Hey everyone,

I had issues with the common "takes a long time to start up" problem, and since the fuel pressure regulator (or FPR) is the main culprit of this, I looked for a guide I could use with pictures. Every s40concepts links that I find are dead, so I had to gather as much information as I could from several different resources in order to begin this project. Then... I decided to make my own guide, hoping it might help those who need to undertake this same task!

The problem presented: 2000-2004 S40's have an apparently common problem involving long startups (sometimes requiring several gas pedal pumps to help start) and irregular idling, as well as contributing to stalling the car randomly at various speeds. From what I understand reading the forums, you can have either one, two, or all of these symptoms occurring from the fuel pressure regulator, which becomes faulty over time (I only had issue #1 and #3).

The part itself: Everyone knows dealer parts for Volvos are typically ridiculously-priced, hence my search for a cheaper part (the "stealerships" have these FPRs for around $250+). After some research, I discovered that NAPA sources the same OEM-spec'd FPR as the dealerships but labels it under the NAPA name to make it cheaper. I found a complete FPR at my local NAPA store for $119 (part # CRB 219874). There are some folks on other forums/sites who have mentioned $45 FPRs available by just google-searching, but I have not found anyone yet who has found one that cheap and actually replaced it (usually these FPRs are just the regulators themselves, without the external black housing as a complete unit. You can use the existing housing this way but it's easier to just swap the whole thing out.) The FPR I got from NAPA is the cheapest entire FPR assembly I currently know of for the S40 (of course I could be wrong) so I am using it as my basis in the guide.

Replacement: Open up that hood and take a look inside. In RED is the area of interest, you need to take that black cover off to expose the rest of the FPR. In GREEN is the FPR itself. That's what needs to be replaced.
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The cover is held on by 2 screws, one a short phillips screw w/ washer, and the other a longer T25 star shaped screw.
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Once the cover is removed, you can now fully see the FPR. It connects at 3 points, the hose at the top, the fuel rail (shown in BLUE for reference) and the S-shaped hose seen at the bottom.
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Next step will be to relieve most of the remaining pressure in the fuel line. There are other variations to this, but I found this the easiest. Remove the Fuse box located on the top right of the engine bay (above the panel filter box). Take out the 15A fuel pump fuse indicated in RED. Then start the car and wait a couple seconds until it dies.
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Here is the new FPR. Only one T20 star shaped screw secures it to the fuel rail (this spot is shown in RED). Remember this FPR is the complete assembly, notice the new green O-ring. If you are just replacing the regulator and using the existing housing, it is still a good idea to replace the O-ring. In that case you would use the little spring to detach the regulator from the assembly (spring is visible near the bottom of the FPR itself).
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Unscrew the T20 star screw holding the old FPR unit (indicated in RED). The DeWalt thing is just an extension rod for the bit, made access to the screw much easier.
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Now wiggle off the S-shaped hose at the bottom with pliers to avoid tearing the rubber (older rubber may break easily). This step is indicated in GREEN. [The FPR (in red) is there only for reference.]
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Last step is to take off the top hose. There are 2 blue button-clips (one on either side, indicated in ORANGE) that you must press to detach the hose. Be careful! Some excess fuel may spurt out, so be prepared with an old rag just in case. After this, just wiggle the old FPR off the fuel rail, and you're ready to stick the new unit on!
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(Once you have fitted on the new FPR on with the new O-ring, be sure to screw it back on the fuel rail, and after attaching both hoses, don't forget replacing the fuse and putting the black cover back on!)

Hope this helps someone, I enjoyed making it. If there are any errors, please feel free to let me and/or an admin know, and it can be fixed. Thanks!
Aleks

 

Excellent write-up! I'm hoping to do this soon. Thank you for the work you put into doing this.

 

Thanks for the support! I'm glad the guide can help someone. According to other users there was already a guide like this on another site but I think it was deleted/removed because I couldn't find one for the life of me (and I'm a pretty avid Googler). So I just compiled all the info I got from multiple sites and made my own. Good luck with the project!

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I just did this on my 2003 S40 and it went perfectly! This was in invaluable guide.

 

Great to hear, I'm glad it was helpful. Enjoy those fresh starts!

 

GREAT guide! Just used your instructions and was done in 20 minutes. Awesome.

 

You sir rock! The mechanic told me a 500 dollar to replace this part. I got the part for 120 and took 30 minutes to fix!

 

$500?? I think it's safe to say you shouldn't go to that mechanic anymore haha... I'm glad the guide helped!

 

Same issue for me on my recently purchased 2002 S40 1.9T. Hard starting (a few seconds) but no idle or running issues. Quick start if motor off only a few to 10 minutes such as stopping for gas.
Disconnect the vac line from the FPR to the manifold and went to turn the key on to pressure the line from the fuel pump. Sure enough, fuel came dripping out through the hose, shows the diaphragm is leaking.
Checked a few places, you can get them in the US from amazon, napa, rockauto all for around 119-129.00 plus delivery. In my searches for the part (Canada and US) saw prices from 109-339 depending on Genuine Volvo or STP brand. Buying just the diaphragm can is doable, but harder to find. Will be replacing when the part arrives next week.

Also found on a few occasions, turn key and power is there but no click, no start. Scrolling thru the gears and back to Park would generally allow it to start. Culprit - the pnp (ie neutral starting) switch. Anywhere from $75-$125 depending where you look, bought one from Rockauto.com for $75.00 plus delivery.

Seems these 2 items are common issues but normal wear-out items on the S40/V40 when getting over 100,000 miles. Also going to do timing belt w/ water pump and fuel filter when parts arrive.

Had a bunch of dash bulbs burnt out, 3 in the headlight switch assy, 2 in the heater control and 3 in the gear selector (cig lighter, 'W' button and selector) All different style bulbs and add up. Went with bulbs from an electronic place 12 V 1.2-2w with leads and made them work various ways. Seems the original bulbs had fragile elements that didn't last long.

Everything work s on my S40, Air, sunroof, windows, fuel door lock solenoid etc. Great car to have if you can do maint items yourself.

 

I came across this as my 2001 S40 was struggling to start after sitting for hours. Great guide. Mine spit out more gas than I was expecting and I forgot to screw it into the fuel rail before starting up the first time (whoops) but now it works great!

 

Thanks for the great article!

My 04 S40 just started having starting problems, and I think this should solve it. I think I may try to replace the vacuum line first. Any ideas where I can find the replacement plastic S hose or the rubber connectors?

 

Chiming in here to say thank you for the write-up!

 

Thanks Alek for this guide. Very helpful and saved me time and money. You are the best!

 

It appeared that the housing and rail were all one piece when I went to do this on my 2004 V40. My FPR was $120 found online


Anyway, I just took the 2 bolts out that held the shield and rail in place to get more wriggle room to take the regulator out of the housing from underneath.


Take out the clip that holds the regulator in the housing by pulling it straight towards you.
You can sort of prise the unit out after that by using flatheads through the slots provided in the housing.


I've attached an edited illustration that makes more sense if you do it they way I did.

 

Update: replacing the FPR did not solve my intermittent start up problem. Occasionally, the car would feel like it was flooded just after start up. I would have to feather the gas and wait until some sensor or valve somewhere reached a temp where the car would run normally. I found and did this How to remove and clean the idle control valve (ICV) on 1996 ? 2004 Volvo S40 and V40 and the problem has not returned. Yet. So, try cleaning the ICV if you are having hard start-up problems with cold engines...

 

Hi,
It looks like this thread is close to my problem, although the car is different. My 2005 s40 t5 has occasionally missed and stuttered, mostly under power, for the last few weeks. The onboard service readout shows DTCs in the BCM, ECM, CEM, and CCM modules although my code reader could see no codes until today. It sputtered badly today on leaving a stop light, and the code reader now shows pending codes P0088 and P0190, pointing to high fuel pressure reading on the fuel rail.
Hudini's explanation on another thread seems to make sense, although he is talking about a different code. Should I invest in a new fuel pressure/temperature sensor? They are not that cheap, so I want to be right.
I will certainly do the job myself. Any advice would be welcome.
hillhiker

 

Hi,
I replaced the fuel pressure and temperature sensor aka "regulator" located on the fuel rail today after reading pending codes P0088 & P0190. The car seems to be running well now, maybe idling smoother than before. The job is very easy. Probably the biggest challenge is getting at the fuel pump fuse to depressurize the fuel line.
I will post again after we have run the car for a while.
hillhiker

 

Looks like I'm next in line for this FPR change! Easy peasy fix, thanks to your guide. Thanks a lot for it, much appreciated! Now for the part hunting bit... Hmmm....

 

rockauto.com carries them or eeuroparts.

 

Thanks for this write-up... I think my car might be asking for this right now