Howdy,

John, The Balloon Man here, from Dallas, Texas. I have an 88 740 turbo wagon with over 250,000 miles and for about three months now, when the gas gage got close to the red line, every once in awhile, the car would sputter and stall. It happened, albeit very infrequently, during all phases of driving; take off, cruising, accelerating and deccelerating(is that even a word?). I find myself on a long road trip and this problem has worsened. On the way back from Chicago at 1:30 pm yesterday(very cold & car from Texas) to my brothers in Missouri, it started doing this consistently. I mention the locations, times and weather just in cse it could be pertinent to the issue. The sputtering has increased in severity, instance and duration as has the stalling. The stalling has increased from a time to time basis and from a second or less to occuring more often than not and for as long as three or more seconds. Now, I suspected the fuel filter, but did not want to try replacing it with the car's tools in sub freezing weather, so I tried a quick fix just to get me to my brother's warm garage and tool bench. My brother suspected water in the gas, so I bought a bottle of Wal*mart's high end fuel injector cleaner(mechanic said it would deal with both the cleaning and the water problem) and immediately filled the tank. AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! That's the car I came to know and love! Purred like a kitty suffering a severe belly rub! Ran like a top for better than 150 miles! I figured my troubles were over. Then I crossed the Missippi river on U.S. HWY 54 at 7:30 PM with weather clear and warming to above 40. With not enough gas to finish my trip, I thought I would get some while there was an open station. WRONG IDEA! I no sooner got out of the station lot, turned at the stop sign and drover less than 100 yards when the problem was back and withing two miles was worse than ever. Whenever the problem was at its worst, I just kept shifting into the next lower gear on uphill grades, winding her up to about 4 or five grand then and back again on levels and downhill. At Kingdom City(54 & I-70) ! bought a bottle of Gum Out injector cleaner hoping for a return to sanity. NOT! The car didn't get any worse, though! I will say, that, even after the second fill-up, I could keep up with traffic whereas before, I fought for about forty miles just to get to the Wally World. Uh oh! Something else just occured to me. On the way up into Chicago last Thursday at about 7:30 PM, below freezing, I bought a 10% ethanol/gas mixture and started having a very slight and extremely intermittent problem almost right away on several occasions over the weekend. Then the next time I bought gas, I was WAY into the red and got 7.8 galloons of the same gas at the same station just to get me to the Super Wal*mart. That's when the problem became so severe almost immediately. My wife flies into St. Louis on Thursday late and I drive from there to Lake of the Ozarks the next day. Then I drive her back to the airport on Sunday, back to bubba's, to St Louis that week and back to Dallas after that weekend. I "REALLY need this car running well and not sucking up gas like a spongs!

Can anyone

H H EEEEE L PPPP
H H E L P P
H H E L P P
HHHHH EEEEE L PPPP
H H E L P
H H E L p
H H EEEEE LLLLLL P , please?

John.

 

A couple of quiestions.

When was the fuel filter done last?
Does it mainly only do it when the guage hits the RED?

 

As for the fuel filter, it's anyone's guess. Certainly not since I've had the car. As for the red line, yes it was like that before, but not now. I have almost no exhaust through the tail pipe and pressure sounds like it's releasing back through the air filter housing. Catalytic converter time, I bet. I bet that will run a bundle, won't it?

John.

 

Yes it is pretty expensive.
The first thing I would try is a fuel filter.
While you are at it test the intake pump and make sure it works.You can do so by leaving the hose off the Main pump and crank it over and see if gas comes out. If not then the intank pump is bad. That could also cause the sputtering.

 

I removed the doughnot clamp in front of the catalytic converter and it did not fix the problem, so it isn't the converter. I removed the fuel filter and it pumped "PLENTY" of fuel when I turned it over, so it isn't the pump. However, I blew through the filter from both ends and the flow seemed okay, albeit a bit harder from one end over the other, so I am replacing it later today. If it isn't the filter, what else should I try? I have to say, these things are a snap to work on for the common man. The hood retainer/release should be mandatory on "ALL" cars and so should the ease of changing of the brake pads! What is wrong with the rest of the automotive world? These things alone insure that I "WILL" own another Volvo!

 

But did it pump fuel from the tank or the Main pump? You have 2 pumps in your car.
You need to disconnect the hose at the back of the Main pump and crank it.

If all is good there see if you have a speed sensor at the back of the engine. It will bolt into the top of the transmission area.Look at the wire if the outside sheilding is cracked you should replace the sensor.

Also how old is the Fuel pump relay?

 

Changed the fuel filter and still had a bad time starting, but the gas flow was good. Once it started, it was hard to keep running. "SPUT-SPUT-SPUTTER! ... ... ... POP-POP! ... ... ... SSSSSSSSSsssssssssss..........". Don't know how this will sound to the rest of you, but I am a praying man and when I asked the Guy-In-The-Sky, "What's up with this car?", I felt that it was "BAD GAS!, BAD, BAD GAS!". Well, my skeptical brother, even though he was certain that it wasn't bad gas, grabbed his 5 gallon can of 91 octane motorcycle gas & poured it into my almost empty tank. After about a three or four minute fight with the starter and the fuel and the motor and all the sputtering and popping, it started & stayed running, Some slight sputtering and popping and a mile to the station for a total fill-up of 91 octane and two bottles of injector cleaner gave me an almost trouble-free trip back to the house. My brother is still a bit of a skeptic, so I am making a run into town for some diet 7up with Splenda and see what happens. More later? I really hope not!

John, the Volvo lovin', grimey knuckled, balloon twistin', Pop Artist

 

I still say make 100% sure the intank pump is working.

You understand how I am telling you to test it correctly?

If you only check it at the filter you are testing the main pump only.

 

Checked the pump in the tank by removing the line from between the tank and the fuel filter assembly. Flowed like a river when I turned the motor over. I have been all through my Haynes manual and can't find the "speed sensor" or the "fuel pump relay" that you speak of. Is there another name for these? Last night, I drove about ten miles with almost no sputtering when all of a sudden, nothing. I had lights and bells and the usual "DING_DING!" from the key in the ignition, but no power to the engine whatsoever. When I tried to start the car, a white cloud came out of the tailpipe. It was raw, unburned gas fumes. After about 10 to 20 minutes, it tried to start and tried to start until I finally got a bit of the motor trying to run only to die and a bit more and a bit more until after about seven to ten tries later, it slowly came to life and ran like before the problem showed up. We got it home. This also happened once earlier in the driveway before the test run. Now today, I drove it about 30 to 40 miles before the sputtering started again. Although, it did not totally die like last night. I changed out the coil & wrapped its blue wire where bare. I have tried it all but the speed sensor. and fuel pump relay.

John, the problem tracking mad man!

 

"Tech" does Volvo have the typical "sock" strainer over the fuel tank pickup? Ihad a 90 Mazda pickup that was behaving just as this Volvo is. When we dropped the tank, The fuel strainer "sock" (that is all I know to call them) was completely clogged with trash. We replaced the strainer ,cleaned the tank and the truck ran fine. Just a thought. BJ

 

"Sock Strainer Guy!" Did it run, albeit badly? I am in Missouri, live in Texas and have about 30 to 40 hours of driving to do over the next week and a half. I am also going to be occupied each and every day teaching and/or driving from now until the 27th, except for this Monday & Tuesday. Got to make a living to afford to keep working on this gas guzzling, motor sputtering, money grubbing problem. I have to drive two hours to and from the St. Louis airport tonight, two hours to Lake of the Ozarks tomorrow morining. back here on Sunday, & to the airport & back Sunday evening for a total of 12 hours 'normal" road time, and am scared to try. I am considering leaving for the airport an extra two hours early, just in case. I just returned from another 35 mile test trip and it started sputtering at the 20 mile mark. It did make it the other 15 miles without totally dying, just sputtering and this less than before the fuel treatment & 91 octane. Maybe I have multiple problems and eliminating one will not fix it all. Maybe when I diconnected the catalytic converter before, it was still the fuel filter and didn't show the problem with the converter because the filter was acting up. Now that I have replaced the fuel filter, checked both the fuel pumps, replaced the coil, gave it a double treatment of fuel injector cleaner and a tank 91 octane gas, the catalytic converter shows itself to be the problem. Doesn't it sometimes act up more when it heats up than when it's cold? Doesn't it cause a total shut-down of the motor from time to time due to constricted exhaust flow? I am at my witts end and am a loss for what else to do. If I were in Texas, I would just switch cars and deal with it later, but ... ... ... enough for now. Awaiting your sage words of wisdom on what to do now. Four and a half hours until 7:00 PM and I make a "REAL" trip of four to five "REGULAR" hours travel time. Who knows. Maybe a miracle will happen and the loose nut behind the wheel will "do the tighten up" and all will be at peace with the world once again.

j. feeling quite small just now!

 

Yes they have a sock filter on the end of the pump in the tank. You don't have to drop the tank to get to it.There is a access plate in the trunk.
This will tell you if you have a speed sensor or not. Feel the bottom of the distrubutor. See if there is a plug going to it. Or just the coil wire.

The Fuel pump relay is behind the Ashtray and the cubby. Remove the Ashtray. The pop the cover off the cigar lighter. Then you will see 2 screws. remove them and the cubby will come out. The relay will be on the left side. It is a big white relay. There will be a date stamped on the side of it. Tell me what it is.

Also did you check for Fuel and spark when it wouldn't run?

 

So, I can put a sock in it or not and it won't matter as to what I am suffering, is that it? Just joking! If I don't try and add a bit of levity, I'll yank myself bald by morning. Anyway, I can't tell if it is just the coil wire is coming out of the bottom of the distributor or not. I feel something, but I can't tell if it is below the distributor or into the underside. I have to leave to get my wife from the airport ans we leave for aLake of the Ozarks first thing in the AM, so it will be late Sunday or early Monday before I can get back to y'all on all this. Please do answer, just in case I get near a PC this weekend. I didn't have to remove any screws to get at the relay. Here is the date. 12. 08. 86. What with huge white clouds of raw gas fumes billowing out of the tailpipe, I naturally assumed that I had fuel, but no spark. As to actually checking, I did not. What about the ignition control module?. My brother's neighbor has a wrecked 740 to scab from and could get one fairly cheaply.

j, who is suffering more than he is used to having to.

 

The plug I am talking about is on the bottom of the Dist. Try to look with a mirror and flashlight.It will be a plug with 3 wires. If you have it then you don't have a speed sensor the pickup is in the Dist. That may be bad.
Also if you have the plug see if the plastic is broke where it meets the Dist. Sometimes that will happen and the wires will short on the Dist.

That relay is very old!! They usually last about 5 years. Replace when you can.

As for the ECM possible. But before you buy the other car check the #'s on your and that one. The ECM is located on the passenger side under the panel under the dash by the door.

If it happens again when it wont start then check for spark. If you have none then I would guess the Dist or the speed sensor depending on which you have.

 

hey guys.. it sounds to me that your motor is out of time ...it would be a good thing to check your timing belt timing..
it is very easy to check and also to adjust...
take the timing belt cover off ,top portion only and set the crank to 0 degrees top dead center . the dot on the cam gear should be right under the mark if they do not match adjust your cam only..
my 940 has done this before and showed the same simptoms your volvo showed... it only takes a few minutes to check and it could save you hours of troubleshooting... good luck...