86 Volvo 240 DL / No Ignition
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86 Volvo 240 DL / No Ignition
I bought an 86 Volvo 240 DL a couple months back. I was told the last guy that owned the car died 13 years ago and it had been sitting in a barn without its timing belt.
After all that time, I knew I was getting into some work. I started by replacing the fuel system (tank, sending unit, fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel lines... I did not replace but I cleaned the fuel rail, fuel injectors and return line).
The ignition wireset was rough and didnt match, so I replaced the wireset and the spark plugs. The resistance on the rotor was off my meter, so I replaced it, and one of the distributor cap connections was extremely high so I replaced it as well.
As I mentioned, the timing belt was missing, so I aligned the marks and put on a new belt. I took a look at the cam and replaced the valve cover gasket, as the old had fallen apart.
Ive tried to start it a few times throughout this process. I know that Im getting fuel to the fuel rail. The starting motor turns the engine over, but theres no ignition. No cylinders fire, nothing.
After all that time, I knew I was getting into some work. I started by replacing the fuel system (tank, sending unit, fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel lines... I did not replace but I cleaned the fuel rail, fuel injectors and return line).
The ignition wireset was rough and didnt match, so I replaced the wireset and the spark plugs. The resistance on the rotor was off my meter, so I replaced it, and one of the distributor cap connections was extremely high so I replaced it as well.
As I mentioned, the timing belt was missing, so I aligned the marks and put on a new belt. I took a look at the cam and replaced the valve cover gasket, as the old had fallen apart.
Ive tried to start it a few times throughout this process. I know that Im getting fuel to the fuel rail. The starting motor turns the engine over, but theres no ignition. No cylinders fire, nothing.
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Hall Effect Sensor (Ignition Pickup Coil) - Update
The Hall effect sensor turned out to be much harder to replace than I expected. The machined pin in the distributor never budged. I called some shops to ask if they would do it, and one recommended I replace the whole distributor. It was a difference of $75 so I went for it.
I replaced it, set the timing, and no ignition. Ive tried spraying started fluid in the intake and I am very confident in my fuel system, as I replaced it all myself.
I can only imagine that perhaps the ignition control module is bad. It is 32 years old and sitting in the engine bay. Any ideas on how to take the next step?
I replaced it, set the timing, and no ignition. Ive tried spraying started fluid in the intake and I am very confident in my fuel system, as I replaced it all myself.
I can only imagine that perhaps the ignition control module is bad. It is 32 years old and sitting in the engine bay. Any ideas on how to take the next step?
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Coil update: the coil has power (12.15 V to be exact). And Ive been trying to learn more of how the ICM handles the ignition. What is the difference between the ICM timing pulses to the coil and what the distributor does for the spark plugs?
Last edited by Stark; Oct 24, 2018 at 08:06 PM.
no mo volvo
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From: 37 North on the left coast
coil pin 15 should see full battery voltage, 12.6V or whatever. 12.1V is a 50% dead battery.
the ICU takes in timing information from the hall sensor, engine coolant temperature, manifold vacuum. it uses that timing info to calculate the RPM, and it uses the RPM, temp, and vacuum to decide how much advance to apply to the spark, and fires the coil by briefly 'grounding' coil pin 1, each time it does this, the coil makes one spark.
the output of the coil goes to the distributor rotor, and the distributor rotor directs the spark to the correct spark plug in sequence... but the coil needs those pulses on pin 1 to make spark, if you just apply steady DC to it, it won't transform the low voltage to high voltage, the circuit has to be repeatedly interrupted.
the ICU takes in timing information from the hall sensor, engine coolant temperature, manifold vacuum. it uses that timing info to calculate the RPM, and it uses the RPM, temp, and vacuum to decide how much advance to apply to the spark, and fires the coil by briefly 'grounding' coil pin 1, each time it does this, the coil makes one spark.
the output of the coil goes to the distributor rotor, and the distributor rotor directs the spark to the correct spark plug in sequence... but the coil needs those pulses on pin 1 to make spark, if you just apply steady DC to it, it won't transform the low voltage to high voltage, the circuit has to be repeatedly interrupted.
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Engine Rebuild or other options
Doing a test for the ignition, the timing belt repeatedly slipped on the crankshaft. Its a new timing belt with a new tensioner and Ive been worried about interior wear on the engine since its been sitting for 15 years. I suspect that there is rust in the cylinders or bad bearings if the friction is high enough to make the belt slip.
The slippage makes me feel like an engine rebuild would be profitable. Im planning to probe the engine to see if I can find any damage. I am currently trying to source parts for the rebuild. Its a B230F 1986. I am hoping to turbo it in the future so this would be the time to make upgrades such as a cam upgrade (probably the turbo performance cam from IPD) and any other modifications that would be suggested. If anyone has a parts list for this rebuild or a good source, that would be very helpful.
I also wanted to know if you could take the oversized pistons for the B230FT from IPD if I had the cylinders bored. As I understand it, the only difference would be a slightly lower compression ratio, which would be fine if I turbo it. Otherwise, I need another source as Im having a hard time finding one.
The slippage makes me feel like an engine rebuild would be profitable. Im planning to probe the engine to see if I can find any damage. I am currently trying to source parts for the rebuild. Its a B230F 1986. I am hoping to turbo it in the future so this would be the time to make upgrades such as a cam upgrade (probably the turbo performance cam from IPD) and any other modifications that would be suggested. If anyone has a parts list for this rebuild or a good source, that would be very helpful.
I also wanted to know if you could take the oversized pistons for the B230FT from IPD if I had the cylinders bored. As I understand it, the only difference would be a slightly lower compression ratio, which would be fine if I turbo it. Otherwise, I need another source as Im having a hard time finding one.
Last edited by Stark; Nov 26, 2018 at 11:24 AM.
Personally, I wouldn't bother to rebuild this engine. I would recommend buying a motor from a junkyard car and replace it. And here's why- your "86 is in the "biodegradable wiring harness" range. Any manipulating you do with this harness increases the chance that the brittle decomposed insulation will come apart and give you all kinds of problems when bare energized wires contact each other. Which may , BTW, be a cause of your current problem. If you purchase a complete '88 year motor, it will come with a good wiring harness and will still be an LH2.2 system, so will plug right in to your current car's ECM and IM. I just did this last year myself; the engine was $350 complete. WAY cheaper and easier than a rebuild; and the new motor had about 270K miles less than the original that I removed. BTW, don't buy an "86 or 87 motor unless it has the upgraded wiring harness. PM me if you would like more info on this swap.
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