My 1996 850T has been having starting issues over the last year. At first it was very sporadic and you could get it started with starter fluid. I took it to 2 different shops who said there really wasnt anything wrong with it. One of them checked the fuel pump pressure and said it was fine and they replaced a temperature sensor. Now it wont start, but it sounds like it almost will. With starter fluid it starts but dies even if you're holding down the gas pedal. The gas line was removed at the engine and while wiggling that line the car started right up but died as soon as it was reconnected. I replace the fuel pump relay but no change. Any ideas? Please, getting desperate to get this fixed and I am on a limited budget. I cant afford more repairs that dont fix the problem. Thanks!

 

Have you check for fuel pressure/spark WHILE it was exhibiting the no start condition? Is this a problem when the car is cold, hot, or does that make no difference?

What gas line did you disconnect?

 

It had spark and the fuel line that was disconnected was the approx 1/4" that goes to the fuel rail and attached with a flare nut. It doesn't seem to matter when it happens, although a few times it was after I started it briefly. The last few time it had been driven about 10 miles.

 

If you disconnected that line, and tried to crank, it would shoot fuel all over the engine??

Have you noticed the coolant temp gauge doing anything strange, or did you happen to notice if it showed operating temp when the car would not start after driving it?

 

You need to check the fuel pressure regulator which should be under the fuel rail. Pull the line off the bottom and see if it smells like gas if so your fpr is probably bad. Try to start the car with maf unplugged thats right next to the air box...if it starts up fine with it unplugged it could be the maf is bad.

 

My guess would be that the fuel pump is bad.

 

Or a very clogged fuel filter. If you pulled the smaller of the two fuel lines off that was the return line. It would only have fuel in it if there was excess going to the fuel rail. The fuel pressure regulator uses that line to return fuel to the tank by bleeding off excess pressure to maintain around 43(?) psi at idle. There is a rubber vacuum line running to the regulator and if there is any gas in that then the diaphragm inside the regulator has ruptured and it's bad. That doesn't sound like your problem. That causes an engine to run rich. You sound like you're not getting fuel or enough fuel. Like RSPI said, check the pressure and VOLUME coming to the fuel rail. One isn't any good without the other. Pull the filter and see if you can easily blow through it without feeling you're cheeks are going to explode. Might be something easy ??

 

Thank you so much for all of the suggestions!!! I am out of town for a few days, but I will try them all when I return and let you know how it goes

 

Another cause, especially on the 850 models, is that the hydraulic tappets do not close properly when the engine is switched off. Oil gets behind them stopping them from closing fully. This means there is no or little compression in the cylinder when there is an attempt to start the engine again. One cure is to remove the plugs and squirt engine oil into each cylinder then replace the plugs and start the engine. The oil helps seal any gaps under the valves and give adequate compression in the cylinders.
Another cure is to use Mobil 1 engine oil all the time. This is thinner than other oils and will allow the tappets to close properly. If you change to Mobil 1 oil be sure to run the engine at 3,000rpm for about 20 minutes to ensure the oil gets into all the small channels in the engine.

 

You could try this next time it starts acting up:

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