Hi,

I have a 1997 Volvo 850 wagon. Tonight the car was running and warm. Placed it in reverse to leave a parking space. It moved back 4 ft and I heard/felt a soft dull thump. The car immediately lost power and would not restart.

On cranking, the car sounds fairly normal, almost like its not getting gas. Makes no attempt to start.

No oil or coolant leaking that I can see. No obvious damage under the hood. Timing and other belts appear intact.

Any thoughts on what to pursue?

 

I have had great success with this:

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tech/ser...sicTesting.pdf

I think you can skip the part about low compression, but you get the idea. I have to skip anything that uses a breakout box, because I don't have one.

But my point is that the fuel pressure and spark are fundamental. If you don't have a spark, the volvo cam and crank sensors are really easy to test. I have had a problem before that the volvo round electrical plugs tend to rot. I am not sure where all these plugs may be found, but the "main fuel injection relay" had them, and that will sure stop you from running. I think the 97 is a little better in that regard than earlier models.

My car makes a dull thump every time I shut it off, so I am ignoring that.