new to volvo ownership, and starting with an oldie but a goodie - 89 240 gle 200k, b230k fi. Ok, i know it has a lot of miles, but, the thing will not start when cold unless i hold the gas pedal all the way down. Then it will start sluggishly. It does this 90% of the time when it is cold. 10% it will start up. New plugs, wires, dizzy cap and rotor. Definitely getting spark & air. Fuel relay good, new and checked for bad solder anyways. I hear the pump hum when i turn the key before crank sometimes, but not most of the time. I guess my question is does it always come on when turning key? After it runs, it will crank back up without the pedal if you start it again, unless you let it sit for a couple of hours. Then it is pedal all the way again. once running it runs fine and is fun to drive...any help is greatly appreciated....

 

The pump should come on every time you turn the key. It is either not getting enough gasoline on startup or it is getting too much. My bet is it is not enough. There is also a difference between hard cold starting and rough cold running. Is it just hard to start, or does it also idle bad after startup? There is already information on this topic, and most of the time it is never resolved, or so I read. But here is a couple:
Fuel Injectors/Starting FAQs
VOLVO 240 Frequently Asked Questions 1975-1993 at Swedish Auto Parts

 

thanks, i will check out this info. it is only when it is cold that it is so hard to start, and i mean by that the engine has not been cranked in say 8 hours. The pump does not always come on when i turn the key. Usually the first time and then occassionally sometimes after that. Thanks....

 

That sounds like normal behavior when you turn the key on. First time it should run. May or may not run in subsequent tries.

I would still check out the fuel system first. Make sure both the tank pump and the main pump run. You can check this by jumpering the right side of fuse 4 to the right side of fuse 6. This should cause both pumps to run. Go in the trunk and listen for the tank pump. If you can't hear it there, open the fuel filler cap and listen there. If you still can't hear the tank pump, check to make sure it's getting voltage. There is an access to it from within the pump.

Also, did you check to see if the ECU is throwing any codes?

 

Basically like the problem I have. If mine sits more than eight hours, it is easy to start, but idles bad for about 15 seconds. It's something to do with the ECU thinking it is 20F below thus it gives the engine a rich gasoline mixture. I know the one time I did some cleanup work in the intake manifold and I tried to start it and could not. So I took out the spark plugs and they were coated in gas thus my assumption about the rich mixture. My ECU says everything is fine so I just deal with it for now.

 

no codes...i will try the pump check today...thanks

 

On a day when it doesn't start, check the plugs as Burn Stains has to see if you are getting too much fuel as he is. If the plugs are wet, then it could be a problem with the cold start injector.

 

where is the cold start injector?

 

forgot to say engine is the b230f

 

ok, started nosing around, one thing led to another, ended up taking throttle body off. butterfly encrusted with carbon, oil in air tube, maf looks very dirty, preheat air hose door stuck on open to preheat door. cleaned throttle body and air hose. will clean maf tomorrow. car now showing code 121. took preheat hose off exhaust and took door out of airbox until i get new temp sensor for it. Car seems to start right up without maf plugged in...will post after cleaning maf...

 

If the air box was sending hot air to the intake all the time, your MAF might be toast, or it is sending the wrong signals because it is dirty. I just blocked off the hot air intake in the box and removed the flapper, no real need for it unless you live in Alaska. The oil in your intake hose is normal because it comes from the flame trap return hose. The code is just because you unplugged the MAF.