I am having problems with my Volvo S40i, the car continues to run a few minutes after the ignition is turned off. Also, I have no control of the AC/Heater units inside of the car. The window would fog up and cause it to be a hazard to drive. I bought this car about 6 months ago with 110,743 miles. I now have 112,400 miles on this car. Please help me figure out what is going on with this vehicle.

 

when you say run for a few minutes... do you mean it "diesels" (ie sputters on preignition for a bit then finally dies) or does it sound like a normal idle that eventually stops? Any fault codes ie CEL, flashing AC/REC lights etc? Does the AC/Heater blower change speeds on manual - correct to assume the airflow goes to the same places regardless of changing of the settings?

 

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your reply to my question! Secondly, to answer your question the car continues to idle after the ignition is turned off. The engine coolant fan continues to run for several minutes after the ignition has been turned off. Yesterday, for the first time I notice a red triangular light with the diagnostic readout of "high engine temperature stop the car safely" indicated the car symptoms readout box. Thirdly, there is no control of the vehicle AC/Heater unit.

 

Sounds like you have a few things to fix. First one is the cooling fan run on /high engine temperature issue: The cooling fan will continue to run after the ignition is off if the coolant temperature is too high. The most common culprit is the engine coolant temp sensor - its located on the thermostat housing - just follow the upper radiator hose back to the engine. You will need to pop off the thermostat cover to get the hose out of the way so its a good time to change the temp sensor, thermostat and overflow reservoir top as one project. 2) Not sure what could cause the engine to continue to run after the key is off other than a sticky relay or a problem with the ignition switch. What I'd do is first make sure its the engine running not just the fan. Then I'd look at the relay diagram to see which of the major relays feed the ECU, fuel pump etc and replace ($30 or so) as needed. If its not the relay then you'd need to do some testing of the switch. 3) the AC/heater has a climate control computer that actuates the air doors and the blower speeds. I'd start by checking fuses and relays to make sure you are getting power to the climate control computer, door motors and blower. My instincts say these problems are not unrelated and there may be an issue that needs a review of the wiring diagrams to sort out.

 

The car engine shut down when the ignition key is turned off. However, the anti-freeze sputter back into the reservoir tank and an engine-light appear on the dashboard display. Furthermore, the engine fan will shut off when the ignition key turned off. Unfortunately, this is my third time adding anti-freeze to the reservoir to keep the engine temperature gauge from going into the red zone. Will the solutions listed in my response section help resolve this problem? What else can I do to rid myself of this situation?
V/R
Ron Brown

 

The car engine shut down when the ignition key is turned off. However, the anti-freeze sputter back into the reservoir tank and an engine-light appear on the dashboard display. Furthermore, the engine fan will shut off when the ignition key turned off. Unfortunately, this is my third time adding anti-freeze to the reservoir to keep the engine temperature gauge from going into the red zone. Will the solutions listed in my response section help resolve this problem? What else can I do to rid myself of this situation?
V/R
Ron Brow

 

Does the temp gauge stay in the normal range when driving or does it wander or continue to climb? Does the fan kick on normally with the engine running when sitting and idling or does it require something else like turning on the AC? Once you turn the key off there will be some residual engine heat so there will be some coolant moving back into the overflow. Just make sure when you refill to pay attention to the low/high fill lines as coolant does expand as it heats up. Assuming nothing major is wrong with the engine (such as a head gasket problem ), you can start by replacing the reservoir fill cap, the thermostat and the engine coolant temp sensor, inspect all hoses and the radiator seams for leaks. After that the diagnostics get more complicated and would be best left to a professional shop.

 

mt6127
1. When the engine gets hot the temperature gauge rises and sometimes reaches the red zone. When anti-freeze is added the engine system light comes on and the car and the cooling fan stops when the ignition key is turned off.
2. I have to verify during my next drive to evaluate. However, I think the fan kick on when the engine is running. When the temperature gauge I turn off the ac/heater, roll down the window, and for some reason, the temperature gauge dial starts de-climbing back midrange.
Thanks for your advice!

V/R
Ron Brown