I have a 1990 volvo 240 DL that drives fine but sometimes i would be driving and suddenly lose power completely. Engine running but the car not moving. Usually i will turn it off and restart again and it will start moving, 60/70/80 mph easy. I have noticed when this happens with the engine still running there is some strange noise in/ at the controls, i.e ac, radio, but mostly on the passanger side. Please help, could this be electrical or is it the transmission saying bye bye slowly??
Samuel2

 

do you hear a click noise? the OD RELAY, passenger side left leg area......or....FUEL PUMP RELAY....on the fire wall or where the soles of your feet rest if stretched out...remove the carpet and you will see it, a black or white relay....

the OD relay is a orange or white relay...remove the plastic panel, passenger side, and kind of fish it out of there. Junk yard part or new...

 

What? His car is a 1990 240.... The OD relay is behind the center heater vents...have to remove the glove box to get to it then it to your left right behind the center vent. Also the fuel pump relay is under the passenger side kick panel by your ignition module....OD relay is white as well as the fuel pump relay...the orange OD relay is pre 85 automatics...Also would not be either of those anyway. He says his motor is still running...if it was a bad fuel pump relay...the motor ould die. Also a bad OD rela is not going to cause loss of power...not even close sounds like a transmission issue to me.

 

Ok so I need a bit more information but I am assuming that you are pushing on gas and then car feels like it's in neautral? Is that correct? So not loss of power but loss of tranny...motor is fine...car is not moving. 1. check your fluid level. always check the tranny fluid level while car is running unlike checking motor oil. There are 2 sides to the tranny dipstick one while car is cold and one while car is hot. Make sure you are reading the correct side depending on the temp of your car. 2. check you kickdown cable adjustment and see if kickdown cable is woring properly. 3. Flush your tranny fluid. 4. If all those fail...change your filter. Sometimes gunk gets built up in the filter not allowing ATF to flow through properly hence causing the transmission not to shift. Actually this is what really sounds like is happening to you because you say that you turn car off then it gooes fine again...this will happen with a clogged filter because the fluid drops back down then when you turn car on again it rises and some gets through...not going to say 100% cause I have not driven your car...but I can tell you I have experienced this very issue with several Volvo's and it always ended up being a clogged filter. Good luck...

 

Thanks i think you may be right on that because i changed the tranny fluid and filter back in 2003 and there maybe alot of junk in it now. I checked the level of the ATF and its good, not dirty either. i will go check this out.

 

I know where the OD relay and Fuel Relay are located becz i once had an OD relay problem and had to change it out. My main fuel pump (intank) hamms alittle, tried to change it but too much rust at the incoming and outgoing hoses that i decided to leave it alone first.

 

Also on there is some play in the shift linkage when i was checking for adjustment btween the lever and the control rod. I don't know if an O-ring is supposed to be at that junction to stop the 1-2 mm play.