Yup, on the 245 the whole floorboard has to come out of the back. But that's OK. I'm wanting to get rid of the third-row seat anyway. I just posted it in the for-sale section here and on Craig's List. I know you are down just a bit south of the Bay. If you want it and you are willing to drive up to Alameda, I will give it to you for free.

 

I have a 745 and 855 3rd row seat in my garage, and don't want either of them, dont even have a 245 (my daughter drives a 244)

 

I got the floorboard out of the back and was able to measure the voltages on the transfer pump connector. I measured 13V and the pump was not doing a thing. I even tapped the top of the sender unit a few times to see if that would knock anything loose and no dice. Plugging and unplugging the connector didn't help and the connector looked relatively clean.

So I will have to replace the transfer pump. Because the pump is coming out, and because it is possible for a fuel filter sock to have a different sized connector for connecting to the pump, I am going to order a new pump and sock at the same time and make sure they match. Naturally, I am going to get a new o-ring too. I thought about getting a new sender unit but they are around $200 and all they are is some pipes, a resistor, and a float - all of which seem to work just fine. So I will leave them in there.

I will let you know how the whole thing goes.


P.S. This is something that a good mechanic who has been the only person to work on a car for the past ten years should never have missed. The previous owner who he bought it from would have been complaining to high heaven about all the stalling and he should have fixed it. So, either he is lying to me about having worked on the car or he is a crappy mechanic. I think he knew about the problem and has been sending me on wild goose chases all this time. But that's OK, I will let everyone I meet on the island of Alameda, CA know that he is a liar. Considering that there are lots of Volvos on that island and only two Volvo shops, I figure, in the end, it will hurt him a lot worse than this has hurt me.

 

If your car doesn't restart and/or stalls at low speeds pull the vacuum hose off the fuel pressure regulator. If it smells of gas replace the fuel pressure regulator. If you'd like a more dramatic demonstration, check that right after a hard start episode and you'll see the gas dripping out of the regulator. The engine wasn't getting enough gas to start without your stepping on the gas pedal.

 

Well, I got the sender unit out last night (boy was that a chore) and got the pump replaced and the sender put back in this morning. The car runs great now. I still have the plate above the sender unit (not the sender itself) hanging loose and the floor boards out so I can occasionally check for leaks over the next week. I gotta tell you, it is comforting to hear that little pump whirring away back there.