i've looked and looked all over this forum for help with my starting problem. i have an '87 240 that does not like to start. it may start after sitting for maybe five minutes, but more than that i usually have to sit in the car cranking the starter for up to fifteen minutes before it ignites. i have changed the spark plugs, cleaned the throttle body, replaced vacuum lines, checked for airway obstructions, etc. (the car runs fine after getting started aside from being flooded from trying to start it for so long and the wiring harness is like new) the only thing i haven't done is change the mass air flow sensor or checked the fuel injectors as i do not have the facility to do that at my disposal. i've gone over to my local volvo garage and the mechanics have looked at it and they have no idea.

i was talking to someone who works on motorcycles (irrelevant, i know, but he knows about older enginges) and he thinks it's probably the timing. has anyone run into that problem with an older 200, 700, 900 model? i am very ignorant about the processes of checking the timing, so if anyone has any tips they'd be greatly appreciated.

 

Have you checked to see if you loose fuel pressure?
What signal are you loosing when it happens?
Do you have spark?
Do you have fuel?
Do you have injector pulse?

 

If the timing is out it can make for poor starting and performance.

To check the timing on one of these engines you would need a timing light and, if possible, a tachometer. If the vehicle is fitted with a tachometer you could use this but it is not as accurate as an external unit.

The timing light is basically a strobe light which is connected to #1 plug. As the power passes to the plug the light flashes.

The timing marks are on the timing belt cover just above the crankshaft pulley. There is also a mark on the pulley. As these are often hard to see it is helpful to put a very small white paint or chalk mark on the appropriate marks.

Bringthe engineto working temperature at an idle speed of 750rpm. Disconnect the vacuum pipe from the distributor and plug it. Point the timing light at the timing marks. The correct setting at 750 rpm is 12+ or - 2 degrees. If the timing is incorrect loosen the distributor clamp bolts and rotate the distributor until the marks align. Tighten the clamp and reconnect the vacuum pipe.

If you are not sure about doing this try to find a repair shop which still has a tune-up unit (Sun or Krypton). It should not cost much to have this done by them.

 

Timing sounds like a likely culprit.Check the ignition system, I would replace the distributor cap and rotor since they are cheap and that could fix your problem. Also test your coil. It might be the impulse sender in the distributor when my car was doing that same thingit was the impulse sender which is unfourtunately an expensive part.

 

i have spark, i have fuel, but i haven't changed the distributor cap and rotor yet. i do need to do that... i also probably need to clean the MAF. any good way to do that without having to buy the specific cleaner from IPD? it's so expensive...

i've found some guy (friend of a friend) who might be able to check the timing. if not i'll suck it up and go to voltech (the local independant volvo shop). thanks for the advice, any more tips are greatly appreciated as always.

 

I had an 86 240 with a similar problem. Drove me crazy for 3 months until a Vee-Dub mechanic came up with the solution. The distributor has a little hole for a vent under the body of the distributor , If it is clogged up it can get condensation in the rotor cap when the engine cools and it will make it hard to start or not start at all

 

check coolant temp sensor for ecu, fuel pump relay. With key on do you have voltage to coil (blk/red wire) ? If it really is rich (wet plugs) I would suspect the fuel pressure regulator is bad and you are getting really high pressure that is flooding the engine out. This happened on my sons car, we saw it immediately when we put a pressure gage on it. Replacement fixed the problem.

 

Are you in the orlando area?

 

no, i'm in tallahassee. i still haven't found the money to take it to the garage so i'm driving it hoping the starter doesn't fizzle out on me. i've been told that my fuel pressure regulator is fine. and now i'm really suspecting the timing because i'm starting to feel irregularities in the rythm of the running engine. i know i need a straight-up tune up by someone that knows exactly what they're doing. i just hope it'll stay strong until i can afford to fix it.

 

Keep us posted.