I just purchased a 1992 940GL with 180K. The problem is that it sat in the garage for two years and now has "I've been sitting for two years" problems. The previous owner stated that when he parked it in the garage two years ago it was running fine but now it doesn’t go into gear. This was a known problem to me. It started up and ran fine when I first looked at it two months ago. Now I have more issues that will need to be addressed... here is where I need HELP!

Now I can't get it started... I pulled plug #1 no spark and it was all carboned up. Pulled plug #2 and the wire came out of the socket... oops! I figured stop here and go get some parts...

Here is my list of parts purchased to date...
New wires and plugs
Rotor and cap
Ignition coil (funny looking thing... not the round one)
Fuel Filter (tank was very close to empty)
Oil and filter
Transmission oil and filter
I plan on getting everything installed tonight so I will update then.

I did check the codes and all I got was 1-1-1 in both socket 2 and 6. I'm looking for any words of wisdom on anything else I should be looking at or checking? Also, I've had no luck finding a repair manual for this car... any idears where i can get one?

Your input is greatly appreciated.
John

 

I think your list is pretty good. Plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, fuel filter. I would hold off on ordering a new coil unless you have confirmed it is bad. I have never had one fail on me on a Volvo (or any other car for that matter).

Although the tank was nearly empty, I would still drain it prior to putting new gas in it. Install the new parts and then troubleshoot just like any other no-start condition. Confirm spark, confirm fuel delivery. If either is missing, troubleshoot from there.

Good luck

btw - car looks really nice (except that it is on a trailer).

 

Great looking car! Besides draining and refilling the tank, I like to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel rail and flush it to that point by running the pumps. Carboned up plugs tells me it was not running so sweet 2 years ago. No doubt after you get it running you may discover it needs an O2 sensor and other bits. These are all minor issues and to be expected from a nearly 20 year old car, let alone one that has sat up for 2 years. Be forewarned, there will be more nagging issues to resolve before its back to stage zero but hey...that's what forums are for, right? Keep us posted!

 

act1292 / swiftjustice44

Thanks for your comments! I think draining the tank is a great idea. I was concerned that condensation may have built up after sitting for so long with very little gas in the tank. I will be spending most of this weekend working on the car so I hope to have good news to report.

swiftjustice44: This forum has proven to be very helpful and I'm sure I will be spending more time here discussing the many "nagging issues"

Here's a picture off the trailer.


From the back:

 

Update: I drained the tank and added fresh gas... what a pain in the butt. Installed new cap and rotor, wires, plugs, Ignition coil. I crossed my finger and turned the key... still will NOT start! I pulled plug #1 to check for spark and got nothing, same for plug #2.
Is there a way to check to see if the coil is getting power? I cleaned the contacts on the base that the Ignition coil sits in. Is it possible that the base is bad...? I don’t know what it’s called. What's left to check in a not spark situation?

Extremely frustrated... but optimistic!
John

 

Remove the oil fill cap and have someone crank the car. Make sure the cam shaft is turning w/ the engine. If it's not turning, then your timing belt is broken. If it is turning, then it could be the crank sensor, coil or a few other items. After attempting to start it, have you pulled the plugs to see if they are wet with fuel? Would be good to know the fuel side of things is ok. It should be noted that if the crank sensor a/k/a impulse sensor a/k/a CPS has failed and not sending a signal to the ecu, the ecu will not supply any signal to the power stage/ignition coil and the car won't start so...no coil output may be a result of no coil input rather than the coil having failed. Crank sensors can fail intermittently or be great one minute and dead for good the next.

 

Thanks for the info I never even considered the timing belt. I will check it in the morning... to late tonight! Can the crank sensor be tested or just replace it? Where is the sensor located?

When i pulled the plugs I could smell gas but they were not wet... hmmmmm

 

Yes, the crank sensor can be checked for proper resistance. It's mounted on the rear of the engine, straight down from the cylinder head...w/ the cam mounted distributor it is a chore to reach. It's sits directly above the flexplate/flywheel and you will see a cutout in the bell housing to accommodate it. The sensor has a fairly long pig tail on it which at least makes testing it reasonably simple. The connector will be up on the firewall on the driver side of the motor. With the engine off and the pigtail disconnected, examine the plug leading to the cps. There are 3 leads numbered 1, 2 and 3. Test the resistance between 1 and 2. The ohms should be between 170-350. Examine the connection closely as many cps failures are the connection rather than the actual sensor.

 

I disconnected the cps and tested the resistance between 1 and 2... it was 0 ohms. I removed it, not as bad as I thought, and this is what I found:

The tip looked corroded.


The shield was broken or chaffed in a couple places.


I have a good feeling that this was my problem... I hope!

Again thanks for the suggestions, I'll post an update as soon as I replace it.

John

I forgot to mention that the cam shaft is turning with the engine so my belt as ok for now. I do plan on changing it soon. Not sure when it was replaced last...

 

When I got home from work today my crank position sensor had arrived from FCP Groton. I didn't even bother to change my cloths, I grabbed my 10mm wrench and installed the new sensor.

New sensor next to the old one:

Old sensor 0 ohms
New sensor 184 ohms

I installed the new sensor, said a prayer and turned the key... she started first try and sounded great!

I can't thank everyone enough for their help... "swiftjustice44" you hit the nail on the head with this one! Thanks again!