Try googling volvo 240 power stage and check the photos. It's part of your ignition system.

 

1987/88 240 doesn't have a power stage, the chrysler ignition control unit fires the coil directly.

check the vacuum line to the ICU, it plugs in to the bellows thing on the front lower corner of said ICU, behind the right headlight. this vacuum is used for ignition timing ('advance'), and if its cracked or disconnected, the car will rev fine in neutral but have no power in gear.

 

Ok. Checked the line and its connected and visually looks in good shape.. I gave it a seafoam treatment, ran it for about 30 minutes at idle, then drove it around the neighborhood. Up and down hills. Seemed to be smooth. No hesitating. Gonna drive to work tomorrow and see how it runs and higher speeds.

 

I tried to drive it to work this morning. No joy. I've checked the vacuum, swapped out the coil, verified spark, checked grounds and fuses, cleaned t/b and maf. What else? I did notice it seemed to run better yesterday when the engine was warmed up. After running idle for 30 minutes...

 

Anybody else have any thoughts? This is the second time in 6 months that my daily driver has let me down.....

 

get your hands on the LH 2.2 service manual (I think a copy may float around at k-jet.org ?), and follow all the troubleshooting there. in particular, you probe the ECU pins from the back, with it plugged in circuit, and verify all the sensor inputs are in range, looking for any anomalies.

one weak spot on the 85-88 240's is the connector to the chrysler ICU under the hood. this connector is fragile and fussy. also, when I said check the vacuum hose, a visual inspection only goes so far, I meant to hook up a vacuum gauge, like a mityvac, with a T, so you can see the vacuum when its running, and verify that vacuum is actually making it to the ICU so the ICU can advance properly.