttle body. Again, be very careful to avoid disconnecting any electrical wires or terminals.

If you have not already done so, put on rubber gloves and eye protection. Once the throttle body is exposed, spray some throttle-body cleaner into it and use the brush to gently dislodge the dirt, gum and varnish that are present. NB: Be very careful not to let anything fall into the throttle-body opening. Periodically wipe the residue clean with the paper towels. Repeat this process until all the interior surfaces are clean to bare metal. Use a flashlight to get a good look at your progress.

Before replacing the throttle-body air duct, put a drop of household general-purpose oil on the shafts of the throttle shaft where it enters the throttle body. Use a small cotton swab, and don't overdo it - just a small drop of oil will help keep the throttle blade rotating smoothly. One drop should be fine.

Use more paper towels to clean up any residue and liquid that may have spilled onto the engine or surrounding components.

Reinstall the throttle-body ducts.

Once you have reattached everything, and removed any tools reconnect the battery and start the engine. You may notice an initial stumble or even an initial rough idle as the cleaner fluid and residue that may have entered the intake manifold is burned off. In the worst cases, you may even notice a little white exhaust smoke. In addition, many times the engine control computer must "relearn" some parameters after a battery is disconnected. This is normal.

Let the engine idle for a minute or two. Then take your vehicle for a test drive. Depending upon the amount of dirt, gum and varnish that was in your vehicle's throttle body, you may or may not notice a difference in driveability and performance, but this is a preventative maintenance effort to improve the long-term reliability of your vehicle.

If you do this you will be a female who can do car maintenance other than changing plugs.

Bill.

[davolvo]

Thank you so much Bill..you are the greatest AND very patient I might add.

[Camaro37]

Something else you can try, some auto stores sell it as a foaming spray so you don't have to take anything apart. You unscrew the ring fastener just before the throttle body and make sure its really good and clean. Just a thought.

Looks like this if you haven't done it already.



The two lower rubber hoses are the ones that get clogged on high mileage. Get the can nozzle right in there to open up the little holes that you'll see.

Also check that the actual butterfly (Big bronze circle thing) turns freely without jamming. Also that it closes properly and that you can't see any light on either the top or the bottom, as this will big time mess around with your 960.

Everything should be shiny just to be sure, also you should adjust the throttle cable, its the bit that attatches to the Right Hand Side of the above photo, if there is any slack you can adjust it by twisting if you look closely and do it gently.

This guy is great for hand on stuff. He even has videos how to do this stuff. Check them all out.



And don't be worried by the job. very easy, even if you have no idea you still can't do any real damage.

[Camaro37]

I had another quick think about it.

If the above doesn't work then this is something else you can try which is usually very cheap to fix with second hand parts since every 80's /90's volvo from memory used the same part. Some one will probably correct me though.

If you have the torx tool, pop off the throttle sensor whilst your cleaning the body which is that black electronic bit in the photo carefully and clean out the area inside, make sure it isn't too slopy by gently twisting the little piece that protrudes out, they can be faulty (Rare), basically they tell the car how hard your pushing the pedal by how far its turned.

Then apply tiny amount of grease to the tip, away from anything sensitive just to make it work smoothly. Then re-install the correct way.


You should also check if your car has the thing called OBD I or OBD II --> They are literally your best friends for fixing your volvo. They tell you pretty much where its hurting
If you have OBD I your in luck, costs you nothing. Just look up on the internet how to use it and how to read the flashing light.

OBD II is best left to the mechanic unless your kinda computer savy with a laptop. If you are you can buy cheap (~$40) basic kits off Ebay.

[billofdurham]

You should also check if your car has the thing called OBD I or OBD II --> They are literally your best friends for fixing your volvo. They tell you pretty much where its hurting
If you have OBD I your in luck, costs you nothing. Just look up on the internet how to use it and how to read the flashing light.

OBD II is best left to the mechanic unless your kinda computer savy with a laptop. If you are you can buy cheap (~$40) basic kits off Ebay.

'96 960 will be OBD11. For those lucky enough to have OBD1 the instructions are pinned at the top of this forum - no need to search the internet.

Bill.

[davolvo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you for the great information. And thank you for the picture of the part and diagram on where it all is. I am going to try some of these suggestions this weekend..wish me luck

[billofdurham]

We wish you luck. And patience. On a job of this sort, especially first time, you need to take it slowly so you don't have to do it again for a long time!

Bill.