Hey,
I had this SAME problem last winter. It seems to happen only in winter months. Today it is around 20*F, but it has been over -20*F for the past few days. Just like last winter, my 1995 850 Turbo sedan starts up fine and idles smooth. In park, the engine revs well. When in drive or reverse however, there is virtually no acceleration. No matter how far I press the gas pedal, the car will not exceed 10-15mph on flats, around 2,000RPMs and up hills, it will barely reach 5mph. Now, as of now, it has been doing this the past two times I have tried to drive it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had it towed because it would not start. At the shop they replaced the spark plug wires and afterward, it ran really well for one ride. I parked it because I needed to get it registered, and when I went to drive it a few days later, it had that problem with no power. Also, my gas tank maybe has 5 gallons in it, this may be a factor or not, however, it seems to have this problem off and on. Last winter, it even did this while I was driving, I was going around 40-50mph using cruise control, and I just lost power and for the rest of the ride, it had that problem. I know that was last year, but it is the same problem now, it just has not happened WHILE driving. Last year to fix the problem, the shop did some trial and error and changed the O2 sensor, the mass air flow sensor and the thermostat.

Can anybody help, it would be REALLY helpful, thanks for your time.

-Thanks

 

Make sure one of the intercooler hoses arent collapsing under boost.

 

Alright, thanks. Would that be a problem tha would come and go though? Also, sometime when it "works" it has power more like a non-turbo, and either after warming up, or under hard accelerating, it seems to "break" in to normal power.

-Thanks

 

Yes it could be doing that.

 

Thanks again for the advice, I will check into that. That could explain why in park or neutral, the engine revs fine because if I am correct, when not in drive, the boost really is not used. If this is the issue, how can I check, or would it need to be professionally examined? Also, what kind of job is something like this to fix?

-thanks

 

The hoses arent that bad to change.

If you can find someone to help you have them put it into gear holding their foot on the brake and give it gas to build boost while you watch the hoses.

Make sure you stand on the side and stay safe.

 

As an added note, is the check engine light on or any codes stored in the ECU?

 

Hey,
The check engine light is not active. The only light I may have is for low windshield wiper fluid. Also, lately, one in a while the low coolant light comes on. Sometimes for a few miles, sometimes a few seconds. I have to check the level, and top it off if need be.

-Thanks

 

It seems to me that the tranny may also be acting up, engaging limp-home mode. Is the fluid level correct and its colour clear red? If not done lately, I would try flushing the system to see if there are any signs of worn out clutch plates/coolant. Or, I wonder if the fluid temp sensor has gone south. I would try fixing the dash warning indications first, and try retrieving possible codes from OBD-I.

It is likely that your coolant reservoir is getting low, triggering the low coolant warning. I would have it topped up.

As a last note, one person lately noted abnormal shifting problem and the problem was traced to incorrectly adjusted throttle cable. See attached.


JPN

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/24E0B01473AE46508B9E190F24BD8483.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/9A6FDD3593804EE695BFE20F4CECC9DE.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/DE37ABD222354E0D88F6950D7A553FA1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/EF9C261B9E384CBCAD71A538FB513447.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/A00D9E16FBFC415E8CA623F80B75E516.jpg[/IMG]

 

The last page.


JPN

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/42FAF8DC80D64B37B3118CB990839888.jpg[/IMG]

 

Thanks once more for the advice. Last winter, I did have my transmission flushed for this problem and it didn't fix it. A couple of times last winter, they got codes relating to the Oxygen sensor, after the replaced it with a new one, the problem went away, now it is back about a year later. Could the sensor be bad AGAIN, or do you think that the sensor was never the problem to begin with?

-Thanks

 

I personally do not believe the O2 sensor was triggering the problem. The O2 feedback is way too sensitive on the 850s but I do not believe it is related to the issue.

It seems that it is related to temperature changes, and cold weather seems to be affecting it so I am wondering if it is cooling system related or the fluid temp sensor on the tranny. Tech wouldbe able to tell you a lot more accurate info than I possibly could.


JPN

 

Hi there, i wish i could provide anymore technical advice to your problem but i have the same issue, my car went in limp mode a while ago during this awfully cold winter,I checked the codes, added a transmission conidtion to extend its life so it said, reset them and okay for now. I've found this "Limp mode" happens with or without the block heater being plugged in, however my car hasn't been in limp mode for while now, i do have an oxygen sensor code and it was replaced a few months ago but still triggers the lambda light, but i know that code a got another code 706? I think it was have no idea what this code means, couldn't find it anywhere. But back towards the car having now power, I've noticed it is also related to my boost(Turbo) gauge, when the gauge is properly working, when the turbo seems to be working the car has its normal pick up and will squeal tires no problem, but i can't trace it to anything, i unplugged the MAF a while ago checked the fluid which could use a change but heard nothing to whether that actually helps this problem and i check some fuses, ran the car and accelerated it while in park, no problem, in gear or reverse or drive, no power, i can pin the gas medal and the Rpm's don't even rise, so that doesn't lead me to a PNP or limp mode problem so i'm not stuck in a low gear so it seems, switching into a low gear doesn't do much better either, i can hardly go past 30Km's until it seems to realllly warm up, i had the car start and warm itself for like ten mins before going anywhere, this is normally ample, today i couldn't go anywhere, its like the throttle wasn't doing anything, almost as if the cable were iced or something, i really have no idea its annoying, troubling, scary and quite puzzling, please help. Thanks


Also, some times the problem goes away and i regain full power before the turbo gauge starts working, so it seems not only a turbo problem but a throttle linkage, a tranny issue its so random

PS: I drive a 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo.