2002 S60 2.4T Cylinder misfire then won't start (150k miles)

ebolanore · Post by **ebolanore** » 12 Sep 2015, 16:51

My partner has been driving my S60 recently. A few days ago he called to tell me the car was idling weird - it was shaking, which which seemed to fade as speed increased. He took it to an Advance Auto to read the codes, they said cylinder 5 was misfiring. It was still running, but on reduced power, so he brought it to my office where we can work on it. Once I was able to get to it, it would no longer start. It sounded like it was trying to start but combustion was not happening. We checked the fuel pressure, and fuel is definitely flowing properly. We pulled out a couple of spark plugs and tested them, none are sparking. Upon attempting to start, the cvvt solenoid is emitting a ticking sound and then stopping, so my boss thinks the issue is that. I took it off, but am not sure how to test it. I've found some information via Google, but I have yet to find a procedure for testing that is specifically for this part on this model and year.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Post by **oragex** » 13 Sep 2015, 08:22

I don't think the solenoid would cause a non start situation. Have you tried jump start the car? There were also issues with broken (because of corrosion) power cables at the alternator, may worth a look. Finally, at 150k miles the alternator regulator or pulley may also start to give up

Post by **abscate** » 14 Sep 2015, 12:54

You have a coil over each cylinder which fires the spark plugs. Even one bad coil will make the engine run very poorly and no-start.

Pull the plugs and lets have a picture of them to see. A code reader is essential to work on these cars - in this case, you could move the coil and plug to cylnder number 2 and see if the problem moves with the coil/plug assembly.

ebolanore · Post by **ebolanore** » 20 Oct 2015, 15:03

Update:

It's been a while, life keeps popping up. I was able to borrow a code reader, and I got two codes. Of course, the paper I wrote them down on is missing, but I used the DTC list for 99+ Volvos found elsewhere on this site. One code indicated one or more cylinders misfiring (nonspecific). The other did not seem to have a Volvo-specific equivalent, but other code lists showed that to have something to do with the throttle body. I have not gotten it to throw any codes since.

We did ensure that the battery was well charged, and it sounds like the starter is fine but combustion is not occurring.

Having done that, Google and various forums pointed toward testing the camshaft and crankshaft sensors. It probably bears mentioning that I work in a facility with electric and mechanical engineers, so they love projects like this. I do most of the work, and they are happy to share their knowledge. We pulled the sensors, and tested them in our lab. I don't know the specifics, as I'm not an engineer, but the consensus was that the sensors are fine. I am inclined to think it might be the ECM.

I will try to get some pictures of the plugs. It is just about time they were replaced at any rate.