2000 V70 Always Have to to Start Twice

KBlue_V70 · Post by **KBlue_V70** » 14 Jul 2014, 22:11

This car is new to me and it's got some bugs that need to be worked out. It's got approx 263K miles on it.

Why do I have to press the gas pedal to start the engine, even when it's hot? Or, when it doesn't start the first time, I turn the key completely off, turn it on, wait, and then it will start. Any idea what's going on? A mechanic will be performing the work but I'm trying to get an idea what I'm dealing with before I take it to him.

Edit: I really goofed. The car has almost 227K miles on it, not 263K.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 15 Jul 2014, 06:31

It sounds like the check valve on the fuel pump is bad. Have your mechanic put a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail and observe the fuel pressure after the car is shut off. It should hold pressure for 20 or 30 minutes above 20 PSI. There actually is a book spec with a precise pressure limit after a specified time but if the check valve is bad it will quickly drop to zero.

Now for the bad news. The check valve is built into the fuel pump housing and the entire fuel pump assembly needs to be changed to properly fix it. Changing the fuel pump cartridge won't cure the problem. Some have added an inline check valve to the line next to the fuel filter but that has usually been on AWD versions of the car. On the AWD cars you either have to remove the entire rear suspension and the fuel tank or cut a hole in the floorboard to change the fuel pump. On the FWD cars it is very easy to get to the pump through an access plate behind the passenger's side rear seat.

...Lee

Post by **abscate** » 15 Jul 2014, 08:12

Now for the good news. My V70 does this in summer but not in winter, for the past 5 years. Sometimes. Cost to ignore it, and consider the first attempt a practice run....$0

KBlue_V70 · Post by **KBlue_V70** » 15 Jul 2014, 21:20

Thanks very much. I'll make this suggestion to the mechanic.
Right after I got the car another mechanic said that it could have a fuel pump problem but it turned out to be a funky relay switch--it was a Volvo switch but the prongs were too small and it wasn't making good contact. Same with the one we bought from the Volvo dealer. We found a beefier one at a junk yard. <whew!>
I think I'll wing it for the time being.

KBlue_V70 · Post by **KBlue_V70** » 01 Sep 2014, 22:07

To spare my starter and battery, I'm just turning the key on and off 2-3 times and hold the gas pedal half-way to the floor and then it starts. Not perfectly but I think it's better than the excessive cranking.