So I was on the freeway in my 1988 volvo 240 going about 75 mph and all of a sudden, I hear a few clunks and then I noticed the car stopped accelerating as if I lost fuel, even though I just topped off from the gas tank 30min ago. The car was just tuned up two weeks ago and it is my daily drive (put 500miles a week on it). The car would sometimes idle a little rough and vibrate and I think the mechanic was having trouble putting the wires in the distributor. The spark plugs, filters, and oils have all been checked or replaced. Could this be a distributor cap related problem or fuel pump or neither?

 

frankly, it could be almost anything. 1988 was the tail end of the 'biodegradable wiring' era, so it even could be crappy wiring harnesses that are crumbling out of site beneath the black insulation tubes.

 

I would check your timing belt. Open the oil cap and have a buddy crank your engine while you look into the top where you add oil. You should see the cam shaft turning when the engine is cranked. If not, then you need a new timing belt.

 

Okay guys, I fixed the problem... Well sort of. It ended up being a wire that came loose out of the distributor cap, and I check it seems I need the left and right engine mounts replaced. So I am guessing the vibration from the engine caused the wire to come loose.

 

the wires out the side of the distributor cap on an 88 are the hall sensor, which is the master source of timing for both the spark and fuel injection...