I finally got the 240 I'd been wanting for a long time, but, so far, it's not been a fun experience. I picked the car up about 2 hours away and drove most of the way home with no issues (but I need to note that nothing worked on the gauge cluster). Car ran well but a few miles out from home the radio started acting up. About two miles from my house, the lights began to dim and then went out. I managed to pull into my drive and the car stopped. After that, I tried to jump the car off, but it wouldn't start. Thinking I was dealing with a bad alternator, I took it off and had it tested. Sure enough, the test showed it was dead. I got a new alternator and put it on (I'd taken pictures just to be sure I had the wiring right) and tried to start it. It will just crank with no hint of firing. I have noticed that, in position 2, the radio and the gas gauge is now working and all the dash lights light up where they were not before I put on the new alternator.

I've done quite a bit of research on it and I know that the alternator powers (or has power go through it) to the fuel injectors (which was why it wouldn't have started off a jump in the first place). It was a re manufactured alternator, so I suppose the one I put on could be bad too, but the fact that the gas gauge and lights are now working makes me doubt that. I have checked the fuses and they are all good before I put on the new alternator but I just now thought that I didn't check them afterwards. I'm hoping some of you guys can help as I have been looking forward to getting one of these for a while and I hate that I've not really gotten to drive it.

 

welcome + yes pics plz!! 1st check battery....

 

I did recharge the battery and it's holding charge. Not to appear too dense but do I need to post pics of the wiring to the alternator?

It's an 88 240 DL, automatic, by the way.

 

Okay, now I'm really confused. I had read on a forum somewhere (not sure where as I've been trying to research this issue a lot) that, if the alternator was bad, the car wouldn't start because the alternator supplied power to the fuel injection system. But everything else I've read seems to indicate that this is not the case.

I pulled into the drive and the car died but it was showing the classic signs of a bad alternator and the battery going dead . But I've recharged the battery (it's holding charge) and the car still won't start. I've tried to jump it off but the car won't start. None of the gauge lights came on in position II before (I should mention that the battery light did come on when I was driving it home but I stopped and checked the connections at the battery. When I restarted the car, the light was off and never came on again, even when it was clear the alternator wasn't charging--it comes on now when I turn the key to position II). I should also note that when I first turn to position II, the speedometer will jump once (to around the 20 or 30 mark) and then go back to its resting position.

So, I'm wondering if I've fixed the charging problem and have moved onto another issue or if I'm still dealing with a possible charging problem. I believe I've heard the fuel pump kick on when turning the key but I'm going to get on the driver's side, near the back, and have my wife turn the key in the morning to make sure I'm hearing it.

 

You can run on bad alternator with a good battery, that's not your issue. What year is it? OBD codes? Spray some starting fluid in the intake to see if it starts when cranking so you will know if it's fuel or spark. Could be one of many reasons, the alternator is not it...

 

just to be clear with the recharged battery the engine will crank but still won't start and keep running correct?

 

Yes, it will crank but not start. It hasn't tried to "hit".

It's an 88 240 DL. And just to show off my complete ignorance of Volvos, what's the best entry point to spray the starter fluid? I'm used to old American muscle cars with carbs.

 

Simple things -
White 25 amp Blade style (atc) fuse that powers the fuel injection system - mounted near the battery and connected directly to the positive cable end. Corrodes/melts/bad connections will cause the fuel system to not work.

Do you hear the fuel pump buzz when key is first turned on? (should buzz for 1 second, it's mounted under the car, under the drivers seat.)
Fuel pump relay is located inside car above passengers feet. White rectangular relay - circuit board solder joints typically crack and prevent current flow - usually worse when hot - but could have melted connections where plugged in.

Fuel pump fuses - good connections? (check all fuses, they corrode at the ends where clipped in) Make sure they are the correct amperage also.
Is the timing belt still attached and spinning the camshaft?​​​​​​​

What does it look like inside the distributor cap?
Pull coil wire, place 1/4 inch away from body, spin engine over - is there a spark?

 

More good news from the front: I checked the fuse that powers the fuel injection system: fuse is good; the fuse holder is receiving power. However, someone over the years has removed the original mount and the current one "floats" near the battery (I'm assuming with an aftermarket fuse holder) with a 30 amp fuse. But, since it did start with that setup and I drove it for nearly two hours with no issues, I assuming that's okay?) Now, however, when I get in and turn to position II, no idiot lights turn on and the gas gauge is no longer working. All I did was inspect the fuse and remove a little corrosion from the holder with a brass brush. Only the seat belt light and buzzer comes on now.

But I think the biggest special discovery was when I pulled the oil cap and shined a light on the cam. I had my wife crank the car and the cam shaft didn't move. That means broken timing belt, correct? I've read (and dearly hoping it's right) that the engine is a non-interference engine?

And, while I know it's certainly possible, I'm a couple of miles from my house and the alternator goes out, then I pull in the drive and the timing belt breaks? I'm grateful it wasn't by the side of the road, but two "big" things like that in a row is strange.

 

Yes that engine does not bend valves -

Loosen the 2 10mm head bolts holding the top of the timing belt cover on and pry it back slightly for a good view of the belt.

Cam belt is an easy DIY. Hardest thing will be getting the crank pulley bolt loose. Replace the tensioner if the bearing is lose or noisy.

 

Okay, now I'm really perplexed. The cam shaft is not turning when the engine is cranked (it's in plain sight when the oil cap is off, correct? I can even see one of the lobes). As instructed I removed the two 10mm bolts (there's a Phillips head screw as well) and gently pried the cover back. The belt seems to be in good shape. I gently pressed and tugged (gently!) on the belt, but it doesn't move and seems to be solid. So, unless the broken end has gotten jammed some way, the belt is in good shape. Could it have jumped time? The cam would still turn wouldn't it, even if it had?

 

Those engines can shred the teeth off the belt, usually on the crankshaft gear. If you are certain the cam does not turn when the crankshaft turns - you can also take the distributor cap off and see if the rotor button is spinning with the crankshaft. ( for future realignment of the distributor, there is a small notch on the top of the distributor base that the rotor button lines up with at TDC)

The next step would be to remove fan clutch w/fan, water pump pulley, fan shroud, the V-belts, crank pulley and both timing belt covers. The top one will come off after you move the water pump pulley out of the way. (and remove the bolt with a 12mm head) Everything will be exposed then. Try to spin the engine by hand and see what moves. Check the cam and jackshaft alignment marks with the crankshaft at TDC if possible.

If the cam is not turning, and the belt teeth are missing - the cam seized in the head (either momentarily or is still seized) and shredded the belt. That happens sometimes and the cause should be fixed for it will do it to a new belt again if not fixed. And there is an easy fix for that that does not require head removal. It's also possible it was just a really old belt that failed from old age - seeing all of the belt can help you make that decision.

 

I'm taking it to a mechanic friend of mine this week. If the cam turns out to be seized, what do I need to search for on the forums for the trick to unseize it? Everything I see involves removing the head. Thanks very much!

 

If it's seized post back and i'll tell you what i've done many times to solve that problem. You restore oil flow and clean up the cam bearing (which is part of the head) The head does not need to be removed.

 

Okay, we're back! The problem with the car starting was the timing belt. Most of the teeth had been stripped off of it. My mechanic friend said that there did seem to be a "hard" spot to turn at first, but as they worked on it to get it in time, everything started turning easy. There was a lot of gas in the cylinders so I'm going to get some new plugs and change the oil this weekend.

Now on to the next issue. My friend says (I've not picked the car up yet) that the battery light is staying on and the gauges aren't working. He drove the car for a while and let it run for over an hour to make sure that there wasn't any other issues with the timing and it ran fine. He checked the alternator and I think it was showing around 13 volts and the batter showed around 12 so it is charging. What do I need to start looking for with the gauges?

 

If the teeth stripped off - either the timing belt was really old, and it would have had cracks on the outside smooth part or the cam partially seized. If the cam partially seized there would be very little oil between the cam lobes and the lifters (and possibly noisy/clattering valves when running) - if there is plenty of oil there - you are ok and it was just a very old belt.

What gauges are not working? Poor connections at the round multi connector on the back of the dash can be a problem - or if it is just the temp and gas gauge - maybe loose nuts holding the gauges to the circuit board (the voltage stabilizer is usually not a problem on the post 1986 cars) - or if just the temp gauge - bad connections at the temp compensation board. Gas gauge could easily be a bad sending unit.

Very good idea on the oil change - gas does not lubricate very well.

 

First of all, I really want to thank you for all your help. You're advice has really pointed me in the right direction.

It's all of the gauges. The gas gauge, temp gauge, and speedo doesn't work. There's not a tach but the clock isn't working either (although that wouldn't be a big deal by itself).

 

Your mechanic says the battery has "around" 12V, the alternator putting out "around" 13V... and the ALT light is ON. Well, the alternator should be putting out 13.8V at least, and it probably is not, so the ALT light is ON. Fix the battery/ charging issues first, then the gauges may be alright...

 

To be honest, he told me the exact outputs but I can't remember them exact . i should have made a mental note but I was just happy it had started! I'll ask him when I pick it up. As i said before, the old alternator went bad and I replaced it. I had all the idiot lights going when I turned the key to position 2. I went ahead and cleaned the fuse holder near the battery and none of the lights came on after that. The fuse is good and the holder had power going into it so i don't know what i could have done by cleaning (gently) the holder. At any rate, I'm a bit lost as to my next step.

 

All the warning lights are supposed to come on in position 2 - that's how they are tested. All should go off when started except for the oil light if the alternator is charging and all system are working normally. If the alternator light is on - and you just replaced it - you may have a bad "new" alternator. There's just 2 wires to it - (actually three) - Big red to the battery, small red to the warning light and the ground strap on the bottom. Alternator is mounted in rubber bushings so it has to have a ground strap.