240DL '87 Strange Behavior | fuel related? sensor?

240DL_Dont_Ever_Die · Post by **240DL_Dont_Ever_Die** » 22 May 2009, 10:44

Dear Volvo Enthusiasts:
I hope you can give me some ideas to pass on to my mechanic. My 87 240DL was an Austin Texas car, then it came to Illinois. For a couple years now I've had a mysterious problem. Sometimes, not very often, I'll be driving and come to a stop (problem seems to usually happen in the lower gears, or mostly from a complete stop and seems to maybe brought on or exaggerated by quick acceleration, but not always). Accelerating the car will just "give", just go out, you can hear the engine revving when giving it gas, but it's not getting any gas - it just putts along, not getting any power (gas)... I usually pull over asap and shut the car off. Start it back up and the acceleration works fine and everything is o.k. One time I was so close to work that I just kept letting it idle it's way into the lot, well, actually it had a little bit of power, but not much. That time I got it to kind of backfire, very rough. Figured I'd deal with it after work, but of course, later it was fine. Finally, it died in the viaduct. It wouldn't start, sounded like classic fuel pump being out and I had to have i towed. And yes, you guessed it, once it got across town it started right up. My mechanic can not replicate any of these problems. (Other side effects, maybe not related, are a wild temp. gauge - it reads normal most of the time, but sometimes runs on the bottom, like cold, but not very very often. It did overheat one summer and the gauge did let me know. The odom. also doesn't work, but speedom does). Boy I hope someone has some ideas! Thanks a million for reading about my beloved 240's Strange Behavior.

Post by **billofdurham** » 22 May 2009, 12:52

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

The symptoms you give would indicate a problem with the in-tank fuel pump. You should be able to hear the pump running if you remove the filler cap with the engine running. A second check is to remove fuse #4 with the engine running. When the in-tank pump stops the main pump will become noisier as it is doing more work.

The temp gauge isn't connected to the fuel problem but it is a common problem on the older cars. One solution has been devised by IPD http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Electri ... 7-261-193/.

IPD also do an odometer repair kit http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Interio ... -262-4566/

If you do decide to buy parts from IPD or FCP use the links at the top of the forum.

Bill.

240DL_Dont_Ever_Die · Post by **240DL_Dont_Ever_Die** » 22 May 2009, 13:34

hi - thanks for the quick response. when you say problem with intank fuel pump do you mean that it's going bad? is it normal for a fuel pump to go bad slowly over the course of a year and 1/2? after reading the forms my list of possibilities includes...(the fuel pressure is fine my mechanic says and it had a new fuel filter 12/07 when it was having problems with cold start)... sock filter in tank breaking down (is this something you replace? could the particles be causing the problem?) fuel pump relay? one of the temp. sensors? clean throttle? any of the fuses, like the fuel pump system relay, in tank pump fuse? main fuel pump and fuel injector fuse? are any of these easy checks? any i should rule out? the car makes no funny noises and gives no indication before it accelerates funny (usually from a stop), occasionally it will die at a quick stop or a regular stop/idle, but it usually fires right back up again, no problem... when it is dying while stopped it does kind of do so gradually. hope this helps narrow down some things to check. Thanks Again.

Post by **billofdurham** » 22 May 2009, 15:46

The in-tank pump doesn't necessarily fail instantly. It can slowly die over a period of time. Its main purpose in life is to feed the main pump. As it fails the main pump has to work harder to draw fuel from the tank. This then fails.

The sock filter will break down over a period of time and, on the earlier models, it was a service item every 15,000 miles - check, clean or replace as necessary. If it does break down the particles will eventually destroy the main fuel pump. Run a search on fuel pumps in the RWD forum with author Kmaniac in California USA. Chris had many problems with his and gives a detailed write up.

With those symptoms I would suggest the first check would be the in-tank pump and filter.

Bill.

240DL_Dont_Ever_Die · Post by **240DL_Dont_Ever_Die** » 22 May 2009, 16:18

update - peter b. (my mechanic) is now perplexed and has asked that i leave the car with him for the weekend - we just tested the fuses and then he found that fuse #6 to the main pump wasn't getting any power, when he pulled the fuse he expected the car to die, but it kept running just fine.??? i'm more than ready to buy fuel pumps and have them put in, this is the 2nd time he's not been able to fix/diagnose anything wrong - at $90 bucks a shot, it's frustrating. i removed gas tank lid and listened for noise from the intake fuel pump, but couldn't really detect any noise... is there a way to test the intake fuel pump? thanks again. heidi

GeorgeKL · Post by **GeorgeKL** » 26 May 2009, 00:49

Mine had similar symptoms which started showing at first only on steep hills, slowly but surely it deteriorated over time, first by being very intermittant on the flat and only at highway speeds to becoming a regular pain. Again, when it was cold things were fine but with 30-35 degree ambient temperature, things don't stay cool for long.

I asked my mechanic (?) to check fuel delivery at service, he said all was fine. Two days later the main pump all but died leaving me to get across Kuala Lumpur in rush hour with a very poorly motor. The lift pump wasn't perfoming and this meant the main pump was doing all the work which, apparently, wasn't in its job spec.

Replaced both pumps, and away we go.

240DL_Dont_Ever_Die · Post by **240DL_Dont_Ever_Die** » 26 May 2009, 07:53

update - i've ordered a fuel pump relay for starters - a volvo enthusiast here in champaign/urbana thought it sounded like the intake fuel pump, but that it could also be the fuel pump relay shorting out when it gets warm - so since the part is so inexpensive and easy to switch I thought i'd start there - if that doesn't solve the problem i'll replace the intank fuel pump and sock filter - is it worth replacing both pumps at the same time? (this would be work i'd have my mechanic do, not me) - also how hard is it to replace the mass air sensor?
thanks all.

Post by **billofdurham** » 26 May 2009, 12:17

I thought I had read that the relay had been changed. Obviously I was confusing this problem with another one.

If the sock filter on the in-tank pump has started to fall apart then you would be better off replacing both pumps as the bits could well be inside the main pump.

Hopefully a new relay will suffice.

The air mass meter is easy to change but do you need to do this?

Bill.