First post!

I've had my 240 since February of this year. Love the car and have done a lot of work to it to make is presentable. When I got it, there was significant front end damage and the inside was a wreck all the way around.

Alas, I am not a mechanic. I love fixing cars up looks wise but when it comes to turning wrenches I don't know a whole lot. Luckily I know a couple of good mechanics and luckily this car hasn't needed a lot of work mechanically.

A couple is issues I'd like to ask about and see if anyone has had anything similar.

First is the a/c. To start off I had them put in a blower motor since the one in there was no good. Ok, great, but still no cold air, it just blows hot. So they checked it out and everything under the hood seems to be fine: full of freon, compressors kicking in, lines are cold where they should be, etc. so they checked in the inside and we tinkered with the hot/cold control, it wasn't working properly so we put in a heater control valve today. So now, it will switch between hot and cold air, but it's still not cold air like coming off of an air conditioner, it's just sort of cold like cool air blowing from the outside. Anyone have ay idea of where to go next? Both of the repairs I had done were necessary but it's still not getting as cold as it should in the cabin.

The second issue I haven't talked to my mechanics about. When starting up cold, the car will start for a couple seconds and cut off (if I give it gas it will stay running instead of cutting off). Then on the second try it will start up and stay running just fine. And sometimes on a cold start, when I put the car in either reverse or drive and give it gas, it will take a few seconds before it really starts moving like it should, like it's struggling to get fuel. This only happens on colds starts. If I drive the car on and off all day this never happens except on the first start of the day. Fuel filter was replaced a few months ago when I first got it. Could this be a fuel pump issue? No idea when it was last replaced.

Thanks!

 

engine problem doesn't sound like a fuel pump or regulator problem to me, more like its not getting enough gas when its cold... the 88 240, is that LH2.2 or 2.4? I believe he LH2.2 systems have a 5th injector for richening the mixture after a cold start ... maybe this isn't working. 2.4 doesn't have this.

a/c problem... there's a wire from the dashboard to the low pressure sensor switch on the side of the A/C Reciever/Dryer (this is the beer can sized thing under the hood thats hooked up to the A/C coolant plumbing, near the firewall somewhere). if the AC is switched on, the wire from the dashboard should have +12V on it, and this 12V should go through the switch and via another wire to a high pressure sensor switch thats on the manifold on the A/C evaporator thats on the radiator... that switch should ALSO be closed (open if pressure is too high), and then it goes onto the A/C compressor. you could try disconnecting the wire at the compressor and seeing if you have 12V on the wire. if not, take a jumper wire from the battery + to the compressor terminal, see if the compressor kicks on and starts cooling.

 

I'll have to check out 2.2 or 2.4. Easiest way to tell seems to be looking at the maf? If its the 2.2 and it's having that 5th injector issue, is it worth replacing? Like I said, give it some gas and it's fine. Let it run for a bit and I don't have the slow take off. This isn't ideal but if it's not gong to hurt anything then I don't really mind.

As for the a/c I will definitely have them check that out, probably sometime next week. With my luck it'll be winter when this a/c is in full force .

 

the cold idle problem also could be the engine coolant temperature sensor... this is a two wire sensor on the side of the engine block under the intake manifold, I believe the wires are blue-red, and its between the #2 and #3 intake runner (there's 3 difference sensors in that row under the manifold... one with a single yellow wire for the temp gauge on the dashboard, this ECT, and a knock sensor).

One wire goes from the ECT to the ECU (injection control unit), and the other wire goes to the ICU (ignition control unit). if this wiring is shorted or something, the car might think the engine is hot all the time and not cold start enrich it. the sensors are pretty reliable, but the wiring can fail.

 

Now that you mention the temp sensor, the gauge inside has always been out of whack. When I first got it, it read hot all the time. Recently it reads in the middle, cold or floats up and down.

I chalked this up to the gauge going bad like many places I read but maybe that's related? I'll get this checked out first before messing with the injectors.

Thanks for all your help. It's great to talk to someone who really knows these cars.

 

the gauge is on a completely different sensor than the one the injection and ignition use.

I'd be looking for crunchy insulation on the wiring at this point, as you seem to have random multiple symptoms that easily could be wiring related.