New to this forum however it comes really well recomended by friends.

Issue: My wife and I currently own a 1998 S70 Volvo, non turbo, 5cyl 2.4L. Two days ago the engine stalled while sitting at the light and then upon trying to start the car it would not turn over. This was attempted multiple times and it is possible the engine was flooded in the process.

Background: The car had been sitting for about 5-6 months over the winter because of a dead battery and flat tire. Upon replacing both of these the car started with no problems (about a week prior to the above issue). We've had problems with crooked mechanics in the past hence we came here to get some more feedback.

What the Garage said: We had the car towed over to a garage and they took a look at it the next day. They suggested that the Ignition Coil, Coil cable, Sparkplugs (These were supposedly fouled during the flooding process is this a true statement?) and wires all needed replacing, and that a low current travelling to the spark plugs from the coil was the reason the car would not start. We had orginally asked them whether the Gas would have separated in this time (5-6 months) and would be causing the problem. The mechanic checked the fuel pump and said that the gas was fine.

Questions:
1. How long does it take for Gas to go bad and is it possible that if we siphoned the gas out of the tank and placed new gas in it that the car would run?
2. Ignition Coil, Sparkplugs and Wires appear to pretty pricey from a dealer ship and or the garage where the car currently is. Are there any OEM parts that you can subsitute that are of similar quality?
3. If Yes, what particular brands should we be staying away from or looking for?
4. How difficult is it to change an ignition coil on a S70 Volvo? Could a non grease monkey do it?

Any help in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

When you say it won't turn over, do you mean that it only turns over when turning the key but wont start?

Because I had my S70 die on me, at the lights. Turned over and sputtered, but would never start. Shop told me that my O2 sensors were toast, which they were, and also said that the flooding fouled the plugs, and that my distributor cap was worn out. So I also had the plugs and wires changed and the cap. Since I was there I also changed my fuel filter and brake light switch. Total cost with Volvo parts was $1800.

I'd highly recommend FCP Groton for parts since they are still the genuine parts most of the time and at a fraction of the price. Your problem may not be the same as mine was, but perhaps some of my experience will help.

 

Did they get it running? Flooding the engine after it stalls does not seem like the problem. The car quit for a reason. It probably has no spark and they are swapping all the ignition parts hoping for a solution. I bet the problem could be the cam sensor connector is corroded or maybe even the cam sensor is bad.

 

Yeah by saying not turning over, you turn the key the starter motor runs but the engine doesnt fire up. By the sound of what the mechanic was saying the "spark" was weak. After some research on ignition coil's I found out they play the role of turning the 12v from the battery into a much higher voltage which is used by the engine for combustion (high voltage is required).

I think my biggest problem right now is money, were moving and dont have a heap of spare cash and if for now (this car is a second car and not used often) I can get away with changing the coils and spark plugs and not the spark plug wires etc or vice versa just to get the car running then work on it later either myself or at a garage.

Avergae cost of labor per/hr in VA is about $90 bucks and if its possible to change the coil(s) myself I would be willing to buy the parts and have a crack at it. Anyone know how hard it is to change an Ignition Coil on my volvo if this is a possible solution?

Thanks W35 for the advice about FCP Groton for parts, appreciate it.

Thanks for the input Johnny Mullet.
Firstly to answer your question no they didnt get it running. If it is the cam sensor is it likely to show up if I have someone check for error codes? Or is there another way to check the cam sensor ie. would it show some kind of error light on the dash? Currently there arent any warning lights showing.
I tend to agree with you on the attempting to replace all the ignintion parts hoping to have it fixed. I put up the short list on my first post, add distributor cap and rotor to that as well (something about the cap heads being dirty and it needing to be replaced).

I just got the go ahead that they are able to hold it on their lot at no cost for a couple of weeks so that at least gives me some time to do some more research. Which begs another question....

What kind of repair manual is a good place to start for this car? (Hanes had some good reviews on Amazon.com)
Im sick of spending alot of money on parts+garage overhead/markup+labor if I could be doing this myself and am more than willing to give it a try.

 

The coil is not hard to replace. You can do it with simple hand tools and some time. Removing the air filter cover makes more room. The coil is on the drivers fender well. If you look on the engine and find the distributor cap, you see it's at the end of a cam. The other cam is right across from it on the same side and the cam sensor is there with 2 torx screws holding it in. The wiring plug is near or below the distributor and is white in color. Check that connection.

Good luck!