My 92 burns fuel pump fuses. It doesn't blow them, it burns them. For a while I tried to figure out what that strange smell was (!). Then one day the car didn't start. Sure enough, the plastic insulator for the fuel pump fuse had burnt. It's only burnt two in 8 months, so it's a slow problem.

Any ideas what could be the culprit? Too much resistance somewhere I assume. I'm not too good with electrical systems.

 

too much current, actually. too much resistance would LOWER the current.

wild guess is, either your in-tank fuel pump is dying and drawing too much power, or the wiring is messed up. the main pump isn't on that fuse.

btw, the *correct* fuses for a 240 are CERAMIC, not plastic, and they have copper or brass fuse elements, not silver/tin. sadly, the american fuse suppliers only sell crap. I get a batch of the good ones from ebay, sold as 'mercedes w123 w124 ceramic fuses', one of these assortments should be enough for 2-3 240's.

 

Thanks, Pierce. I thought it could be the in-tank pump too. It takes a little longer to start than it did when I first got it now that I think of it.

When I first bought it, occasionally (every 4th start) the engine would start so quickly that I barely had time to release the key. It seemed like the starter could turn the engine over less than one revolution and the thing would kick on. It did it when it was dead cold too. It hasn't done that in a few months.

Do these pumps die that slowly? How difficult is replacement?

 

difficulty of changing the in-tank pump depends on how corroded the cover plate is.

See In the Tank - 240 Volvo Tank Pump and Sender