Intermittent rough idling and stalling

[Kirk S]

I have a 1996 850 turbo wagon with ~140K miles. Generally, it runs well, however it recently started to idle very rough and eventually die during idle.
This usually only occurs after the engine is warm and after I re-start the car.
After re-starting, the engine starts to run very rough and eventually dies. I've noticed black smoke from the exhaust during this rough idling time and also a funny smell of the exhaust. Again, this is very intermittent. After the car has been sitting for 20-30 minutes or so when I start it back up, it's usually fine. I'll bring it in to check the codes but thought I might get some ideas from this group if there are some basic things I should check first. Thanks !

[MadeInJapan]

Get your codes read...even if you don't have a check engine light your car might have stored a fault code. The code will give you an idea of where to begin looking.

[nitink]

I have a Nissan Maxima, and the problem you have mentioned (stalling & Rough idle) are very common on 4th Gen Maxima's.I can tell from Maximas point, some one knowledgeable like MIJ can confirm if they apply to Volvo

Rough Idle & Stalling in the oder
1) Dirty IACV, Dirty Throttle Body (on maxima we are adviced to clean both together)
2) Dirty or Bad MAF sensor
3) Dirty or Bad TPS connectors
4) Very rarely bad ground some where with TPS wiring flow.

Good luck
Nitin

[MadeInJapan]

I agree with all of what you say. The black smoke sort of eliminates any lack of fuel related issues in my mind. The MAF and IAC were areas I had thought about and I would check those first, but still the codes would help.

[bobsnow100]

I'd also check spark plugs and gaps, distributor and rotor, and another thing to check would be fuel injectors, could be leaking and allowing raw fuel into a cylinder or one or more injectors could be clogged.