Hey Guys,
I told you about my problem with the hard start whenever it rains last week. So, I went to the mechanic and the ciol was acting up so we changed it and it was fine. Well, it rain in NY today and guess what. It almost did not start. Once it started(After 3 tries) I had no problem starting after that. I don't know what to do. Can someone tell me what is the matter with my baby.

I changed distributor and wires in decenber so I hope it is not that.
Thanks for the help

Riculus


HELP!!!!!

 

Hi Riculus,

Man, you're having some rough rainy days[8D].

Anyway, please clarify the following for me:

>So, I went to the mechanic and the coil was acting up so we changed it and it was fine
Is the mechanic fully ASE-certified? And does he specialise in Swedish/European makes, or is he just an average mechanic? Did he test the coil with digital multimeter before replaced it? And did he install Bosch coil?

>I changed distributor and wires in December so I hope it is not that.
Were they replaced with OEM parts? Make sure of it.

OEMs:
Distributor cap & Rotor: Bosch (Germany or Spain)
Ignition Wires: Bougicord (France)

Did you do the plugs lately? If not, buy a set of genuine Volvo plugs from FCP Groton.

Check the ground wires (they are usually braided metallic cables attached to the engine or to the body of the car).

Check for electrical connections with the ignition off (key out). unplug electrical connectors to coils, distributors, etc... and spray clean them with electrical contact cleaner. Re-connect them.

Disconnect the negative battery cable, wait 20 minutes and remove the ignition ECU; spray clean the connectors with electrical contact cleaner (NEVER touch the metal pins on the ECU or the internal electronic components will be damaged). When you remove the negative battery cable, you need to make the engine re-learn idle and have the radio codes before doing this.

If nothing else works, take out a small mistifier/squirter and start spraying each component, one by onewith water to see if the engine stumbles.

I strongly suggest that you buy a Haynes manual and start learning about your car little by little. This is a great investment and when you get good at it, you'll get some owe-struck, admired looks from women (though this never happened to me[8D]).

EDIT: Check for the security on the plug wires & distributor components. Remember, doctors make mistakes too.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

JPN

 

I am still thinking it is related to the wires, cap & rotor. Who did the tune-up? and what parts were used?

I put a NON-Bosch cap and rotor on my wifes Volkswagen a few years back and ONE WEEK later the car would not run. It sputtered and coughed like a bad timing belt or broken camshaft. I disassemble the whole engine in August in CT. 90+degrees F and 90% humidity. Only to find NOTHING WRONG mechanically with the engine. After 4 Days of effing with the thing I started to look at the iginition system. I checked for spark at the coil wire and it was fine. I was about to give up and pour 5 gallons of gas on the thing when my brother-in-law suggested I check for spark at the plugs! I said "I checked for spark on the coil wire and it is fine". His reply was "but what if the ROTOR is bad?" Well, I checked and guess what?? The ONE WEEK old NON-BOSCH rotor had no conductivity between the center and the tip!!

My point is this issue sounds 99.9999999% Ignition related. Replace the plugs (IRIDIUM), Wires OEM Bougicord, BOSCH CAP & ROTOR and I'll bet you will have no problem.

Oh, by the way can you stop sending the rain from NY to Connecticut?? I've got work to do on the wifes 850

 

Hey JPN,
He is the mechanic I used for years. I used him with my acura legand and he works on my Explorer and 850 right now. He is a family friend and i trust his work unlike many mechanics in NY.

The distributor, rotor and wires were all Bosch. Changed the plugs in May when I first had the problem (NPK).

I would do this in the morning:
Check the ground wires (they are usually braided metallic cables attached to the engine or to the body of the car).
Check for electrical connections with the ignition off (key out). unplug electrical connectors to coils, distributors, etc... and spray clean them with electrical contact cleaner. Re-connect them.

I have one question though. Why does it only give problems to start when it is raining. I find that to be very strange. Can it be a fuel delivery problem, like the fuel filter or something.

 

Thanks 96,
I would check for power at the plugs but i'm sure we did that the last time and it was fine. I'll check the distributor, rotor and wires in the morning.

Oh, It is too hot in NY we need the rain. But I will try to send it offshore when we gat enough and not up North to CT.

 

Hi Riculus,

>He is the mechanic I used for years. I used him with my Acura legend and he works on my Explorer and 850 right now. He is a family friend and i trust his work unlike many mechanics in NY.

I hate to say, but unless he specialises in Swedish/European makes, I wouldn't take Volvo to him. I keep saying that recommendations on mechanics from those who do not have much knowledge on cars is almost always useless. The mechanic seems to work on too many different manufacturers' vehicles, which is not a plus on modern cars as they have become so complex (in some cases they are more complex than jet airplanes). Once again, is he a fully-certified ASE master technician?

Now, when he replaced the coil, did you see himactually taking out a digital multimeter to test the coil? To work on modern cars, a digital multimeter is a must and ifa mechanicdoes not have one or doesn't know how to use it, then I would forget it.

>Why does it only give problems to start when it is raining. I find that to be very strange. Can it be a fuel delivery problem, like the fuel filter or something.

If the problem occurs only on rainy days, I can say that the fuel filter is 99% fine, as it has nothing to do with moisture (unless you live in a very cold region, then residual water in the fuel tank or fuel lines & filters can form ice crystals and affect fuel flow, but then ambient moisture still has nothing to do with it). The reason why we keep blaming the ignition system is that moisture does affect some of the components we've been mentioning, as water (or more precisely, the impurities in water) conducts electrons. This deprives of the proper transfer of electrons via ignition system,electrons leakout somewhere, like liquid does, and spark plugs cannot fire. But since none of the plugs seems to be firingon a rainy day, I would re-check the inside of the distributor to see if the installation has been done properly, and nothing is missing. This only requires a smallAllen (hex) wrench, of which I cannot remember the size. Also, re-check on the security of plug wires. The wire end may have popped out, either on the distributor side or under the plug cover. To remove the plug cover, you need a Torx bit. And if your 850 is turbo, this is done much easier with the hose/pipe going to the turbocharger is removed.

EDIT: The ground wire for the ignition coil seems to be located near the driver side strut tower.

Fire away with whatever questions you have, and most people would answer to you with no sarcasm/rudeness, unlike many other forums[8D].

I'm here to help for the next several hours, then zzz....


JPN

 

Thanks JPN.
I'll check the complete ignition system to make sure all that you said is in place. If all of this don't fix my problem I would replace the distributor, rotor, wires......etc.

Thanks,
Riculus


p.s. I would find out if he is an ASE master technician

 

Hello again Riculus,

This is my personal opinion, but I believe it's worth the investment to get a Haynes manual and an affordable digital multimeter (Craftsman meter, the one for $20-$30 would suffice for most home mechanics). To check for ignition system integrity, you will only be using resistance values (Ω). With the ignition key out, you simply remove each component (this may not be necessary for some components and the manual can tell you which) and hook up the 2 leads onto the component you want to test. This way, you do not have to waste money on new distributors or plug wires, as you can test them and determine their condition. The manual is about $15-$18, and a multimeter is $30, which comes out to be about $45, which is not a bad investment.

If you need instructions as to how to go about testing each component, we can walk you through.

I hope the problem would be resolved soon.


JPN