1989 Volvo 740 GL Stopped on the Road

[qes]

Greetings everyone,

My name is Kevin, from Toronto Canada, and I am new to the forums.

My uncles 1989 Volvo 240 stopped on the road yesterday and my brother in law had to use his truck to push it home.

My very poor uncle can't afford to have it fixed until 3 months from now.

I was hoping if anyone could help us get it back on the road.
I will be asking my friend who recently finished a diesel mechanics program to help.
Any advice on diagnosing the problem is very welcomed.

I don't mind buying some tools to try to diagnosis the problem.
Like a spark plug tester or OBD reader.
The volvo didn't run out of gas, as it was topped off 20 minutes before the failure.

The vehicle has around 124,000 Km's. The starter makes the normal noise I think.

I've included a picture of what warning/dashboard lights come when the key is turned to ignition.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide and Thanks for reading all of this.

Cheers,
Kevin H.

[June]

Check the fuel pump relay first. Those cars were famous for the relay to heat up and fail. That car does not have OBDII I had a 89 740 which had a simple computer system. A repair manual likely will tell you how to read codes. Or check YouTube.

From there check for spark and fuel pressure it is likely one of the two. Let us know. June

[qes]

Hello June,

Thanks so much for your time and reply!

Well, I was wrong, the vehicle is a 1989 740 GL.

Do you think it could still be the fuel pump relay?

We found the fuses and the relays, but we can't get our hands to the relay.
Do we have to remove the radio?

Thanks again for your continued support!

Cheers,
Kevin H.

[June]

Hello June,

Thanks so much for your time and reply!

Well, I was wrong, the vehicle is a 1989 740 GL.

Do you think it could still be the fuel pump relay?

We found the fuses and the relays, but we can't get our hands to the relay.
Do we have to remove the radio?

Thanks again for your continued support!

Cheers,
Kevin H.

Yes. My 740 had it fail around 90K and four years old. It is in the fuse panel in the console as I remember. Mine had burned contacts.
I was told it was common to fail. Cherish that car! My 1989 740 GLT is the most favorite car I owned in the past. I regret trading it in! June

[tmcmilli]

It also could be a broken timing belt. If it is broken, which you can determine by removing the front half of the timing belt cover, the valves will NOT be damaged. You just have to realign the timing marks and put the new belt on. A manual is very helpful but you can probably find a video online to guide you through it.

A friend of mine had her 240 stop along the highway. I removed the distributor cap and had her crank the starter. The distributor did not rotate. I guess that's an easier way to determine if the timing belt is broken.

[qes]

Hey Thanks June!
So you did have to remove the radio?
My hands can't get to the relay even with both the cigarette lighter panel and fuse panel off.

I also really like the look of these old volvo's. I would love a diesel one one day!

Hey tmcmilli, Thanks for your advice. If it's not the fuel pump relay I'll try look into your advice about the timing belt.

Cheers!

[June]

I can't remember if the radio had to come out. Mine had a double radio Premium sound option. So likely the lower equalizer unit was removed. I traded it back in 1995 for a 850.

Being a relay, put your hand on it and turn the key on and it should click when the power hits it. I do recall the tabs that connect it to the fuse pannel were burnt looking rather than shiny metal when the old one was popped out. June

[qes]

Hello!

So, my friend and I went to take a look again at the car.

We touched the relay and tried to start the car. It clicked a tiny bit, but not as much as the other relays.

We jumped the proper connections to jump the fuel pump.
You can hear the fuel pump.

We tried to start while the connections were jumped and the car still won't start.

My friend is a newly graduated diesel mechanic and I don't know much about cars.

Does anyone have any more advice?
I'm going to look to replace the fuel pump relay and see if that works.

Thanks for your continued time and help.
Cheers,
Kevin

[June]

Now you must determine if it is fuel or spark issue. You can spray some starting spray in the intake and see if it starts if not you will have to check for a spark. You can get a spark tester at any auto parts store. I believe the spark must be blue as I recall. If it is a fuel pump it is located under the driver's seat area underneath the car. At least on my 89 740 it was. I sure thought it was a great design when I noticed it to be so accessible! June

[June]

Here is a video that might help you. Also here is a picture of a spark tester. June