hard to start when cold
 

1990 740 ( no turbo ) hi miles hard to start when cold. Hello I recently purchased this car which runs fine and starts fairly well when warm ( but not instantly ) i was told to cycle the key a few times to pressurize the fuel system,
but am not sure that that has anything to do with the problem. I was thinking that there may be a cold start enrichener, or could it possibly be the pressure regulator, or check valve ? Having read through all the previous posts, and not finding an answer, I decided to start this new thread. I do not have a shop manual for this car yet. Any help would be appreciated. I will do a pressure check on the fuel rail , compression test, check the timing, cap and rotor, plugs etc, asap.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Les Vegas

do you smell fuel when trying to start?

it could be a bad ECT?

Here is a good list of FAQ's in the meantime: http://www.vcoa.org/700-900-faq/FAQSummary1.html

Wait for the experts to get on....

There is a known issue with the Regina ignition 740's concerning the cold start injector over running when cold. Volvo has a TSB concerning it and their cure is to wire the cs injector with the starter so it stops as soon as the starter does. Do you whether your 90 is a Regina or Bosch ignition? The majority of 90 n/a's were Regina but there's a significant difference in how they're set up. And cycling the key is bunk....the pumps are on a timer with key on engine off regardless of pressure. Even with a bad check valve...fastcycling the key is a waste of time. Once they've cycled, they've cycled.

thank you for your quick responses
i plan on looking at it tomorrow ( thurs )
and will report back on my findings
until tomorrow
thanks again

well here is the scoop
no fuel pressure : ordered a new pressure regulator
compression is 165 straight across
ordered new ignition wire set
cap and rotor : like new
spark plugs : like new
I believe i have the regina ignition
the coil is sitting in a square frame
piggy back on the ignition module
it is not a conventional coil
I can't believe the car would run at all with zero fuel pressure
one concern is that the fuel pump runs all the time when the key is on,
so i suspect the fuel pump relay is not working properly
there is an extra wire running from the relay to the pump ( jerry rigged )
and i think the positive side of the relay is getting sent straight to the pump
i will install the new parts and give another report asap
thanks for the help
and if anyone has any comments or questions please send them in
Les Vegas

hello again everyone
thank you for the tip on the cold start injector
the positive wire was already jerry rigged to the starter motor
but i wasn't getting any ground while cranking
presuming that the ecm controls it by grounding as required
anyway
the positive lights up when cranking
and i have jerry rigged the negative straight to ground
so that the cold start injector is open all the time while cranking
and it starts almost right away
thanks for the help again
any comments ?
Les
btw the fuel pressure regulator did not fix the hard start prob

if you had no fuel pressure, the car would never run.