So, pulled codes and nothing. I checked the boards for "sputter" and nothing that fit my symptoms closely showed up.

Here are the symptoms:

1. Not sure if it matters but the exhaust is very loud, haven't gotten underneath yet to see if it's a holey muffler but it's loud and need repair.

2. Idles Great, it can idle all day long.

3. It sputters/stumbles on acceleration sometimes, mostly when it's humid it seems.

4. All the fuses have been replaced. Haven't checked any relays yet.

5. Today was the worst it's been, driving home from work the car clicked off for a half second in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear a couple of times. Kept going and did get me home. It has gotten progressively worse over the last month. Some days it will run extremely rough and then even out, best way to describe is how my automatic Intrepid ran when it was low on transmission fluid, until enough fluid circulated it barely made it to the next gear, same thing here, but then it evens out. Only now it's starting to click off very briefly so clearly this is something I need to get fixed asap.

6. All belts have been replaced in the last month with the exception of the timing belt.

7. She always has at least a half tank of gas so I know it isn't fighting for gas due to not having any.

8. How can I tell if it's fighting for air or gas?

9. Temp gauge gives no clues, it isn't overheating, the engine seems great.

10. No lights on the dash come up, including the check engine light.

In what order should I start replacing things? Air flow sensor? Timing Belt?

One thing I'm not sure of is if he timed the engine perfectly.

Background on the car, new engine put in by previous owner (Ford retiree) 3 years ago, odometer no longer works (guy said it needs to be connected back to the motor, he just never did it) but the last mileage on the car sits at 168K miles. He also replaced the clutch. Due to the pristine condition of the car inside and out I highly doubt it has over 180K on it.

I'd like to fix this issue myself before I get ripped off at an auto shop. Any help would be Extremely appreciated. Everything else (save the exhaust) works like a dream.

Thank you very much!

 

First thing to do is check for engine codes. It should give you some clue as to what the issue is going on with the engine. There is a little black box with an LED on it in the engine compartment just to the rear of the driver side strut tower. You can find instructions on how to do it here:

http://www.troublecodes.net/Volvo/

If your speedometer is working but the odometer does not, then the line the previous owner gave you about the odometer not getting connected after engine replacement is just a bunch of bs. Both the speedometer and odometer are electronic and work off a signal that comes from the rear axle. A typical problem on the 240 is that the gear that drives the odometer goes bad and needs replacement. If you search the forums here (or google) for odometer gear, you should be able to find information on this.

Regarding the exhaust, you need to chase down where the hole is. If the leak is upstream of your catalytic convertor, then it may affect the drivability. Take a look under your car to locate your leak. It shouldn't be too hard to locate. Just find out where the noise is coming from.

Another simple test is to check for any holes in the air intake system. Remove the black accordian type of tube that connects to the throttle and check for any leaks. Leaks here can also affect drivability. Checking for leaks here means checking all hoses that connect to the accordian thing as well.

Good luck

 

Ha, he probably is blowing smoke up my rear on the odometer. And a few other things I bet.

Thank you very much for the feedback, will report back when I find the cause/fix!

 

Another thing I would do is pull a spark plug. I often start there when an engine is misbehaving. You should be able to tell from that if the mixture is rich or lean or spot on, and that can help you figure out where you need to look further.

 

Thank you for the feedback. The wires and spark plugs are bad so I decided to take it to the shop I usually go to. They're doing a full "tune-up"(plugs, wires, rotor, distributor cap) for 217.00, plus a fuel filter for another 50.00 (all includes taxes and labor). This seemed like a lot of money so I called two other places and was given estimates (without the filter) of 245.00 and 281.00! Yikes. It's been a while since I tuned a car up but 200+ seems a bit steep for a simple engine such as this. In any case I expect it'll be purring when I get it back later today. The shop suggested a fuel injection treatment/cleaning but I think I can change an air hose myself later this weekend.

Thank you again for your help and advice. I ordered my Bentley manual a week ago and eagerly await it's arrival.

 

I was going to say dizzy cap. Sounds like there's moisture under the cap.

 

Forgot to report back! I got the tune up and now she runs like a Champ. She has actual acceleration and everything now - I'm Thrilled. Also, the fuel filter they replaced? They said it looked like the original. Incidentally, my MPG just shot up to 28mpg as opposed to 17 which makes sense.

 

Glad to hear that the shop did a good job. I find that increasingly difficult to find on older volvos.

 

Misfiring under load is textbook secondary ignition stuff, usually plugs, which are maintenance items (like fuel filters). Sounds like the previous owner was one of those guys that keep repair shops in business...