So there I am driving in my '86 240DL - which hasbeen running perfect because of all great advice I've gotten on this site - when the engine dies.

The engine started again right away and I got off the freeway and the engine stalls again - starts again and stalls again - over and over. It felt like there was just enough fuel to get it going and then it ran out - as though the fuel line were blocked or clogged. This is however unlikely as the fuel filter is three months old and I'd taken the fuel tank suspecting clogging when it was the fuel pump relay.

Thinking it could be the relay again I got out my trusty wire on two alligator clips and linked fuses 4 and 6 - and could hear the fuel pumps whinning away. The problempersisted.Towed the car and tried it again two hours later and it seem to run fine.

Could this have been vapor lock? Seems unlikely as it wasn't a super hot day and because of the pump in the gas tank which prevents vapor lock.

Is this something that happens to this engine for some reason?

Thanks! Dagaan

 

May want to test out your fuel pressure regulator. Going with your vapor lock symptom a pressure regulator that does not give proper pressure will result in vapor lock. Pull the front vac. line and if fuel comes out thats a dead give away that the diaphragm in the regulator is shot. If not that does not its not bad, fuel present is just a sure sign that its dead. Next step if your really certain its fuel related is to test the fuel line pressure

 

John! You nailed my problem. I looked for the vaccum device linked to the gas line an lo there it was - brocken! The aged rubber had split at the pressure point of a curve. I still had enough line to just reconnect it! THANKS!! Dagaan

 

Thank you to for giving me enough information to go on, and also for coming back to let me know that it worked out good for you. Had you not have mentioned you installed a new fuel filter that would have been where I sent you first.

 

Worked like a charm. I'm having a dream experience with this Volvo. I bought it for $300. as it needed a harmonic balancer and a right ball joint - both easy as pie. With non functioning odometer at 250,000, I changed the oil last year and put in Restore and the oil hasn't even gone down. This all particularly valued as I was homeless (read 'travelling') for three years and living on a bike! Thanks agin'

 

Vapor Lock is caused by fuel overheated to the point of vaporization, then the fuel doesn't flow and this causes delivery problems... How can a FPR cause that? Glad you seemed to have helped your problem for now but I am afraid it was just coincidental... Pretty unlikely for a FPR to cause stalling as well.

 

Hi Lev - Yes I think it was just coincidental as now the fuel pump has frozen. I know I had a split strainer in the tank and wonder if something could have got in the fuel line - and not messed up the in tank pump but jammed the secondary pump? I activated the pump by linking fuses 4 and 6 and there was high whine - and then I jiggled the pump and it started working but I thought I heard clicking going on - like something hard had got in the pump?
With two fuel pumps I don't see how a disabled fuel pressure regulator could dry up a pump and cause 'vapor lock' symptoms. Thanks for reply.

 

Actually the in tank pump is the 'secondary' one, aka a 'lift' pump. The one under the car is the main pump. So, yes, what you suppose is possible but then the car should run pretty OK with a full tank, even with bad in tank pump. If you are experiencing a 'no start', I'm afraid your problem is not that pump...
What's the 240 doing now?

 

Hi Lev - The car is running great! It was the 'main' pump alright - I took it out and put wires on it and it did nothing but get hotter. The new one works like a charm. I'd taken the in tank pump out when I suspected sabotage a few months back - twice my brand new locking gas cap was broken into - I live amongst weirdos - so I checked for junk in the tank. I noticed then that the strainer in the tank was split wide open and didn't replace it. I suspect that a piece of that may have jammed the primary pump. But then why wouldn't it jam the in-tank pump?

Auto ZOne sells the same pump for both applications. I put Restore in the oil - a product I've used in a few cars - increases compression, works great. So I may have nearly the original compression and milage now!

thanks, Dagaan

 

'the same pump for both applications' makes ZERO sense here. the tank pump on a 2-pump bosch system only moves the gas out of the tank into the real main pump under the car... the main pump delivers the 42PSI pressure required by the EFI system.

now, true, REGINA cars only have a single high pressure tank pump. so do 1995+ bosch engines, used on newer model Volvos.

I'm highly suspicious of any and all oil additives. Most are snake oil, typically they just thicken things... might as well use a heavier grade oil like 20W50 instead of the preferred 10W30 in a redbrick.

 

Hi Pierce - Thanks for the reply. I expressed myself badly - the same pump is sold for both applications - but both are still necessary - I only needed to replace the pump under the car. However - enthused to try the new pump I forgot to connect the electrics to the in-pump tank - yet - after a slight wait, the car started and worked fine except for a pause in acceleration. This went away when both pumps were connected.

I don't have great faith in additives myself generally speaking - like Marvel mystery oil in the gas - but Restore seems to genuninely do what it claims. It's a high tech plastic that sticks to all hot metal surfaces and increases compression and reduces wear.

What's 'redbrick'?

Cheers, Dagaan

 

the Volvo B21-B230 slant-4 OHC engines are known generically as red blocks, and since the 240, 740, 940 cars are often jokingly known as Swedish bricks, I permutated that to redbrick, heh.

 

Well as my engine was actually built in Sweeden it is a real Sweedish brick!

You helped me lots on rewiring my dash panel instruments. I still don't get the odometer to read. Can you see what the wire looks like that has that functuion? Thanks! Dagaan

 

the odometer is driven by the speedometer, its all integrated. only external signal is the speed sensor pulses coming from the rear axle.

if the speedo works and the odo doesn't, well, most of the time thats a plastic gear with broken teeth.