i have a couple volvos here, but the 80 is the one giving me the most trouble. when you go to start it up in the morning, it cranks over just fine but takes forever for it to come to life. it acts about like a carburetor without a choke. once it does finally come alive, it idles like a cold carb without a choke until its warmed up a little.
obviously, fuel injected systems don't have a choke, so i'm just using that as a description of how its running.

any idea of whats wrong with it or what it'll take to fix it? any chance of getting a diagnostic computer on this CIS system?

 

Go to K-jet.org.....all about CIS

thermal time switch is my guess...way at the back were the firewall meets the cylinder head...intake side....it is around 100 bucks...or just pop it out and clean all the crud it accumulates....A PAIN TO GET IT OUT TO CLEAN...

I have done so much to my 79 242 and it still cranks in about 4 Mississippi's

complete block and cylinder head gasket replacement...front/back block/head gasket etc..all of them
tune up
clutch job
oil pressure sensor
water temp sensor
wire harness
battery
timing belt and other hoses
both fuel pumps
battery
Alternator

The only things I did not do is piston rings and oil pump....
New motor mounts and battery wires....lots of stuff and it still turns on (but it always turns on now) at around 4 Mississippi...it likes a four second mind game to screw with me...."DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG AND AT THAT PRECISE INTERNAL THOUGHT,,,,IT STARTS....ALWAYS...DRIVES AWESOME NOW..new trans fluid and ujoints and diff fluid...cleaned all grounds and did wiring..

 

ok, thanks for the info. it looks like IPD has that sensor for about 150, i'll see if i can clean it up and bench-test it before i drop the money on it. i'll let you know what i find

 

well, thanks for pointing me in the right direction! i found that the wires at the thermal time switch had come out of their connector, so thats gotta be what it is

 

could be and the thermal time switch wires are connected to the cold start injector...I think they share the ground as well....better said they are grounded at the same location....next to the cold start injector..