I might be picking up a 1989 240 DL volvo tomorrow and the guy said it sometimes doesnt hit all four cylinders and i was wondering what the reason could be for this. could it be a fuel pump problem or something?

 

i was also wondering how much a new clutch would cost?

 

Not hitting on all cylinders could be as simple as a broken spark plug wire or as bad as a broken piston. Really, you will have do some diagnosing.

Since you are thinking of buying this car, I would a compression check first done. This will eliminate most of the expensive causes and give an idea of the health of the rings & valves. If all cylinders are around the same and upwards of 165, then the engine should be ok. If one cylinder is zero or significantly lower than the rest, then I would avoid the car since it most likely needs major engine work. If you don't have the equipment to do this yourself, I would suggest taking it to a mechanic for a check.

To test the easy things, while the engine is running - take a look at each spark plug wire and see if you see any arcing. It is preferable to do this when it is dark. If you do, the spark plug wires need replacement. Also, pop the top off of the distributer cap and look for carbon trails in it. A sign of arcing within the cap.

Hope this helps. Good luck.