I have a 1995 850 turbo wagon that is not on the road. About 3 months ago I went to jump start it and hooked the cables up wrong. After hitting myself in the head with a baseball bat for being so stupid I then hooked the cables up correctly and it started and ran fine for a half hour then stalled. I suspected I ruined tha alternator so I charged the battery again and it did the same thing. I then replaced the alternator with a used one (not easy to do but I pulled it off). The car didn't start at all then. I suspected because it had been sitting a long time. Someone suggested that I replace the spark plugs. I pulled the old ones out. They sure looked wore. I gapped the new ones correctly (.028) and kept my fingers crossed. No luck. I then tried starting fluid. Every time I used it, the car starts but only runs for a few seconds (ten at the most).
I have been only squirting small amounts of starting fluid in the air intake. Should I continue to spray it in after it has started?
I appreciate any advice I can get from you smart folks. Thanks in advance. Ray, Erie Couinty PA

 

you might want to try and replace a used maff sensor and see if the car stays on for a while because a bad maff sensor can cause engine to die whilst running.just my opinion.you might want to try that.also you might to check if you are getting the right fuel pressure.you can google how to check volvo fuel pressure ad there would be a tutorial on that.try what l suggested and see iif that works

 

You need to check for fuel and spark. There a schrader valve on the right side of the fuel rail. Listen for the pump to come on. You need to check for spark. You might have burnt up soMe stuff. Check all your positives and grouds make sure evrything is connected check your fuses and relays. Is there any cel?

 

If it will fire up and run for a few seconds with starting fluid you likely have good spark but are missing fuel. It could be the fuel pump relay crapped out or the fuel pump itself is out. You need to check for pressure at the fuel rail. Try to turn the ignition to the "ON" position and try to listen for the fuel pump to turn on for a couple seconds. Fuel pressure gauge attached to that schrader valve is the best way to check.

 

Here is a little fuel issue I experienced.

Replaced Head, Started, Ran, Shut Off, Wont Start. - FWD/AWD 1998 and Prior - Volvospeed Forums

 

Thank you very much for your responses. So should I assume that the answer to my question is no? I have enough mechanical ability to have replaced the alternator and spark plugs but please don't give me too much credit. I don't know anything about maff sensors, schrader valves or what the question "Is there any cel?" means. Since it ran for 10 seconds shouldn't I assume that it's getting spark? I can't tell if the fuel pump is working. I didn't hear anything. If it wasn't working could it have run for 10 seconds on starting fluid alone? Assuming it's in the tank is it hard to hear? There is a humming sound coming from the area of the distributor. Is there a possibility that I also damaged the fuel pump when I hooked the jumper cables up wrong? I'm guessing I didn't since it ran fine right after I hooked the cables up right like I mentioned in my first post. Thanks for your help everybody. I wish I had more mechanical knowledge.

 

IMO your current problem is unrelated and more than likely coincidental. You are correct in assuming that if it ran (even for just 10 seconds) then you do have spark. If you want to verify this, take out one spark plug put it back into the wire lay it down, and start the car. You will see the electrode on the plug sparking. Your problem seems to have more to do with fuel. Either the pump, the relay or what have you. When you first turn the key to the on position, you should hear the fuel pump come on. In lieu of gauges, you can also just push on the schrader valve and should be able to tell. Kind of like letting air out of a tire. If you suspect the MAF. Just unplug it and see if the car starts. If it does, the MAF is bad. But I'm still going with the pump or relay.

 

The humming sound your hearing is the idle air control valve, no worrys there its completely normal. Cel means check engine light....if there are any codes it can help you solve the problems your having. You probably have a bad fuel pump, fuel relay, or cam position sensor...those are just some of the things that will allow a car not to start you need to track it down by checking for fuel first....there is a valve on the right side of the fuel rail you, you can hook a fuel pressure gauge up to it and see if your getting pressure, if you dont have a gauge then have someone turn the car over why you press the valve in to see if fuel sprays out...if not it has something to do with your fuel delivery system like a fuel relay which couldve burnt up when battery incident happened. If the car ran for 10sec im sure you have spark. Just see if your getting fuel first its very simple.

 

Here is the schrader valve

volvo 850 fuel rail - Google Search

 

What he said. ^ and 058.

 

You folks are amazing. I really appreciate all the advice. It's getting dark now but I'll check things out tomorrow and let you know if I made any progress. Thanks a million.

 

Thank you very much for your responses. So should I assume that the answer to my question is no?
Yes, the answer is no. You've sprayed enough to know you don't have fuel.

I have enough mechanical ability to have replaced the alternator and spark plugs but please don't give me too much credit. I don't know anything about maff sensors (Mass Air Flow or MAF. It's the sensor that's attached to the air filter housing and measures how much air the engine is getting), schrader valves (Schrader valve, it's the valve at the end of the fuel rail that you need to remove the big black cover to see. It's real close to the distributor) or what the question "Is there any cel?" means (Check Engine Light or CEL also called a MIL for Malfunction Indicator Light).

Since it ran for 10 seconds shouldn't I assume that it's getting spark?
Yes, pretty much that means you have spark for at least that short a time. Likely the fuel is missing not the spark is quitting.

I can't tell if the fuel pump is working. I didn't hear anything. If it wasn't working could it have run for 10 seconds on starting fluid alone? Yes.

Assuming it's in the tank is it hard to hear?
It's not easy to hear but you should be able to hear it "buzz" if it's fairly quiet around you. Try it on another running car and that way you'd know what to listen for.

There is a humming sound coming from the area of the distributor.
It's likely the Idle Air Control motor. Not sure what else might be making a noise in that area.

Is there a possibility that I also damaged the fuel pump when I hooked the jumper cables up wrong?
Yes you sure could have. Normally it doesn't ruin them but it's electricity and it acts differently in different situations. You would also want to make sure the fuel pump relay is good or bad so you're not replacing the pump only to find out there is no power going to it. You have checked ALL the fuses already haven't you

I wish I had more mechanical knowledge.
If you use this forum and "Matthewsvolvosite" it will help you get to know your car better and even if you're not the one with the wrench you'll at least have a better understanding of what's going on.

first picture is the mass air flow sensor that should be bolted to your air cleaner with a black plastic/rubber hose running to the turbo or throttle body.
Second picture is for the trans dipstick but above it is the black cover you need to remove to get to the schrader valve to check you fuel pressure.
You can even youtube it to see how reading your fuel pressure is done.
Third, idle air control motor. It adjusts the amount of air that bypasses the throttle body to maintain a steady idle.

 

Thank goodness I was able to locate this old thread. This car is still sitting in my driveway and I haven't done anything with it. I have occasionally hooked up the battery and turned the engine over to keep things lubricated inside.
Now that I have a little more time on my hands I'm going to be more aggressive about getting this beautiful machine going again. That means I'm going to be leaning on you good folks here for more advice. This is the only Volvo I've ever owned and I sure would like to see new life breathed into it. Thanks for all your past help. I'll let you know when I figure something else out. At this point the gas (half full) has been sitting in the tank for over a year. Should I put treatment in it and replace the filter for starters?

 

If the fuel has been sitting for a year it's a little stale but should still be functional. You could add some Sta-bil or a similar product but it's to keep gas from going bad and breaking down and not to somehow "restore" it.
I'd just forget about the gas and start trying to figure out the no start.

Start at the beginning and re-read and re-test until you run out of ideas in the thread and post what you are doing and what you have tested.

After a year it's best to start at the beginning and make sure something else hasn't failed over time.

We're still here if you need us

 

 

These were excellent instructions. Thanks for posting them. Unfortunately I didn't hear the pump and it only started with starting fluid and wouldn't stay running. It looks like I may have a bad fuel pump.
If that's the case I'll have to consider how much I'd want to put into it. I'm only keeping this car around in case something ever happened to my 12 year old every day car. Plus, it's the only classy car I've ever owned and I don't want to give it up. Hey, it's a Volvo. No wonder I'm attached to it! I'll review some of the old posts here again and probably post a couple more questions. Thanks again!

 

Or fuel pump relay. But you'd need to test it to find out.

 

 

Well here I sit, ashamed of myself that my Volvo is still sitting in the driveway collecting dust. I haven't even touched it all year but now that I'm not that busy in the evenings anymore I'm going to get back into it again. Thankfully I was able to find this thread. Everybody here has certainly done their part and given me lots of advice so now it's time for me to do mine and get aggressive about breathing life back into this thing.