I have a 1986 240 wagon that has recently been shutting down while idling, but, it also will just shut down while going down the road. My garage recently replaced the mass airflow meter (most expensive thing they could've done I think), I went to pick the car up, got about two miles down the road and THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. It shut down in the middle of an intersection. It is an intermittent problem, I can go 2 miles or twenty with no problem, then boom, it's dead and not starting again. It really seems to me like it is not getting any fuel in those moments. My garage is telling me that it is a "mystery problem" and they may "never" figure out what it is. Or, that they could spend hours just guessing, and replacing random parts, while I am throwing fistfuls of money at them. They say that the cars computer is too primitive to give them any diagnostic info. Can anybody tell me if this is for real? Is there not a mechanic out there somewhere who could get in there and figure out the problem "the old fashioned way"? Anybody had similar problems with the shutting down? I am at my wits end.

 

Could be:
Fuel pump relay
Speed sensor(If you have one)
Dist pick up (If you have one)
Fuel pump

 

Step 1 is to replace the fuel pump relay (main relay), especially if it's over 10 years old. It's mounted on the firewall, inside, behind the glovebox. Remove the kick panel above the passenger's feet to get at it. It's white, about 1"x2".

You probably have a Hall sensor on the disty. Expensive to replace, so I would do the fuel pump relay and hope that's it.

 

I had a similar problem on my 94 940 turbo and I just soldered the fuel pump relay.

 

Thanks for the info people. They swear that it is not the fuel relay, but are replacing the idle motor. Anybody ever had similar problems with that?

 

Once in a while I see one go bad.