Oops seem to maybe have lost the last attempt at posting....
Will try again,
I have a 1980 volvo 240 standard that we just replaced the fuel pumps in, seems to be running okay ,
But now i am having " surges" when taking off in1st gear and a sometimes. "hesitation "when shifting from 2nd to 3rd .sometimes it. Is when my foot is coming off he clutch, and sometimes just after the clutch is released, and usually when pulling a hill.
Doesn't happen often, but am wondering if a minor clutch adjustment will help or if it might be more serious.
There are no volvo dealers for several hundred miles so would appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks

 

when you say hesitation, do you hear any "motor boating" ie engine revs that increase before the road speed does? That would indicate some clutch slippage. Not sure about your model year but I'd suspect you have a hydraulic clutch (no cable to adjust). Does the clutch release point seem to be normal (ie mid way in the pedal travel)? You can try inducing some clutch slippage by starting off in third gear to see if it stalls or slips. If you don't feel any clutch slippage then its probably a spark issue (check wires/plugs/cap/rotor). Also you should check the vacuum lines - you may have a vacuum leak and not getting enough spark advance. try spraying some carb cleaner on the vacuum lines near the connections to see if any gets sucked in.

 

We just changed the fuel pump #2 on the frame, the one on /in the tank had crashed earlier, and we didn't know about the second fuel pump, until it crashed too. I don't know if there is anything to do with the changing of the fuel pump or not.
It seems to happen, when starting off in 1st and then going to 2nd and starting to pull a bit of a hill, and it doesn't happen all the time just once in a while. So the engine is working harder than just cruising down the road.
When it "cuts out" for a split second, in 2nd gear, there is a "hesitation" with no revving of any kind. its a split second of silence with a jerk like hesitation.
It can happen when I am just releasing the clutch and the pedal is about half way from the down position on the way up, or it can happen just after it engages and goes forward about say 20 feet.
Also, now I am having the 1st gear "surge" like the old old standards used to do years ago, -when pulling out in a hurry.
We did change the fuel filter too, and I ran some sea foam through the tank to clean out the injector system a bit.
Someone suggested that maybe the fuel regulator might need looked at, but I know nothing about fuel regulators...
Oh yes we also replaced the fuel relay the same time we replaced the first fuel pump..
I am wondering though if the clutch might need checked anyways, as I have had the pedal clear to the floor, and the car in reverse and my other foot off the brake, and it seems to me that it is either rolling back faster than it normally would free roll on a slight incline.
or maybe there is power to the engine. not really sure about that,
though..
Would really appreciate your thoughts, as i really need this car reliable...
thanks....

 

It has been quite a while since I posted the last message, have been incredibly busy.
I thought I would let people know what happened and how the "surge" was fixed so maybe someone else out there who has a similar problem, might possibly correct their problem also.
After much head scratching by a number of people, it was discovered that the spark plug wires were not connecting properly to the spark plugs, and i was told that one of the fuel injectors needed tightening. Now I know nothing about fuel injectors, but I was told it was "loose" ( whatever that means) and after being "tightened," the car has ran a few thousand kilometers without problems.
We have some pretty rough roads in this area, and can rattle things pretty badly, so maybe that was one of the causes...
I still have a few other issues, but the car is still running..
Thanks for your ideas..