95 Volvo 850 No Start No fuel

[jomustard]

Hi,
We have a 95 Volvo 850 wagon that has 188,000 miles. Got it 2 years ago and just love it! Last week, I was leaving a friend's house and it wouldn't start. Had it towed home. Tow driver pushed in the tube on the engine and fuel did not come out so he thought it was fuel pump. My husband is an amatuer mechanic and I am auto challenged. It is my only car but funds are tight so we are trying to diagnose and repair it ourselves. I've done some research online and found your website most helpful. Some of the other things I've read online contridict each other.
So anyway, we decided to check the fuel pump controller (or relay) first. Our car has a yellow one with 5 pins. I saw very few yellow ones online most were pink with 4 pins. I also called the Volvo dealer who told me that he had never seen a yellow fuel pump controller in his 20 years at Volvo.
My first question is would a pink 103 replace a yellow 103 properly?
took out the yellow 103 and jumped the wires bypassing it.
Next my husband replaced the fuel filter, then he kept pounding the fuel pump...and the Volvo started...We drove it to Pick n Pull to get a fuel pump controller (or relay) Second question...Is controller and relay the same?
We found a green 103 and a pink 103 (no yellows). We stopped to eat on the way home and the Volvo would not start again. We installed the pink 103
still didn't start. Then he started pounding the fuel pump again and the car started. Once home, came to the conclusion, the problem must be the fuel pump. Called a local auto parts store and was told the car needed two Intank low pressue ($90) and in-line high pressure ($62). What???
I never saw anything mentioned online about 2 fuel pumps. I checked ebay and found electric fuel pumps for as low as $29 and as high as $350. There are also fuel pump kits you can buy. We are on a tight budget....but want to keep the Volvo drivable for awhile too. Can you recommend a option for amatuer do it yourselver's on a tight budget? Or is changing the fuel pump not advisable for the DIYers? Please advise thanks Joanne

[rmmagow]

I don't know a lot about the fuel pump on your car. In your position, I would consider looking for an independent VOLVO mechanic, craigslist comes to mind. Check out a few of them. Anyplace you see 90% Volvo and a bunch of older Volvos (93~98) for sale or a lot of old worn out Volvos in a back lot may well be a good bet to talk to. Some of these folks don't care if you bring your own parts and may well help you get the right part for your car. I think you car has fuel pumps that can be reached through an access panel in the way-back floor. Don't do ebay, try FCP here as well as IPD, you'll get the right part from them. In fact, grab your VIN number and give them a call and they will set you up with the right pump. Let a pro mechanic fix this as you learn to fix other not so critical items in the car, no fuel pump, no car right! It's not a monster job, but can be extremely fiddly.
PS: Look around here and Google, maybe someone did a fuel pump on one of these with pictures and instructions. Good Luck!

[jblackburn]

There aren't 2 fuel pumps. I have no idea what he was "looking up".

The relays should be the same as long as the pin configuration is the same. Some have a 87a and 87b.

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-f ... 70-s70-v70

There's the fuel pump for your car though. If whacking it is getting it to work, I would say that pump is on its way out. Don't trust the car in the time being away from home.

[jomustard]

Thank you for your input. That is a great idea checking Craigslist for a mechanic that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. My husband said it wasn't so hard removing the fuel pump. Our local pick n pull has about 9 Volvo 850's. There are no 1995 ...1993,1996 & 1997s. Would those years be interchangable? It would be kind of a gamble getting a used one. I read somewhere online that the Volvo fuel pumps were very well built...and mostly the problem is with the relays. If we got one at Pick n Pull, is there someone or someway to test it before we install it?
Thanks for your help

[jblackburn]

Any are interchangeable. Except (maybe?) the 1993.

I think if he had to whack the fuel tank to get it going, it was probably the pump. But grab a relay too. Or 2.

[98T5]

Got 2 new fuel relays in couple days ago sitting in my garage, I need to have them in my car, will do that pronto tonight when I get off work. I hear it's a common problem and worth the investment at only $12/each with IPD.

[jomustard]

Hi, We went to Pick n Pull and found two fuel pumps that might work. They were both out of 94 850's. One had yellowed like ours, the one out of the car with 134k miles was white and looked clean. So we bought that one for $35 and asked the cashier to hold the other one for us till tomorrow(in case the purchased one didn't work). So far so good....I
'ver driven it making several stops and it starts right up each time. We are still bypassing the relay though. How long can you drive without the 103 relay? Haven't been able to find a yellow one with 5 pins and afraid the pink or green 4 pin 103 would mess it up. Would either of those relays work on our Volvo?
Your input has really helped.

[Hoosier Shadetree]

Congratulations on getting the old girl up and running. My opinion is to plug in the relay, it's there for a reason. The pink 103 should be fine; it was what I saw on my '96 850 and my wife's '99 XC.

BTW, in what area of the country do you reside?

[jblackburn]

Put your yellow one back in and see if it'll run. I don't think your relay is bad since it was the fuel pump in your case.

[jomustard]

Yes, I am very happy she is on the road again. We live in Santa Rosa, CA about an hour North of San Francisco. We'll try putting the pink relay in once my husband wakes up. It only has 4 pins though. My husband messed up the yellow relay attempting to take it apart unfortunately. I did see a couple used ones on ebay pretty reasonable.