1985 Volvo 240 DL cranks over but won't start up

Post by **mebertoni** » 27 Jun 2012, 06:26

Hello!

I'm the proud owner of a 1985 Volvo 240 DL which I purchased back in Nov. 2011. It ran well (albeit with poor gas mileage) but the engine wiring harness and the ignition wiring harness were in poor condition with a lot of bare wiring. I obtained replacement harnesses and hired a local mechanic to install them. He was unfamiliar with my Volvo 240, but he agreed to take on the job anyway. This was his first time replacing the engine and ignition harnesses in a car like mine. After the new harnesses were installed, the car would crank over, but wouldn't start up. Since the car ran ok prior to installing the new harnesses, I suspect that something is installed incorrectly. The mechanic is frustrated and says that he doesn't have the time to research this problem, so I'm trying to help out in an effort to get my car back in running condition. Are there common mistakes that a first timer might make when replacing the engine and ignition harnesses that would clue me in to where to look for the problem? Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you!

Regards,

Michael Bertoni
Greeley, CO

Post by **mebertoni** » 27 Jun 2012, 19:06

6/27/2012 update:

My mechanic double checked all of the harness connections and re-seated several of them. With the MAF disconnected, the car starts up but runs so rich that it floods out after a short while. With the new harnesses correctly in place, I suspect that the MAF was shorted out by the old harnesses since there were so many bare wires. The car is now home and I believe that the MAF is still under warranty so I'll try to RMA it for a replacement. I'm open to any insights on what else might need to be replaced to get her to run properly again. Thank you to all who took the time to read my post! My Volvo is my only car and I'm trying to get her running reliably enough to get re-employed after a year and a half of unemployment.

Post by **mebertoni** » 03 Jul 2012, 16:48

7/3/2012 update:

Still dead in the water, I read that the fuel pump relay located under the dash on the passenger side can be a common point of failure in hard start problems so I replaced it. The car still cranks over, but fails to start. I also purchased a radio suppression relay as I read that it can also cause problems like this. Unfortunately, I discovered that it was only used in 1988 and later models of the 240 and not 1985. After replacing the fuel pump relay, I switched the injector connectors on the harness between #1 and #4. The car still cranked over, but failed to start. My wife said that she smelled gas. I switched the connectors back and the car again cranked over, but failed to start. The smell of gas was gone according to my wife. With the limited funds at my disposal, I've ordered a replacement ignition control module as the old harness might have shorted it out or perhaps it has damaged in the harness replacement. I'm unsure if this will work, but I'm a bit frustrated.

Post by **mebertoni** » 05 Jul 2012, 16:35

July 5th, 2012 update:

The car has sat idle for over 24 hours now. I cleaned the inline fuse holder near the battery that contains the 25A fuse and replaced it with a new one. The car started up with a labored low idle. After a minute or two the idle smoothed out and I drive the car around two covered parking structures at my apartment complex without a problem. It didn't even hint at stalling out. I then parked the car in our parking space and turned her off. She cranked over but failed to start from that point forward again. The mechanic that installed my wiring harness mentioned that the connector to the ICU appeared different then in the old harness, but it does fit in the ICU. I pulled the connector out rather easily and inspected the pins on the ICU. There are eight pins that are covered with a brown residue that is inside their housing as well. I cleaned the housing and pins as best I could and reconnected the harness to the ICU. The car still cranked over, but failed to start up. I have a replacement ICU ordered and on the way. I'm open to suggestions at this point. Thank you to all who take the time to follow my thread!

Post by **mebertoni** » 15 Jul 2012, 15:31

July 15th, 2012 update:

The car is still dead in the water. I've now replaced the engine wiring harness, the ignition wiring harness, spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap, distributor rotor, fuel pump relay, all fuses with new ones, the 25 amp fuse located near the battery and the ignition control unit located near the windshield washer reservoir. While the car previously started up once, ran rough, and then wouldn't start again after being shut off, it now won't even crank over like there is a dead short somewhere. The Bosch 09232 spark plug wires have metal boots compared to the original ones. They pop on to the plugs, but don't strike me as a snug fit. I'm totally at a loss here as I seem to be rebuilding my 1985 240 DL one part at a time. Does anyone know if she has engine codes that can be read? Thank you for taking the time to read the ongoing saga of my ailing 240 DL.

Regards,

Michael

itguy1010 · Post by **itguy1010** » 16 Jul 2012, 05:45

Hello Michael,

No expert here but since you have a lack of replies, perhaps I can point you to something that has helped me.

I just recently replaced my engine harness on my 87 740 and had some problems with starting/running. The idle air control and the throttle position switch are very easy to accidentally connect wrong. The connectors look identical and you should check this first. Second, the knock sensor and engine coolant temp sensors share similar connector styles and could (on some engines) be incorrectly connected (swapped).

I use this document (see link below) for working on all the systems on my 87 740. I know you have a 240 but the engine and systems share a lot of similarity and it may point you in the right direction.

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/ElectricalIgnition.html

Best of luck. You'll get it.

Eric

Post by **mebertoni** » 18 Jul 2012, 17:55

July 18th, 2012 update:

I took the battery to Autozone and they charged it successfully. The car now cranks over well, but still fails to start. I confirmed that spark is getting to the plugs. I checked the fuel line that goes to the fuel pressure regulator and it was dry. I checked the fuel pump relay and I felt a click when the ignition was started. I then disconnected the fuel pump relay and jumpered terminals 87/2 and 30 with a wire while the ignition was off. The main fuel pump engaged and fuel came out strongly from the line to the fuel pressure regulator. I'd just replaced the fuel pressure relay, but given these findings I'll replace it again. I feel like I'm getting very close to a solution. Any suggestions on what to do next would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read about my ailing 240. I'm glad that I didn't give into frustration and sell her for scrap over this.

itguy1010 · Post by **itguy1010** » 21 Jul 2012, 04:26

Sounds like you are making progress. You may get a little more help from this forum if you could post your engine type, fuel injection type and version. I'm not as familiar with the 240s as I am the 700 series but it sounds like you are running a B230F? with bosch jetronic LH 2.2. AKA EZK-117

Is that right?

Anyway, here's a link to a document that may help you get a better understanding of your system:

Its a .pdf of an old Volvo Green Book (original service manual) on the various ignition systems found in these vehicles.

Also, if your system uses a Hall sensor in the distributor to provide crank rotation pulses to the ECU, you might want to check that. During the routing of the new engine harness your hired wrench may have nocked the Hall sensor connector loose and that would cause your problem. So would a bad hall sensor although my experience with a bad hall is usually more intermittent than what you describe but its worth checking out. Its not easy to see if you have the rear (back by the firewall) mounted in-line distributor. More info on the hall sensor can be found in the first link (Volvo FAQ) I posted in my earlier reply.

Stick with it. You're almost done.

Eric

Post by **mebertoni** » 05 Aug 2012, 16:02

August 4th, 2012 update:

After replacing the fuel pump relay for the 2nd time, the car still cranks over but won't start. Although I charged the battery at AutoZone on July 18th, it seems to have lost cranking power since then. I'm unsure if recharging the battery would do any good at this point. No mechanic here in Northern Colorado knows anything about my 240 - it's too old. I'm out of ideas at this point. It's a B230F engine with LH2.2 Jetronic ignition. I've confirmed spark to the plugs and that the fuel pump works if the relay is bypassed. I'm frustrated enough to sell her to a junk car buyer at this point and cut my losses. I guess I got a lemon.

Post by **Mr Sabetodo** » 31 Dec 2013, 19:42

Hi mebertoni: Don't give up the ship, this is why god created cinderblocks. If you still have your car, the problem might be that the new wiring harness is for a different ignition system. there's like 3 of them for that car. I've never compared the harnesses, but it's conceivable that some wires are switched around if the battery won't stay charged. the Haynes and Bently manuals have wiring diagrams in the back that list the wire colors. maybe compare them w/ yours at the computer plugs. I have a 245 w/ the same engine. Mine didn't start so I replaced both computers & the distributor, now it idles fine but chokes when I accelerate. work in progress.