Hello , I have a 1989 Volvo 240-DL CAR DIED WHILE GOING 55 - 60 MPH . Pulled car over to breakdown lane and tried to re-start car no luck lights very very dim . The next morning went back to car to tow it and driver says try starting the car and it did start . Anyone have any idea as to what could have caused this ?? Any help would be greatly appreciated ..

 

A broken timing belt will shut you down all of a sudden.

When you try to start it, does it turn over at all? If not, do you get any clicks or other noises?

If you're having an alternator problem, there's a chance you could have been running your plugs from the battery until it just ran out of juice and couldn't take any more, but from that I'd expect to see other symptoms appearing first, like hard starts, a dead battery in the morning when you go to startetc.

 

I think eighty-one is onto something. Sounds like an alternator problem. Maybe the battery had chance to "rest" overnight and had enough juice to start engine next day.

 

battery cables?

 

Sounds like an alternator problem to me. Not necessarily the alt itself but it could be the wiring. The car died because it was running off the battery and the battery ran down. After resting for awhile the battery had enough juice to turn over the starter. Common symptoms. Charge up the battery, start the car, measure the voltage at the battery terminals with the engine running. It should be around 14v.

 

I'd also check fuel pump relay