Hi all! I know very little about cars, but I'm not willing to give up on my volvo!
I have a 99 v70 with almost 190k miles on it. I just moved from TN to CA last year and left my car with my grandmother who cranked it and drove it every week just to keep it moving. I just drove my car from TN to San Francisco two weeks ago, and my car did great. On my trip from San Fran back to Los Angeles my car sputtered out on the freeway and I called AAA. My battery and alternator are both reading good. After the car sat for about 20 minutes it cranked up and drove just fine.
The next day this happened again after I had driven to work and then to the beach. It just sputtered out while I was taking off at a stop sign. I had the car towed to a shop and the mechanics there could NOT make it happen again. Car worked perfectly. So, I took it to a volvo tech with 30+ years of experience and he could not figure out what was wrong with it either. He suggested I start replacing things like the fuel pump, relay, and fuel filter.
Well, since I just spend a wad of dough on driving my car across the country I just had the fuel filter replaced. Car drove great for about 5 days, then last night on my way home from work it stalled again while slowing to a stop for a traffic light. In the parking lot before I left work it started to sputter like it does when it dies, but I kept shifting out of drive and into Park, Reverse, and 3. Each time I shift out of drive the car would calm down and idle normal again, but as soon as I put it in drive it would start to sputter and the dash lights would come on. I let it sit for a few minutes and fiddled with shifting it into P, R, and 3 and it seemed normal so I drove it home.
Half way home it stalled out on me. I let it sit for about 20 minutes and it cranked just fine and drove me home. I really can't afford to start just blindly replacing parts in the hopes that something will fix it. Also it makes me super nervous to drive it in LA traffic never knowing when it's going to die. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I have read through a lot of these forums today bookmarking problems that are similar to mine. The most common one seems to be something with the mass airflow sensor?

Many thanks,
Hillary

 

im haveing a simerler prob i have a xc v70 2.4 petrol one min it starts the next it dont i got a mile up the road yestaday and it spluterd and stopped on me i got th aa out and he pushed a valve on top of the engine a no fuel came out he told me the fuel pump is on its way out i went out and started the car again this morni but dont want torive it incase it go.s again some 1 els told me it could be the pump relay but surly the relay would either wor or not work i think i might just cut a hole in the back floor panale and change the pump that way a new pump is only 40 quid any 1 els got any idias b4 i start cuting

 

My 99 v70 has been having the same problem as of late. A buddy of mine suggested I replace the ignition systems, specifically the coil, especially since mine only has the problem every now and then.

 

It you're having this issue with the '99 S/V70 models, the first thing to suspect, if it hasn't been replaced on recall, is the ETM system (that's the throttle module) which Volvo changed to from the mechanical linkage that is on earlier models. The '99 models was the first year for this and had to be replaced on some models. I would check the published TSB's (technical service bulletins) online to determine is yours was one of the models affected. Before you start shelling out bucks for parts and service, check the trouble codes. As with all Volvo cars, the problem and solution are simpler than you think. Never tell a service consultant that you know "very little about cars" is my caveat to you. It's an open invitation to gouge you for repair costs. Knowing as much as you can handle about the equipment you use and operate, i.e., your car, can save you a fortune in diagnosis and repairs on these models. Some repair shops will take advantage of your ignorance about your vehicle. Although sometimes baffling, problems with Volvo cars are NOT as complicated as some are led to believe. I am speaking from 25+ years experience with different Volvo models and engines, 4, 5 and 6 cylinders. The worst were the V-6 engines.

 

You may want to have you MAF sensor checked and cleaned, check, and if needed, replace the distributor cap and rotor which are critical parts, or if yours is the distributorless ignition, be sure to check the electrical connections at the plug coils. But before doing any of that, get an OBDII trouble code reading which can be done at some auto parts shops for no charge. Some owners choose to ignore the CEL as long as the car starts and drives okay. Not a good idea. It sometimes results in more expensive repairs.