1998 S70 Hard Starting

kallaschris · Post by **kallaschris** » 27 May 2018, 12:57

I have a non-Turbo 1998 Volvo S70 over 210,000 miles. It has a hard time starting, that is I have to crank it for several seconds before it will start.
I took it to the dealer and they said that after a while at rest the fuel rail pressure drops to zero. They said it was a fuel pump, which I did not believe as the pump is under two years old. But I proceeded to change out the following - Fuel pump (with a Bosch), fuel filter (Volvo) and fuel pressure damper (Volvo; on the fuel rail). Low and behold it did not fix the problem. When I removed the fuel rail I also checked the injectors to see if any were leaking. None were. I also took an air hose to the fuel rail to see if under pressure the injectors were leaking. They were not, nor does the car puff out black smoke on start up. I have inspected best I can the fuel lines to see if there is an obvious leak, but I do not find one.
Does any one have any suggestion as to what may be causing the fuel rail pressure to drop and thus cause a hard starting condition

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 27 May 2018, 19:01

Wow, you're really throwing new parts at your car...

Is the car staying on after the hard start? Can you drive long distances and start the car right back up? I'm saying this because I've always found that a bad/low battery makes these card feel all sorts of lifeless.is your battery new?

Also, are you getting a P0455? A really gross (hahaha, ew!) EVAP leak could possibly contribute to a hard start.

Have you checked if you're leaking any fuel from the shraeder valve by the fuel filter? Fuel smells are pretty strong though... I think if you were losing fuel you'd know it... Good luck troubleshooting this one.

kallaschris · Post by **kallaschris** » 28 May 2018, 05:59

Once the car starts it runs fine. If I shut the car off and immediately try to start it it will start right up ( I assume because the fuel pressure is maintained). The battery is only 2 yrs old and when starting the car cranks at a normal rhythm. There are no codes being thrown. I will have to check the shraeder valve by the fuel filter again, but when I changed the filter I did not notice any leakage

Post by **abscate** » 28 May 2018, 07:18

CHeck the fuel pressure specs and then measure it to see if you if you are really leaking beyond design

My 99 has a spec something like50 psi at idle, then 25vpsi after 20 minutes of shut down, so pressure drop is normal on these cars.

Your 1998 spec is different

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 28 May 2018, 10:54

abscate wrote: 28 May 2018, 07:18 CHeck the fuel pressure specs and then measure it to see if you if you are really leaking beyond design

My 99 has a spec something like50 psi at idle, then 25vpsi after 20 minutes of shut down, so pressure drop is normal on these cars.

Your 1998 spec is different

Abscate, could the hard start be cause by poor spark or MAF?

I'm so curious because the car is otherwise starting normally and the OP isn't seeing (or smelling!) a loss in fuel...