Hi.
I have a 2003 V70 Base 2.4L V5 non-turbo with Bosch electronics manufactured in Belgium.

When the car started to sputter and die when you started the car and lightly pressed the accelerator, that symptom and others led me to believe that the Mass Air Sensor (MAS) was on the fritz. Everyone said that you could at least start the car again to get it going and get home....eventually

I bought some sensor cleaner and cleaned out the MAS. Now, even though the dealer said it required a Bosch MAS, the car had a Denso. Not sure if that matters.

But now, I tried to start the car, and the starter just tries and tries but no ignition at all - the starter just spins the motor.

If it were just a MAS issue, I thought you could start the car again and that it would still sputter and be rough.

With the check engine light on, would a BROKEN MAS prevent it from firing?

What WOULD prevent a car with the emissions check engine light and the 'Engine System Service Required' message on from starting?

I need to get this car to the dealer and I live in the country. I don't cherish the idea of towing the car some 60 Kms...

Any help/insight appreciated!


R

 

It could be almost anything... there are a host of issues that will prevent a V70 from starting. Fuel, spark, sensors, wiring, computers... there's no way that anyone will be able to give you any intelligent advice from what you've told us all so far.

And to prove it... ;-) You really (!) need to read the OBD codes that are related to your check engine light being on, and pass those along to us. Then at least, we should be able to narrow it down to a reasonably small group of possibilities.

 

Sure, I understand.

I tried to start it again last night, and it did start. It eventually got up to the cold idle, but sputtered and died again. It was like it couldn't catch it's breath. So there is spark.

The computer also seems fine - 4 months ago It had the dash unit (spedo, fuel gages, and computer read-out, etc) replaced because the computer readout had a fault. $800 to do that. I think they would have tested things around the computer to hook up a new one.

The engine light started to come on after a longer than normal span between oil changes - it was around 14K instead of the usual 12K (full Synthetic).

The light was on then. I asked about it and the Volvo dealership said - just wait.

The light did go away - but then came back. A little while later, the sputtering and trying to recover started.


What's a reasonable code reader? Where can I order it?

Thanks.

 

There are a few options.

The easiest is to go to an Autozone (or similar) auto parts store that offers free OBD code reading. Just have a pad and pen handy when they read the codes, write down the numbers, and let us know.

The cheapest self-help approach - and one that has lots of cool advantages for someone with a bit of tech skill - is to buy a bluetooth OBD device, and install a free or cheap app on your smartphone. Basically, the bluetooth OBD device lets your car's diagnostic system talk to your smartphone via bluetooth (this assumes you HAVE a smartphone, of course). Then you install the Torque app (the free one is great for basic code reading and check engine light resetting), but the $5 "full feature" app is one of the biggest bargains on the planet - it allows you to monitor dozens of parameters, and to easily set up several custom display that you can use to monitor your engine's (or transmission's) performance real-time. I did a quick search, and here is the first OBD/bluetooth device I found:
The next option is to just buy a basic OBD reader / reset tool. Again, I didn't do a lot of work trying to find the best option, but here's the first one that popped up on Amazon (indicative of how little money it can cost to buy an OBD reader these days)...
Good luck with your efforts... I'm on the way out to see why my blower motor quit working last night (fortunately we're in an uncharacteristic cool stretch here in Arizona, so it was only a minor inconvenience so far). ;-)

 

Wow! Thanks! I didn't even know there were such things...but it does make sense.

I do have a 5S iPhone - I'll get the Bluetooth and App thingy!

This is starting to look up!

Thanks for that advice!

 

Here's another part of the story:


I don't use the Volvo much.
The fuel tank is usually low
It was a very cold winter.
I, for some reason, used Shell bronze gas, which can have up to 10% Ethanol...


What does all this spell out?


Condensation in the tank!


The fuel pump was pumping mostly water.


I filled it with gold and the car started and purred...then sputtered. Still some water in the line I suppose...


It mostly sounds good, but the service light is still on, so I can bring it to the dealer. I am waiting for delivery of my code reader - it might get to me by the end of May. Then I can see what the computer is complaining about.

 

I'd just wait for your code reader, or take your car to an Autozone to get it read, if it's running OK now that you have good gas in it. I live in the desert, so condensation is pretty much a non-issue. It sounds like running a tank of good gas through it is the first order of business... (road trip!).