Im new to the Volvo community and I just recently purchased a 1990 volvo wagon 740gl non-turbo. It has been running great until about 2 weeks ago. One morning it just would crank but it wouldnt start? I bought this car for my g/f as she loves the look of these older volvos, I own an old Z car and a couple old bmw's so I figured working on this would be no problem. Well im stumped, I have done the following

1) Ignition is fine checked everything
2) fuel pump relay is working and I feel a click everytime I turn the ignition on
3) installed new fuel pump " one pump on this car, in-tank"
4) checked fuses 1/11 both perfect
5) new fuel filter

The car starts sometimes and sometimes not, I can tell when its going to start because I can hear the pump. In the last week its left my g/f stranded twice, any help would be greatly appreciated. I guess to sum it up the fuel pump isnt always working, its a new pump and the relay always clicks when I put my finger over it??????

 

Anyone please, its running today. Im trying to catch a pattern, Ive read many thread's of people having the same problem.

 

Hi, It's quite possible the relay is faulty, the pump relay is a two stage unit. When you turn on the ignition you will hear a click, that is the first stage which just activates the relay, when you start the engine the sensor on the flywheel detects that the engine is rotating and sends a signal to the relay, effectively telling it to turn on the pump, that is the second stage. I had the same problem as you on my old 740. A simple and easy "get around" to confirm or eliminate the relay as the cause of the problem is as follows.
THIS WILL BYPASS THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THE RELAY SO DO BE AWARE OF THAT. remove the ashtray etc, also remove the small storage pocket above the ashtray, it's held in place by a phillips screw which is behind the small pull off panel that surrounds the cigarette lighter, this will give you a lot more room to work. Remove the small silver relay that is in front of the pump relay to allow you to see better. Remove the pump relay. Now look at the relay contacts on the relay panel, you will see 3 on the left and 3 on the right. Get a piece of wire about 2 to 3 inches long and fit a male "spade" connector to both ends. Push 1 end of the wire into the middle contact on the right hand row of contacts, and push the other end of the wire into the front contact (the one nearest the engine) on the left hand row of contacts. This will bypass the relay and crankshaft sensor and power up the pump when you turn on the ignition. This way you can clearly hear if the pump is working, listen for any stuttering sounds from the pump, it should make a smooth continous sound, if it does make a stuttering sound, change it, it's about to give up. Try the car for a few days with this wire in place and if the problem is still there then the fault is with the pump or its associated wiring, usually a bad connection on the pump. If the problem is gone, then the fault is 95 per cent the relay and 5 per cent crankshaft sensor so try a new relay first, it's cheaper and easier than changing the crankshaft sensor, plus the pump relay's do have a history of failing. If the new relay doesn't cure the problem then it's the crankshaft sensor at fault. SAFETY WARNING ;;; IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE FUEL PUMP WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY CUT OUT WITH THE WIRE IN PLACE SO AS SOON AS YOU HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM REMOVE THE WIRE AND REFIT THE RELAY.

 

Now thats the reply I was looking for. So another words if the relay clicks it still can be faulty? I believe a new FP relay is 40 something at Napa. I will try the wire on my next day off. Thanks!

 

fcp of groton or swedish auto parts has FPR's for $20....dont got to a dealer for this part it will cost you $90... I just cured my fuel problems, same as urs.. these cars are sweet once theyre fixed....I have 2 740s... sounds like u have a Regina EFI, (fuel delivery system) theres 2 kinds for these cars, the other one being Bosch... you'll know by lookin at the coil module on the drivers side strut, its square...if not then you have the Bosch system and those have 2 pumps, 1 in the tank and the other rite under the drivers side next to the fuel filter... and if that one is on its way out it usually kills the intank pump first... anyhow... good luck and welcome to the Volvo family...

 

I have a similar problem , replaced many parts and now took out the sending unit and found there in no continuity through the top of the sending unit , is there anyway to repair this?or do I have to buy a complete new sending unit?

 

Just my two cents. I like multimeters and such. When I suspect a relay, I yank it, open the lid and look at what it does (where power goes in, goes out etc). Then I plug it back in and watch it. If contacts close at the right places at the right times, then I know mechanically it does its thing. I can check for voltage on both sides of the contacts and that will tell me if it is making a connection. If nothing moves, then the relay coils have no power of are broke them selves. You can hook a 12v battery to both contacts of the coils to check. If you still get nothing, then check of the current coming in. Hopefully that's not it, because you will probably want a wiring diagram then.

 

Have new fuel pump and the pump is still not turning on???????? I had a shop install the pump and even with bypassing the fp relay no pump sound. It was running 90% of the time, usually if I would let it sit for a day it would start up. I sprayed start spray in the intake and it fired for a moment. Im so stumped with this car

 

Ok, sounds like there is no power getting to the relay, or if it is, it's not getting to the pump. If you have a curcuit tester (you can make one from two lenghts of wire and a number plate bulb holder) check to see if there is power at the relay terminal (bulb should light up) cant remember off hand which one is which, but it will be one of the two terminals that you "jumped" with the wire. Connect one lenght of wire to earth and the other to the terminal, if the bulb lights up, your getting power to the relay block, if it doesn't, then remove the relay block and check the connections underneath, sometimes they can burn out, break off etc. If the bulb does light up, remove the earth connection and connect it to the second relay terminal (the same as you did with the piece of wire), if it stays lit, then you have power reaching the pump, or, the wire going to the pump is shorting out before it gets to the pump, if it does not light up, then the wire from the relay block to the pump is broken or the pump connector is corroded. The pumps on these suffer from corrosion on the connectors, so you'll have to get underneath the car and check the connectors for corosion etc. There are two connections on the pump, the power and the earth, disconnect the power connector and use your curcuit tester to check for power, if no power, thats your problem, if you get do power then re connect the power lead and remove the earth lead from the pump and connect the curcuit tester to the earth connector on the pump and see if power is going thru the pump, if it is then re connect the earth wire to the pump and remove the other end of it that connects to the body and check for power. Make sure all the connections are clean, they do rust up quite badly on these models, and the pump earth wire has a history of breaking inside the insulation. If after that you still cant find the problem, you can "hot wire" the pump directly from the battery. Disconnect both wire's from the pump, connect a lenght of wire to the pump earth connector and connect the other end directly to the battery negative post, connect another lenght of wire to the pump power connector and run that inside the car, connect it to an after market fuse holder and fit a 10 amp fuse to it, then connect the fuse holder to anywhere on the fuse box that has an ignition live, ie, a curcuit that only powers up when you turn the ignition on. Alternatively you can connect the fuse holder directly to the battery positive post but fit an on/off flick switch and mount it on the dash so you can turn the pump on and off. If you do that make sure all the wiring etc is well secured, and dont forget, you have no safety cut out in place so dont use it as a permanent repair.

 

I have successfully used the system proposed by paddy wagon, temporarily I may use the car util I get a new relay. Thanks from Argentina Paddy.

 

I have had a similar problem with my 740 wagon,some days the cars starts fine but some days the idle drops and sputters like it has low fuel pressure. Even after both fuel pumps replaced. Long story short, the return spring in the ignition lock is weak and it doesn't always return to the exact run position. the switch actually has 3 switches inside the unit. 1 for starter and the other 2 for lights accessories and ignition. Whenever the car sputters i center the key into the II position and it immediatley clears up.
Logan