1998 Volvo s70 glt car sat for 6 years. I have a spark, I replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter and cleaned injectors. I have the right fuel pressure and injectors work. Cranks has spark has fuel will not start. No compression of all 5 cylinders Tested with cap of 10w30 also still no compression. I pulled the timing belt cover and using the starter can see all pulleys are turning. Pulled spark plugs measure the height of the piston and pistons are moving up and down. What else should I check? If I didn’t get all 5 injector seated right will that give me zero compression?

 

If you have no compression either you have bent valves or the hydraulic lifters are holding the valves slightly open or the piston rings are stuck in the pistons. .

A leak down test (which puts compressed air in a cylinder and you measure how much is leaking out and where) will help determine where your compression is going.

Sometimes a borescope is helpful - to examine the valve marks on top of the pistons when they have touched. (and bent)

 

Car ran good before being parked. It is outside in Florida and today is 100 degrees. I am working on it for 2 hour early in AM. Tomorrow was planing on pulling the wheel so I can see all 3 timing marks. I just can't believe it's all 5 cylinders. I don't have a air-compressor. Looking at the tools needed for a leak down test. Hoping I did something dumb because I know when I started working on car I had compression. That's why I am asking. What am I missing !! Thanks

 

OK - early twin cam volvo cars with hydraulic lifters (91-98?) - can suffer from "lawnmower syndrome". (google it)

That is - from my experience at my Volvo shop (38 years - 1980-2018) - typically from those cars that were towed in, (years ago) - the car arrives, the engine is spinning over faster than normal and won't "catch".

After many Techs trying oil in the cylinders (to get compression), new ignition parts (that are not needed) and dicking around trying whatever the tech thinks might fix it - the solution is - ----

Connect a heavy duty battery charger, at max charge, connected to a fresh fully charged battery. Then turn the key, engaging the starter with your foot holding the throttle WIDE OPEN.

The engine will spin, and you will imagine the starter is going to melt - (allow at least 2 minutes - i know that's a very long time for the starter to be spinning) eventually the engine will start to run on 1, then 2, then 3 cylinders.DO NOT let up on the key. Once it's running on enough cylinders and you can rev the engine up - allow it to warm up , drive it around a little bit and - it's a miracle - It's fixed!

If you let up on the key when it's running on too few cylinders - the engine will stop. And you will have to start all over again.

I Have done that hundreds of times on those early hydraulic lifter cars. Towed in, won't start. Usually the scenario is the car was started and moved a few feet then turned off.

There are many different theories on why this occurs - I won't comment of those - but I do know from experience how to get the cars running again..

 

Hoonk,
I know "lawnmower syndrome" that why I put a cap of 10w30 in each cylinder. Trying to start the car over and over I was just flooding it and drying out more oil from the rings.
I was going to ask around who has a air compressor I can use and buy the leak down test tools.
The engine sounds like it is cranking at normal speed. I pulled the timing belt cover off it and was going to video record it to see for myself.
On a different forum I got this reply "998 has hydraulic lifters. Does the oil light go out while cranking. Engine oil pressure gets pumped into the lifters. The lifters could have become dry and sticking. As mentioned, add 1 tsp to table spoon of oil into each cylinder. Unplug all of the fuel injectors. Charge up the battery and add a battery jumper. Crank over the engine with removed plugs for 1-2 minutes or more. Install the plugs, connect the injector wires. Hold the pedal to the floor to let in air. Crank the engine until it starts. It was not uncommon to change the oil on 850, 960, 1988 S70. The engine would not start. It would spin over a little faster like bent valves. We would not remove anything. Add a battery jumper. Hold the gas open some to let in air. Crank the engine 2-5 minutes until it started. When it was pumping up the lifters it would start and die. Run on 1-2 cylinders and die. After little it would catch on all cylinders and run like nothing ever happened. The above is another possibility."
Sounds like what you are stating above Thanks I am so glad people respond here

 

If you've checked compression and it's low/none - It will not spin over normally - it will spin faster. It will however sound like a normal crank - with a low battery.

Your other board reply describes what I have done and experienced to get these hydraulic lifter cars to run (I think 1998 was the last year those were used)

I believe the common "trigger event" is (from interviewing customers after their hydraulic lifter car was towed in with the engine spinning too fast and not starting, I'm not talking about the cam belt failure cars)

Most said something like " I started and moved the car just a few feet in my driveway and turned it off. Now it won't start - spins over ok." So after I got the engine to run - I told then never run the engine for a short period of time like that.

 

Thank you for the advice. Car is outside in Central Florida It's around 100 degrees all weekend. I will do all you said Tuesday back down into the 80s
Thank you for your experience and time

 

If you really truly have no compression, then the sound of the engine cranking will be very strange. That is, the starter noise will be at constant speed. Is that the case?

The only time I've seen this on an 850, the head gasket was blown.

Whatever happened, one would think it must have happened with the engine running. Jumped time, valves are bent, burnt all 5 pistons, blew head gasket, etc.

Lawnmower syndrome is very real. I would think oil would get you out of it, but I've never had to do that. Manual transmission gives you the option of getting out of lawnmower syndrome by roll starting. I got out of it once by just patience. Eventually the car started on one cylinder, then 2, and eventually it cleared its throat.

 

Hi Hoonk, I did all you said, It took about 1 and halt minutes for the oil light to go out. I had someone else cranking I pulled oil cap off I could see the oil circulating. I put in new spark plugs gap .028. She has gas I have spark I have air. Its very hot and direct sun. I cranked 10 Xs 2 minutes each. I have the timing belt cover off and could see all the pulley gears were turning. Not something I watched before but felt like turning slow. Last one the starter just make a knock sound. Not sure if I killed my starter will let it rest over night and turn it over in the morning. the whole time none of the cylinders caught. With the jumper cables from friends car I had 14 volts I should have had enough power to turn that starter at full speed. The link is a 40 second video of the gears turning. Are they turning too slow? Any other thoughts


You may have to copy and paste the link into a browser
Sorry it took me so long to do this. I just got back into the USA after working in EU. Lots of catching up to do.
Thanks for all your help.
What's next
Lawrence

 

OK - car sat for 6 years. What's the history before that? (like the cam belt came off, someone replaced it, hoping that valves were not bent - then could not get it to run and parked it?)

Your video certainly demonstrates an engine with no compression.

 

The car has 225,000 miles one owner before me and been a daily driver. The car ran fine. I parked it got on a airplane expecting to be back in 3-6 month. 6 years later I return. It was a good car.