96 850NA Wet Weather Misfire & Stall

eriscentro · Post by **eriscentro** » 28 Oct 2015, 07:03

On the way to work this morning, my 850 felt as if it didn't want to start, and took a little bit longer to do so than usual (still only one key turn, a few extra seconds). Once started, idle was very rough. It felt like there was a skip/throb every few seconds. Once in gear, the throbbing worsened. About a mile from home, I pulled over to check the CEL and restart the car. I've had a persistent P0455, and a P0300 was pending. I cleared the codes and restarted, but once I went to get back onto the road, it stalled out. This happened twice more. I let it sit for a few, and upon starting, everything seemed fine. I filled up with 93 (I usually run 89), and the car had zero issues for the rest of the 10 mile trip.
A few things to note:
1.) I'm in NE Ohio, and today has been the crappiest, rainiest, and windiest day in months.
2.) I've had a similar throbbing issue once before several months ago. I stopped the car, restarted it, and the problem went away. I didn't have a CEL thrown.
3.) I have an oil leak from what appears to be the passenger side rear cam seal. There's oil on the subframe by the oil filter, as well as on the filter itself.
4.) PCV was done a few thousand miles ago, before I noticed the cam oil leak.
5.) When I pump gas, the pump 'clicks' every few seconds unless the flow is decreased. I haven't looked into this yet, so I don't know if there's any correlation.

-Thanks!

Post by **850 LPT** » 28 Oct 2015, 07:27

I wonder if the car is in need of a tune up. When was the last time you did one?
The reason I'm suspecting this is because it happens primarily in moist weather conditions.

Hope this helps.

eriscentro · Post by **eriscentro** » 28 Oct 2015, 07:50

It's been a while, although I don't remember what service was done when off the top of my head.
The plugs are probably have between 10K and 15K on them. The oil is full synth, and is only a few months old. I don't know about the rest of the ignition system.

Post by **erikv11** » 28 Oct 2015, 08:30

Also I am curious about the brand of the plugs, as well as wires, cap and rotor. These cars can be pretty picky about ignition parts.

eriscentro · Post by **eriscentro** » 28 Oct 2015, 08:53

I'll take a look when I get home this evening. I have no idea when the distributor was touched last, and I'd pretty much guarantee that the mechanic who changed the plugs (and possibly wires) used cheaper parts. I find it strange that it's only happened twice, at seemingly random times.
After the three stalls, I was afraid the battery might not have enough power to start it back up. It just *barely* started following the stalls. As I mentioned, the first start this morning seemed unusually long.

Post by **FLXC90** » 29 Oct 2015, 15:18

the distributor cap, spray with contact cleaner, and wipe off, oil and condensation in cap will cause ignition breakdown symptoms you describe. Also, are you sure the oil leak is from the cam seals? What about the oil thermostat or cooler lines?

eriscentro · Post by **eriscentro** » 02 Nov 2015, 18:47

FLXC90 wrote:the distributor cap, spray with contact cleaner, and wipe off, oil and condensation in cap will cause ignition breakdown symptoms you describe. Also, are you sure the oil leak is from the cam seals? What about the oil thermostat or cooler lines?

Here's some pictures of the leak - https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 94#p378094
Also, I have a non-turbo

Post by **erikv11** » 03 Nov 2015, 00:45

Are you sure that area is still leaking oil? A front cam seal leak will look like that but far more common is to have oil pooling on top of the cam cover due to clogged PCV and/or bad oil cap gasket, then the oil leaks out the corner and runs down that area of the block. Is the top of the cam cover, under the plastic, clean? Since you just changed the PCV, is the leak less/gone now? I would clean it up, see if it comes back.

Pull the distributor cap like FLXC90 suggested, it could be the front cam seal was blown (and still is) and oil and moisture is getting in there. And if it isn't Bosch then I would replace it with one that is. Same on the rotor.

eriscentro · Post by **eriscentro** » 03 Nov 2015, 06:11

I'll check both of them this evening. I'm hoping the front cam seal is fine, because it looks to be pretty obnoxious to change. From what I've read, the rear exhaust seal is both far more common and easier to replace. I still a drip of oil all the way down on the filter when I check under the engine every few weeks.

Looks like the manufacture date on my plug wires is 04/11 (or 11/04, I don't remember off the top of my head). I don't believe the wires have been changed in several years, so it's more likely that they were made in 2004 rather than 2011. We got the car in 2008.

Post by **abscate** » 03 Nov 2015, 06:14

You should only use Bougicord brand wires on these cars, and route the wires carefully like original position.