Help me save Christmas! 98 V70 no start/rough start Topic is solved

[scot850]

If I am correct the MAF for a 98 may not be available new any longer except from Volvo. I had to buy one about 9 months ago and they were the only source as Bosch confirmed they no longer supply them. Can't recall the part number but the one I had to get was for an NA motor. I think the Bosch # was something like 0 280 XXX 107.

Neil.

[misha]

They are the same part # for n/a(M4.4) & turbo up to '99(ME7).
Bosch 0 280 217 107.

[MrAl]

Scanning won’t help diagnose a poor running engine , usually many codes are thrown.

The immobilizer won’t cause a stall from a running engine, it inhibits starting

Hello again,

I thought you told me there was no immobilizer on these cars 1998 v70?

Also, what the heck is an "immobilizer ring" ?
And where it is located?

[MrAl]

My wife's car won't start. If her car can't start, we can't visit the family for Christmas. I need some help!

It began today. It had had some issues before today, stumbling or stalling very occasionally in wet weather maybe? But today I was just running it to give the battery a charge after moving the car to a new parking spot. It had been idling about 5 minutes when it just stalled. I tried to restart and found it would run for a split second and die again. If I really got aggressive with the gas pedal, I could hold the revs around 3k for about 20 seconds before it would invariably die.

I jumpered the fuel pump relay right away. No change.

I unscrewed a fuel line and ran the fuel pump. Seemed to give a good flow.

I checked the fuel pressure. 35psi steady all the while when the engine was sputtering and stalling. I really wanted it to be a fuel problem, but it doesn't seem like it.

I checked fault codes. No fault codes.

I took a spark plug out and looked at it. There is spark as it is cranking and sputtering and stalling and attempting to run. Maybe it is intermittent? Hard to tell. Cap/rotor/plugs/wires are new OEM as of summer 2020, and the car hasn't been used much since then.

I tried all 3 keys, including the "valet key". I unplugged and plugged back in the immobilizer ring antenna. No change.

I rowed the shifter back and forth, and cycled the transmission mode buttons buttons between S, E, and W modes a couple times. No change.

One time, after it had been sitting (maybe I also locked it and unlocked it) I came back out and it started right up and ran for 3 minutes straight, idling just fine, even warmed up a bit, before it shut off and went back to the original symptoms. This caused me to suspect a hall sensor, because they can get flaky when warm.

I ohmed out the crank sensor. That was fine. I ohmed out the cam sensor and found open circuits, so I replaced that, but the new one also showed an open circuit? RobertDIY's video says it should be some number of ohms, but neither of them were. I'd rather not throw any more parts at it!

I finally started it, aggressively used the gas pedal to hold the revs high, and in that moment, unplugged the immobilizer ring. It kept running, badly, finally dying, same as before.

Do I throw an immobilizer ring at it? Would it be helpful if I posted videos of the sputtering and trying to run? Does this remind anyone of anything?

Thanks and happy holidays!

Hello there,

In reference to this line of your post:
"I tried all 3 keys, including the "valet key". I unplugged and plugged back in the immobilizer ring antenna. No change."

What is an immobilizer ring antenna and where is it located?

Thanks.

[scot850]

If your car had an antenna ring, it would be a 99- car. It is a ring around the ignition key slot that illuminates the Pos I, II etc. It is highly unlikely your car has this. It does have an security system and this can be flaky especially when reconnecting the battery. You can reset the system usually by locking and unlocking the driver's door lock manually with the key.

Markets do vary on what they have so it is sometimes hard to define what every car has. European Volvos had immobiliser systems from around 1996 if I recall correctly.

Valet keys allow the car to be started but do not allow the trunk to be opened on sedans or the glove boxes. Pointless for a wagon except the glove box. Some cars have alarm systems that set off the alarm when the hood is opened if the car is locked. There are sensors built into the lock assembly for the hood.

Neil.

[S Carlson]

If your car had an antenna ring, it would be a 99- car. It is a ring around the ignition key slot that illuminates the Pos I, II etc. It is highly unlikely your car has this. It does have an security system and this can be flaky especially when reconnecting the battery. You can reset the system usually by locking and unlocking the driver's door lock manually with the key.

I took off the steering column housing and there is a lit-up ring around the key hole, with a delicate 4-pin plug. I am pretty sure it's the immobilizer ring antenna? But like I said in an earlier post, I did try to unplug this and noticed no difference in the way the car ran. Maybe the rest of the immobilizer system isn't there. That would be nice!

[S Carlson]

Hello there,

In reference to this line of your post:
"I tried all 3 keys, including the "valet key". I unplugged and plugged back in the immobilizer ring antenna. No change."

What is an immobilizer ring antenna and where is it located?

Thanks.

The immobilizer ring is the light-up ring around the ignition key hole. It's basically an antenna that reads the chip in the key, if the car is so-equipped. Then it pings the immobilizer ECU that pings the engine ECU and inhibits the engine from running, from what I understand.

It's easy to take the immobilizer ring out, you just disassemble the plastic steering column housing by unscrewing the 3 torx screws under the steering column and then popping the plastic apart and off from around the key hole. Then the immobilizer ring antenna slips off the key hole.

I think that the immobilizer can cause the car to start but not run/run poorly without any fault codes being set, which is why I thought it might be my problem. BUT my keys do not appear to have chips inside the plastic part. One of our keys, which can be used as a spare, and does run the car, has no plastic on the head of it. So probably no chip in it. Probably ?

[S Carlson]

Latest update: I have not had the chance to go to any salvage yards or junkyards with all the prep for the holiday. Inlaws threatened to spend $$$ and rent us a car, so I got my old Honda Insight going. It had been sitting in my boss's yard in Concord for two months because I broke my leg in October and couldn't operate the clutch, but a disused-but-running Honda Insight is way better than a broken Volvo. I stopped at a Sam's Club in the pouring rain to change the dead battery in the Honda, and we got in to St. Albans just before the big freeze arrived. We're up here for the holiday and to spend a couple days after the holiday, winter backpacking. The Volvo has been left on the street in a rare free parking area with MAF disconnected and a friend looking in on it occasionally. It can be driven if there's an emergency

Before I'd seen any replies to this thread, I ordered a Cardone remanufactured MAF on wholesaler closeout from Rockauto. It was the path of least resistance, so far. It appears to have the right Bosch part number. It was only $25 because it was on wholesaler closeout. Again, not aftermarket, but a reman. Hopefully that fixes things. It was the easiest, fastest option, and cost relatively little to try. We will see.

Interestingly, after I broke my leg and had the surgery to fix it, still in the fog of anesthesia and painkillers, I made a deal with the Volvo. I told her that if she got us through my injury until I could walk again, she could have whatever she wants. I think she's asking for her end of the deal now. Again, hopefully the MAF is it.

[volvolugnut]

Glad you made it to family for holidays. I had been following the thread.
volvolugnut

[abscate]

The immob. Will cause a no crank or a start /stall condition depending on version.

It never causes poor running

Merry Christmas to all my Green Mountain friends