Hi,
We have a 95 Volvo 850 wagon that has 188,000 miles. Got it 2 years ago and just love it! Last week, I was leaving a friend's house and it wouldn't start. Had it towed home. Tow driver pushed in the tube on the engine and fuel did not come out so he thought it was fuel pump. My husband is an amatuer mechanic and I am auto challenged. It is my only car but funds are tight so we are trying to diagnose and repair it ourselves. I've done some research online and found your website most helpful. Some of the other things I've read online contridict each other.
So anyway, we decided to check the fuel pump controller (or relay) first. Our car has a yellow one with 5 pins. I saw very few yellow ones online most were pink with 4 pins. I also called the Volvo dealer who told me that he had never seen a yellow fuel pump controller in his 20 years at Volvo.
My first question is would a pink 103 replace a yellow 103 properly?
took out the yellow 103 and jumped the wires bypassing it.
Next my husband replaced the fuel filter, then he kept pounding the fuel pump...and the Volvo started...We drove it to Pick n Pull to get a fuel pump controller (or relay) Second question...Is controller and relay the same?
We found a green 103 and a pink 103 (no yellows). We stopped to eat on the way home and the Volvo would not start again. We installed the pink 103
still didn't start. Then he started pounding the fuel pump again and the car started. Once home, came to the conclusion, the problem must be the fuel pump. Called a local auto parts store and was told the car needed two Intank low pressue ($90) and in-line high pressure ($62). What???
I never saw anything mentioned online about 2 fuel pumps. I checked ebay and found electric fuel pumps for as low as $29 and as high as $350. There are also fuel pump kits you can buy. We are on a tight budget....but want to keep the Volvo drivable for awhile too. Can you recommend a option for amatuer do it yourselver's on a tight budget? Or is changing the fuel pump not advisable for the DIYers? Please advise thanks Joanne

 

Hi and welcome to the site.

Go back to the pull a part and get the fuel pump from one of those cars, try a wagon. It will give you practice getting the pump and the used pump will be very cheap. It should only be 1 pump.

Sometimes people find that they have a bad wire on the car/pump when they go to change it but cross that bridge when you come to it.

 

Thank you for your quick response and welcome. Pick n Pull has electric fuel pumps for $25.99 and mechanical fuel pumps for $11.99. Electric would be the way to go, right? Do you have to drop the fuel tank to remove the pump? I read it takes about 1/2 hour. I also read the fuel pump relays have problems on Volvos and the fuel pumps were built to last. So an old used fuel pump in the wreaking yard should most likely be ok, right? My husband is going to be doing the work, he is not a mechanic but he doesn't like to ask questions (he thinks he already has the answers). So your input is greatly appreciated.

 

We wondered if cleaning the old fuel pump would be an option?

 

Mechanical pump isn't an option since it has to bolt to the engine and physically be connected to something to work the pump.

Being the pump is in the fuel tank it has to be electrical. There isn't any way to clean them that I'm aware of.

We may be sarcastic at times but we will help. There are plenty of threads on changing fuel pumps with pictures and if he's going to pull the old one it's best to read up first so you know if you have the tools and skills to get the job done. Also might see something wrong and fix a wire or what without pulling the pump. There is also the pump relay which is known for failing.
On a 95 850 the fuel pump is reached by pulling up some of the flooring right behind the rear seat. You can and need to do it from inside the car

Fuel pump hot to: http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...hp?f=1&t=14484

If it's a fuel problem you also want to check the fuel filter or just replace it so you know it's not part of the problem.

Fuel relay info: Let me Bing that for you!

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...pic.php?t=9681

 

These cars have an electric pump. You have to install what the system calls for.

The symptoms that you described indicate that you have a bad pump, banging on the tank to get the pump to kick on and start the car. So, chances are you need to replace the pump and not the relay.

I believe that the relay's fail so often in these older cars that it would be a good idea to just replace the relay with a new one every 10 years.

If there is a car in the junk yard, it's there for a reason. It's best to pull electrical parts from wrecked cars. If the car has NO body damage, it is likely there due to an engine failure, transmission failure or maybe several things and the fuel pump broke the camels back.

 

My husband said it wasn't so hard removing the fuel pump. Our local pick n pull has about 9 Volvo 850's. There are no 1995 ...1993,1996 & 1997s. Would those years be interchangable? It would be kind of a gamble getting a used one. I read somewhere online that the Volvo fuel pumps were very well built...and mostly the problem is with the relays. If we got one at Pick n Pull, is there someone or someway to test it before we install it?
Thanks for your help

 

You can hook the pump up to 12 volts and a ground and it will run. However, the fastest was to destroy a fuel pump is to run it DRY. If you test it, submerge it in fuel.

Yes the fuel pumps are good but any 18 year old pump is likely getting old and weak.

I never run my car out of gas knowingly. I get close all the time but if it runs out I would never try to start the car until I add gas. The '93 850's were the 1st run cars so I try NOT to get parts from them that have moving parts. A mirror, glass, cam, etc. would be fine but a pump, MAF, or electrical parts I stay away from. Just about all of the '96 and '97 parts will work fine.

In my opinion, a bad fuel pump relay causes wear on the fuel pump because it cuts the pump on and off all the time as it is intermittent. The bad solider joints also send weak power to them.

 

Hi, We went to Pick n Pull and found two fuel pumps that might work. They were both out of 94 850's. One had yellowed like ours, the one out of the car with 134k miles was white and looked clean. So we bought that one for $35 and asked the cashier to hold the other one for us till tomorrow(in case the purchased one didn't work). So far so good....I
'ver driven it making several stops and it starts right up each time. We are still bypassing the relay though. How long can you drive without the 103 relay? Haven't been able to find a yellow one with 5 pins and afraid the pink or green 4 pin 103 would mess it up. Would either of those relays work on our Volvo?
Your input has really helped.

 

Filled the tank 3/4 full. I've learned my lesson driving on near empty.

 

The Pink and Green 103 relays don't work on the car. My husband bypasses the relay and there are no problems *(starts every time) Ordered a yellow 5 pin relay on ebay...and have been driving the Volvo without the relay until we get it. Will it hurt anything if we drive it without the fuel pump relay? It seems to work fine without it.

 

OBDII Code P1418 EGR temp sensor signed too high was the only code that came up.

 

No you shouldn't be able to hurt anything using it to get around till the relay comes in.

 

Thanks