I have a '92 volvo 240 wagon. 188,000 miles. Noticing lately that it is hard to get started when outside temp is quite warm and especially if engine is also warm. Turns over fine but slow to catch. All help appreciated. Prairie

 

when was the ignition stuff last serviced? if the plugs, wires, rotor, cap are old, I'd replace them first, and see if that helps. use Bosch or Volvo plugs, Bougicord spark plug wires, and Bosch cap+rotor to bring the ignition system back up to a good baseline.

check the wiring at the Crank Position Sensor (CPS), which is behind the head and stuck down into the top of the flywheel/flexiplate... if the wiring at the CPS looks fried, time for a new one.

is your fuel economy OK in hot weather ? you should be getting around 25 MPG mixed city/suburban driving, and maybe 28 on extended highway trips if you don't leadfoot it. if its significantly lower than that, check the CTS (Coolant Temperature Sensor), this is a temperature-sensitive resistor module thats stuck into the side of the engine block just below the intake manifold. both the ignition and injection use this to decide how warm the engine is and how much gas and what spark timing advance to use.

another candidate could be a sketchy fuel pump relay, or even flakey fuel pump. you'd need to determine if the engine is getting fuel when its not starting (crank it some, then remove a spark plug and inspect it, if its damp and/or smells like gas, then its probably getting fuel. if its bone dry, then its probably nto getting fuel.

 

Thanks, Pierce, for the excellent coverage on this problem! I had looked at my maintenance record just yesterday and certainly I am overdue for plugs and might as well go whole hog while at it. I will see what that does and start checking the other items as suggested.

 

While it never hurts to make sure your car is generically "tuned up" and all components which might affect drivability are in good nick, in this case you should check your Fuel Pressure Regulator. If it's not holding pressure it will cause hard starts in warm engines.