1990 940 GLE 16V Automatic ~93,000 Miles Various issues

[billofdurham]

The button that controls the AC should be marked 'AC Off'. By depressing this button the compressor is disengaged. Therefore, when the button is out the compressor should be operating.

The sunlight sensor is in the right upper dash vent where you can't see it but the sunlight can. Cars can be sneaky like that.

Vent is the face vents.

I don't think the 5 second delay indicates anything as I have heard of these systems, with a fault, operating normally for a while before the light has started to flash again.

Thanks again, and I do appreciate the trouble you're going to for a newbie who is probably already taking you to the point of despair

As others will tell you, 'thanks' is sufficient reward for the regular contributors. However, in too many cases we don't find out the results of our "work".

Keep on posting if you need to.

Bill.

[girlbunny]

Hi again

Still haven't fixed the air conditioner - just not enough of a priority! However... I do have a priority issue now

There are a few issues, but the one that is most urgent is that it just won't start It will turn over without a problem. It has spark... but it just won't start. It first happened around 6 - 7 weeks ago. That time it just suddenly started after various fiddlings were done all over the top of the engine.

The second time no matter what fiddling occurred, it still wouldn't start. It ended up being towed to the local mechanic, and they charged me over $500 to replace the distributor cap and rotor. Needless to say I won't be going there again. The parts themselves cost less than $!50 - that was for everything including new seals. So, a 10 minute job somehow cost $350 for labour (from what I could tell, that was 4 hours charged for) That was a month ago.

Since that mechanic got his hands on the car, it hasn't been too happy to start, however it has started with a little judicious work (had to floor the accelerator as hard as possible to get it to start, but sometimes needed to pump the accelerator to get it going).

Today is the first truly wet day we've been in since moving (we moved town three days before the second time the car stopped and the mechanic ripped us off) It started with some pumping of the accelerator. Around ten minutes after getting moving the indicators stopped working (likely related to the wet though, since any humidity in the cabin affects various things inside the dashboard (such as speedometer working sporadically). When we attempted to restart the car to go home from the supermarket it simply would not start. Again, it would turn over. It had spark. Pretty much everything seemed normal - it just wouldn't start.

I have had one person suggest getting something called "Aerostart" (or similar spelling, I don't know what it is) to spray into the air intake, as he had a similar problem with an '89/'90 Volvo several years back. I had someone else suggest checking the air filter and clear it a bit if it's dirty, to see if that made a difference. I have a problem in that whilst I have a manual for my car, it does NOT include the manual for the 16 Valve engine that is in this 1990 940 Automatic Sedan. Does anyone have a manual that can be scanned that I can use to even FIND the air filter and air intake valves to at least attempt to see if this could be the problem? If the car at least starts then I can save some funds to get replacement parts and get the poor gal working properly. I would far rather fix her than sell her for scrap and buy another car. This one has enough to get her working well and happily for many years to come - if I can keep her running well enough for long enough to get the parts I need! Not to mention learning just what I need to do to fix the problems LOL

So - could these cause the problem? ... and can someone please supply a manual for the engine? I never could find one online, and right now even if I did find one, I can't afford it until the car is working again - when I need the manual to actually fix it!

Thanks again. All help is appreciated

Sam

[DeRail]

Hi Sam

Not sure where you'd be able to find a downloadable version of the repair manual for your vehicle. On my 760 when you open the hood, the airbox sits on the right and is attached to a long hose (accordion hose I believe) going up to the engine. There are metal clips securing the airbox closed. Open that up and the air filter is right there.

Let us know what happens

Darrell

[billofdurham]

Sam,

The air filter is in the box marked X.



As Darrell said the top is held in place by spring clips.

Aerostart is one of several 'spray start assisters' that are on the market.

http://www.crcindustries.com.au/catalog ... enDocument

The one I use is Holt's Bradex Easy Start which should be available in the US. However, it should not be necessary to use these every time you start as it points to a fault with the car.

There is an on-board diagnostic unit on your car which could help to find out what is wrong. To use it see: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/chat/p ... c&start=12. It does cover your car as well as the 240 and 740.

Best of luck.

Bill.

[girlbunny]

Thanks Darrell and Bill

Okay I've found the air filter. I will have to wait until the rain has stopped before undoing it and checking it properly though! While looking in the manual for where approximately to look for the diagnostics box (it's raining heavily and I am not game to just go out and look for it until it's dry LOL) I noticed that it has a small section on the symptom that my car has with two suggestions to check - one being fuel (there is definitely fuel in the tank) and the other moisture on the electrical components - particularly ignition coil etc. So, now I have to find those bits and pieces - I'm presuming they'll probably be somewhere near the battery?? - and spray some WD-40 on there to see if that makes a difference. Naturally, again, I'll be waiting until the rain stops. Thank heavens I have at least a few things food-wise in the house! The thought of catching a bus on my own with three children under five is not exciting

It would be so much easier if there was a manual I could look at with more in depth information on the engine! If I could figure out what I wanted to do before opening the hood, it would make things a lot easier in the long haul Bill, that picture you put up is definitely a start, and very handy. Thanks

BTW Bill, I'm in Australia, not the US. However, I'll take a peek for the Holts Easy Start as well, do some price comparisons

Sam

[girlbunny]

Just to be difficult, she starts up without a hitch now. However, while I had the opportunity, I picked up some Aerostart (the choice was "Aerostart" or "Start Ya Bastard!" LOL) for the next time, to see if that'll work. I still don't know if it's specifically the air intake, air filter, or moisture in the wrong places, since it started when the rains had stopped. No matter what, I know it's going to do the same thing again until I find the cause so, a copy of the engine manual is still handy if anyone has one

Sam

[billofdurham]

Sam,

I wondered where you were from when someone had advised Aerostart as it is an Australian product. Holts is international so should be available down there as well.

If, as seems likely by the fact the trouble started when the rains did, then I would advise taking off the distributor cap, plug leads and the lead to the ignition coil from the distributor cap, drying everything thoroughly with a hair dryer and spraying them all with a sealant. The makers of Aerostart do a product called CRC 2-26 or Holts do Damp Start. These products effectively seal the bits that can cause your problem when it is damp. One application should last at least 12 months. Do not spray inside the distributor cap. To ensure you replace the plug leads on the right plugs mark them in some way before taking them off. I usually use thin strips of coloured insulating tape, 1 strip for #1, 2 for #2 etc.

I am looking for a manual.

Bill.

[girlbunny]

Thanks for the tip Bill. I'll have to find a hair dryer from somewhere, but at least I have an idea on where to start! I have had the same problem even when it isn't wet, but this time it was definitely wet when it didn't start, and it's the first wet day since the distributor cap and rotor were replaced by the over-priced mechanic.

Is it possible to do one lead at a time at the car, rather than doing them all at once? I mainly ask this because that's how hubby usually changes his own distributor cap etc (he would've fixed that problem if we'd known THAT was the problem and had the parts to do it, rather than forking out every last dime we had on the mechanic!) If not, the coloured tape is a simple solution and I already have coloured electrical tape - so that would be a start anyway.

Thanks again. I'll try the sealant once I have the funds to get some!

Sam

[billofdurham]

You can do the sealing on the car but the cap and leads should be thoroughly dried before using it. If you can get the beast to run again take it for a spin until the engine is well up to its normal temp and that should do the trick.

You also asked about the ignition coil and how to find it. Follow the lead from the centre of the distributor cap and the coil is at the other end.

Bill.

[girlbunny]

Hi again

I still have no idea why the car wouldn't start last time, it's started every time since without any fiddling required. I've got both CRC and Aerostart on hand in case of any issues, but nothing has appeared as yet.

Having said which, a new symptom appeared around a month ago. It is random, and doesn't seem to be affected by weather, temperature, or distance travelled. The indicator lights sometimes work, and sometimes don't. When they don't work, nothing happens - no lights outside the car, no lights showing the indicators inside the car, and no noise for when it should be flashing (I know what I mean but I'm not describing it well) If it weren't for the fact that it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't I'd have thought that the wire was loose or had become disconnected from the main indicator switch... but it sometimes works one way and not the other, and other times works the other way and not the first... and even at times doesn't work at all in either direction, or works fine in both directions. Going around a roundabout it may not work to indicate going into the roundabout, but not work to leave the roundabout. Frustrating, to say the least!

Once again, thank you... I still need to fix the speedo issue, currently I have it under control by either not going out when there is a high humidity issue, or keeping the windows open so the cabin doesn't get too humid. The speedo works fine with lower humidity inside the cabin.

I need to get a safety check on the car, and it will definitely NOT pass with this indicator issue. So, any ideas as to what I can do will be greatly appreciated

Sam