1995 850 Starts, runs 1 sec, then dies

jcjbc · Post by **jcjbc** » 10 Aug 2011, 19:26

Yesterday, the car ran fine. This morning I started the car, it ran about 1 sec (sounding normal) then abruptly died. Same thing occurs every time. I have tried now about 30 times at various times throughout the day. I jumpered the car (cause the battery was getting tired) and no difference. The car starts easily, runs 0.5 to 1.5 secs, and then dies. If I try to give it any gas while starting, it seems to die even faster. What do you think?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 10 Aug 2011, 20:09

Welocme to MVS,

My gut says the fuel pump relay based on your symptoms. You can easily test that theory by removing the relay (number 103) which is located below the cover on the fuse box - there are 4 torx screws that need to be removed to get the cover off. Remove the relay and then look on the bottom of it to identify pins 15 and 87. Fashion a jumper wire (even a paper clip will work) and jumper the socket positions associated with those pins on the relay. Once the jumper is in place try again and see how the car behaves.

...Lee

jcjbc · Post by **jcjbc** » 11 Aug 2011, 06:05

That was it. The paper clip worked well. The car started on the first try and it is running. That was a whole lot easier than I thought it would be. Thanks!

Post by **jblackburn** » 11 Aug 2011, 07:07

Don't leave the car like that - it can be a safety hazard if you were ever to wreck it. You'll need to purchase a new fuel pump relay.

jcjbc · Post by **jcjbc** » 11 Aug 2011, 07:28

It is already on order.

Thanks!

okihiro · Post by **okihiro** » 12 Aug 2011, 15:26

hi, i have a 99 xc70 and it almost seemed like the same thing happened to me yesterday. i have been driving it and its fine, even drove it yesterday morning and it was fine then i parked it for about 2 hours in late morning and tried to start it up and itll start and immediately i see the tach needle drop as the engine sputters to a halt. if i try to restart again immediately then the engine will die even faster.
now prior to this happening, if i leave the ac on and start the engine, it will always sputter a bit and seem like itll die but then pick back up.
and a while back when i tried to go full throttle i hit a flat spot at around 5000 rpm. if i tried to go full throttle on an uphill the itll hit a flat spot at around 3000 and then pick up and then go to the flat spot at 5000. then for some reason that problem just seemed to have gone away.
some have speculated that the etm is the culprit behind all this. and while that seems likely, the latest dying engine upon start seem to both act as an etm issue as well as a fuel issue.
anyone has any ideas?

okihiro · Post by **okihiro** » 12 Aug 2011, 17:14

So I just tried the relay thing and Lo and behold that's the culprit. What does the relay do exactly? There are four pins. What do they do? And when one of these relays go south, is it always suddenly or are there other symptoms ?
Thanks ozark for the info!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 12 Aug 2011, 18:47

The relay is schematically a "black box" but it has a timing circuit. I'm not sure what key positions trigger what functions since that is all controlled by the firmware in the ECU.

What it does is essentially prime the fuel rail for about a second and then after the car starts it stays on until the car is turned off.

I have successfully repaired the fuel pump relays on most of my 850/70 series cars with a couple of dollars worth of parts from Radio Shack (electrolytic capacitors) and a soldering iron.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... php?t=9681

If you are not handy at soldering it is around a $50.00 or $60.00 part to just replace it.

...Lee

okihiro · Post by **okihiro** » 13 Aug 2011, 17:31

i think ill just splurge for a replacement part. i had a hard time finding the part. only fcpgroton had it but it was not oem i believe.
does it matter if it is oem?
and how long are these things supposed to last?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Aug 2011, 19:19

The life is somewhat climate dependent. Places with extreme cold and hot weather tends to kill them quicker than more moderate climates.

Give or take after ten years or so they can croak on about any car.

...Lee