Hey guys, thanks in advance.
I have a 1994 volvo 850 non turbo, well, my girlfriend does.
it was running all fine she told me then it stalled, tried to start it, it started to spit and sputter then died when given gas. it sounds like its running on 2 cyl. got it towed home

it has 45psi for the fuel pressure, plugs are shot, those are on the way and will put in tomorrow along with cap. but that wont cause this issue. the plugs were dry when pulled out, making it seem like its not getting fuel into the cylinders. put the wire in the #2 slot and pressed the button, 1-2-1 flash on the red light, MAF sensor is the code, cleaned the MAF and it did not help.
fuel pump relay is out of the question, key on engine off, i hear the pump, i start it, after it surges to a stall, i hear it again, and it has great fuel psi.

anyway what would cause this? sensors if so which ones are key. like i said, it was running fine then it was all of a sudden. did the wiggle key in ignition trick too. any input would be great. thanks for the help.

 

Sorry to hear about this. Now, I don't know if you read my thread yet, but if you have not, here it is:

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...p-relay-64044/

In my thread, notice that I state that just because you hear the pump--all hearing it means is that the pump isn't dead--with the engine OFF does NOT mean that your relay is guaranteed 100% good, because frequently the relay issue is intermittent. This means that the relay may be activating the pump when the engine is OFF but possibly not when the engine is cranking and/or running. See, when you run the pump with the engine off the relay switches on, but then you notice the fuel pump will shut off after a few seconds. At that point, the relay is switched off again, and should turn back on again as soon as you start cranking the car and get it running. Now, sometimes the relay won't turn on the second time because the failure is intermittent. The result is sputtering/dying when you try to start the car, for the car is simply running on the residual fuel pressure from when the pump first for a few seconds with the engine off. Pressing on the pedal while this is happening simply makes it use up that residual gas faster.

Try the paper clip test mentioned in my thread to thoroughly rule out the relay. It takes less than 5 minutes, is totally free, and requires minimal effort. My grandma could do it. Doing so could possibly save you and your girlfriend some headaches.


I'm not saying the issue is definitely the relay. All I am saying is that just because the pump runs with the engine off doesn't mean the relay is 100% good.

Hope this helps!

 

will do. thanks for the input ill let you know how it goes

 

Thanks a lot! It was the relay! Now to get the damn odometer to work again.... Stuck at 235k for a year and a half haha

 

Yeah no problem! I've been in the same situation before with my car, and trust me, it was very frustrating for me. After I got it tested and resolved, I decided to make the write up to help the folks on here, because it seems the fuel pump relays last about +/- 17 years before they crap out, which means many of the 850s are now having relay issues.

Glad I could help

 

Just kidding it runs with the maf unplugged. Plug it in, runs like a bag of ***. Getting new maf tom. Plugs def helped.

 

Well, at least it runs!