2009 s60 2.5t not getting fuel

[abscate]

Dave - Ive had both the fuel pressure sensor and the PEM go on my 2005 and the symptoms were not cut-out, but stumbling at revs/load and also no-start.

I think the waveform controlled fuel delivery systems fail differently than the classic fuel pump relay- pump designs, which makes sense.

[Dave in Maine]

Better than all that.

The mechanic had fixed it earlier in the week. Given my work schedule kept me from coming out except on the weekend, he was driving it to make sure the repair was done and going to hold. Everything fine until Thursday night - ran like the proverbial top. Then, while he was driving it, the problem recurred.

Friday morning he called with the bad news. I was ready to dump the car - enough is enough, already. I asked him how much he'd offer me for it, as is where is.

Friday afternoon he called again, to tell me he'd gone into the tank to check installation of the fuel pump. There was also an intermittent code of loose gas cap - which could have been a bad seal on the pump installation. And he'd found the apparent source of the problem. He also passed on buying me out and said I'd get more for it when I had it, running.

I had a Lego in my gas tank.

He related that when he opened the tank he found a plastic toy piece - he said it looked sorta like a Lego - in the tank. And more dirt than should have been there, indicating the experts at Firestone had not bothered to vacuum and clean off the top of the tank before replacing the fuel pump ("Going for the expensive repair first" he called it.). Going further, he found the fuel line had been improperly installed, with a bit of a kink in it. (That corresponded to the shambles the interior was in, when I picked it up from Firestone.)

Best I can deduce (and what follows is my speculation) goes something like this: at some point in the past, probably during the original owner's possession, some little darling decided to help by doing like Daddy does at the gas station and stuffed a plastic toy into the filler. It was small enough to make it past the gate and out of sight, too big to go all the way down, but not big enough to block the filler. So it remained in the filler pipe for years and years, gradually dissolving as one refueling after another passed over it. Then, one day, it had dissolved enough that it worked loose and made it the rest of the way into the tank. There it maundered around inside the tank. At some point in the recent past it had dissolved enough to where, when the car was going uphill and under load, or I just had to step on the gas to get extra oomph, the flow into the pump would draw it close to the intake. It would impede the flow and the car would display fuel starvation signs. Those would dissipate shortly after the demand passed (either the car stalled and the draw subsided, or I eased off on the pedal and the draw subsided). When the experts at Firestone introduced more dirt and didn't remove the Lego, things were copacetic until about 40 or so miles into travel. During that run-up, the Lego acted like one of those stirrer beads you might remember from high school chemistry lab - the ones that sat in a beaker and spun, mixing the dirt into the gas and feeding it into the pump. And after about 50 miles, that was enough to gag the engine.

I'm glad I don't have kids, because I don't have any kids to blame, nor spankings to deal out and regret later.

If he hadn't been driving it around, I would have made it back to the interstate and had it die again.

So, more mechanic time and this time the pump will be seated correctly, the fuel line unkinked and installed properly, and the Lego bagged for evidence.

I have another rental. Drove from Portland to Newburgh and back yesterday to turn in the one and get another. I anticipate picking up the Volvo next Saturday. Abscate: pm me.

[cn90]

Do 2009 Volvo models have PEM? Just wondering...

[Dave in Maine]

Closing up the story:

the Volvo specialist straightened things out with the fuel pump and fuel line. Bagged the Lego for evidence, gave me a decent writeup on what went wrong with the first repair. Videos and photos, too. He drove it and pronounced it fine.

Two Saturdays ago I drove out to Poughkeepsie, turned in the rental, got a cab to the mechanic's, (paid him the day before) got in the car and it started right up. I drove out to I-84 and headed east for Maine and home. Tanked it all the way up, got on the interstate and stepped on it.

Up around the Connecticut-Massachusetts line, there was a bad accident that took the 3 lanes of traffic down to one. This was the first time I've ever seen a tractor-trailer with the trailer frame literally burned through. They had Bobcats loading the remains into rolloff dumpsters - the molten and solidified aluminum had already been cleaned up. This was a good hour of rolling at idle.

Coming out of that at a merge, I had to step on it. It hesitated and shuddered - same problem.

I briefly considered easing off. On second thought I recalled doing that previously had led to the car dying. I retained pressure on the gas. It got its breath back. Ran a little rough but I could live with that so long as it ran.

I decided to blow out whatever it was that was gagging it. I made a speed run all the way across Massachusetts, from west of Worcester to New Hampshire, never going below 70 (in other words, keeping up with the pace of traffic). Truth be told, I wanted to make sure I got as far as I could before it either straightened up and flew right, or failed again.

I made it to mile 9 (of 16) on I-95 in New Hampshire, where it crapped out again with the same symptoms of fuel starvation. Check engine light, bucking and gasping.

I waited a couple minutes, it started again. Check engine light but by now I didn't care. I limped it to Portsmouth and called AAA for a tow.
The last 60 miles to my home in Portland, were on a tow truck.

I took delivery of a new Corolla this past Thursday. 23 miles on the clock. They said "if you can drive it here, we'll give you $500 on the trade". I did and they did.

The Volvo specialist did a competent job unscrewing the mess that Firestone of Waterbury made. I have no beef with him and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to others. What he also proved is that, indeed, it probably was never the fuel pump at all and Firestone did unnecessary, incorrect repairs (and after making a bad diagnosis, assuming they tried to diagnose it at all). What it was, I don't know, will never know, and don't care. It's someone else's problem now and not mine.

I'd like to thank all the folks here who tried to help out.

[cn90]

Good that you got rid of it, save you time from dealing with it.

Most ppl are busy with work/family and have little time to deal with car issues.
let alone intermittent stalling, which is the single most annoying issue in any car
bc:
- You are stranded.
- Very diffcult to diagnose bc of the intermittent nature of it.

But I honestly believe this was a classic PEM problem.
Thankfully this forum saved me bc I was reading about it.
PEM failure usually escapes the most seasoned Volvo mechanic bc there are no codes and the problem
is intermittent, making diagnosis very difficult.

A few yrs ago, my college kid's 2004 V70 2.5T developed similar symptoms.
The local Volvo indy mechanics kept the car for a few days but could not diagnose it.
Then I shipped them a good known PEM unit. Intially they were hesitant but I told them
the swap is 5-10 min max.
They finally agreed to swap the PEM.
Bingo, car ran perfect.

PS: This is why I currently have 2 PEMs from local junkyard.
I tested them by installing in the car.
Once proved to be good, I remove them and save in the trunk as spare for long-distance trips...

[br0dy519]

How much was the corolla ? Hybrid ?

[jonesg]

Sounds like the filter clogged, either the in tank sock or the external one.
Fix it in your spare time in the summer, it should fetch a decent price.

[abscate]

Blessed is the car that gets you within rAAAnge of home…