Hey there.... I have a 88 volvo 240 DL. it's been running like a champ and my g.f. just drove it 50 miles yesterday on a 1/2 tank of gas. Got close to work today (15 min drive) and the car (engine?) started to shake vigorously and ran really really rough. called AAA 2 hrs later for a tow. we started it up and it ran fine in 'park'. the minute we threw it into drive - same thing - shaking and sputtering and feeling like it's going to die. since it ran fine in park we figured it's not the timing belt. up until today, it's only had a squeaky belt that screams for 15 seconds when you first start driving it and the steering wheel has seemed to shake slightly at high speeds cyclically, not consistently (ie shaking for 2 seconds, not shaking 2 seconds and so on. the (alternator?) belt still squeaks after all this, so it hasn't broken (yet)
any ideas? much thanks!

 

i would check your air meeter. also is the car running rich? an also check your intake pluming maybe you have a crack in it or a leak. if its been running fine an then all of a sudden it changes it likely to be a engine component. if you have been having problems with your alt. tighten the belt so it stops slipping an check your voltage. your car could be running like it is because it is not charging its self. volvos will start to runn like crap when the batery voltage get down around 9.8 volts because the fuel pump coil an ecu are not getting enough electrical current.

any way check you intake . check your belt tighten it if it needs check your voltage with the car running.

 

If it runs fine with a full tank but not so good with less than half a tank - suspect a problem with the in-tank pump. It has a hose that connects the pump to a metal fuel line. If it is cracked it will start sucking air.

While its running you might listen to the main and in-tank pump.

Measure the battery voltage while running, should be around 14 VDC.

 

When in park can you rev the car freely? And when in drive if you hit the gas does the car pick up RPM's like normal once it gets past the bogging and missing. Also are you saying that it took a half tank of gas to go 50 miles? Is the car back firing at all?

Going by what you said which was a little vague but enough to discern that you don't have a voltage problem, if the car is turning over fine and running in park fine, but switching to a drive gear causes an issue. I'm willing to bet its probably not your in tank pump either, because if the intank pump was going bad it would run fine across the board for about 15 minutes before it started to run crappy again, and if you have a torn hose it wouldn't have run fine in park. I'd bet on you having a bad hall sensor in your distributor. Pull your cap and see if there is some oil inside and check the wiring to see if its loose.

 

this happened to my 79 dl. it shook the whole vehicle once put in gear but was fine in neutral. i have a manual transmission. it turned out the transmission mount needed replacing. simple job.

 

Hey thanks for the replies! I checked all of your suggestions, everything checked out except, the rotor was shot and the dist cap, I replaced them both. One of the plug wires broke so I replaced the whole set. So problem still there, excessive shaking and the car runs very very rough. I checked the timing belt for frays, none. Next I decided I was going to pull the fuel filter and per manual, I pulled the fuel pump fuses and started the car to let it stall to depressurize the the system. THE CAR KEPT RUNNING! For over 15 minutes. How can the car run with no pumps engaged? I am at a loss here. I am getting whirring sound from pumps but this is really strange. Is there something I am missing here? Thanks again for the replies!

 

ok - the car is NOW shaking in neutral/park.
no, it didn't take a 1/2 tank to drive 50 mi. Just referring to how much gas was in the car when it happened and the fact that is was not a gradual problem since it's been running fine.
Yes I can rev the car freely in Park but it still runs rough.
When driving, it accelerates, but still runs rough.
Not backfiring at all.

 

I would put more gas in it to see if the problem goes away, to rule out the hose on the in-tank pump being split.

Pulling fuse 4 turns off the in-tank pump but it will still run (rough) because the main pump is still running.

Your year doesn't use fuse 6 for the main pump, instead you'll find it on the fender by the coil - its a 25A blade fuse. Make sure to clean it and the holder well.

While running you should be able to hear the in-tank pump by putting your ear on the fill tube where the gas cap normally goes, or by removing the inspection cover under the carpet in the trunk. You should have ~14VDC on the right side of fuse 4.

I would also verify timimg with a light if you have one and inspect the plugs.

See if it runs any better with the air mass meter unplugged and look for vaccum leaks, split lines.

Other sources of trouble besides the two fuel filters is the o2 sensor, fuel pressure regulator, and idle control valve.

 

Thanks for the tips. Checked that fuse up near the coil, it was ok, cleaned the contacts, still shakey. I will try and fill the tank with gas tomorrow and see if that makes a difference. I did check the O2 sensor and it is reading ok on the meter. Also, checked the fuel relay and pulled the circuit board out of the housing, looked for bad connections, checked the on board components, everything looks good according to my meter and my eye. Where do I find the idle control valve on this car? That is the one thing I did not check yet. Also, I noticed you mentioned 2 fuel filters? or were you referring to the pumps?

 

One filter next to the main pump, the other is a "sock" or strainer that is at the bottom of the in-tank pump.

The air idle control valve - check out www.fcpgroton.com to see a picture of it. Its forward/below the intake with two medium sized air hoses.

Make sure you have no gas in the vaccum line that goes between the fuel pressure regulator and the intake.

Its best to remove the 25A fuse while unplugging the air mass meter.

 

[QUOTE=Boost_hoe;160081]i would check your air meeter. also is the car running rich? an also check your intake pluming maybe you have a crack in it or a leak. if its been running fine an then all of a sudden it changes it likely to be a engine component. if you have been having problems with your alt. tighten the belt so it stops slipping an check your voltage. your car could be running like it is because it is not charging its self. volvos will start to runn like crap when the batery voltage get down around 9.8 volts because the fuel pump coil an ecu are not getting enough electrical current.

any way check you intake . check your belt tighten it if it needs check your voltage with 

 

I think it's gonna be in your alternator if you have fuel injectors. The ecu tells fuel injectors how much to sprsy by the electrical pulses which is fine in park bc nothing is under load. At least that's what was wrong with mine. I did all the things your doing and stumbled upon the actual issue.