When I start my car the whole thing shakes and nearly cuts out then catches and maintains a shaky idle. This started yesterday afternoon, when I was leaving the gym. I was reading around that it may be a fuel filter or pump based on the symptoms but I have no idea. I also think it may be one of those items because I ran out of gas 2-3 weeks ago and I may be feeling the consequences now.

I'm confused though because I drove my car from Boston to New York and back for Thanksgiving with no problems, it sat over night, then I took it to the gym again with no problems, get back in and it shakes and smells like rotten eggs. If this had happened immediately after I ran out of gas it would make more sense to me, but for there to be such a lag period and it not showing up during a long trip I don't understand.

Can anyone tell me what might be causing these shakes and the smell?

Thank you-
Pete

 

Hello, Your symptoms match those of a bad MAF sensor. Start the car. If it idels roughly unplug the MAF and see if it smooths out. Since you ran out of gas 2-3 weeks before I'd guess any ill effect would be well behind you. How many miles on your '99? What trim level is your car? Kira

 

I will check and see, my car's got 125,294 miles as far as trim level I have no idea.. stock?

Pete

 

Hi Kira,
So I unplugged the MAF and started the car and it immediately died. Plugged it back in and got the same shaky idle, any other suggestions?


I called a shop and told them what was going on, they said maybe an o2 sensor or the catalytic converter. I don't think its the o2 sensor because I just had the thing replaced as I wasn't getting through inspection without it, as for the cat... I don't know, I had that fixed in winter of 08-09 though. However, I have no idea so any suggestions are helpful.

Thanks for your help-

Pete

 

Hello, Trim level is a broad term for the car's equipment. base, GLT etc. I guess the easiest way is to ask if it's turbo or not. Anyway, there were no codes or "check engine" light? If your '99's ETM went out it doesn't match descriptions I've read on these boards. Try looking at the spark plugs to see if there's any evidence of excess fuel delivery or unmatched cylinder condition. I'm grabbing at straws here, you've got to understand. Clean them if they're fouled or wet and try starting the enging again and see if you can get her to rev up to a steady, say, 2,000 RPM. It's the only way I can think of to get the ETM out of it's worn zone. Are you sure you haven't pulled a hose or vacuum line out? Maybe a search on "Rotten Egg Smell" will tell you something? Good luck and get back to us. Kira

 

Do you have the ETS light on or an engine light? Need to get the codes to help see whats going on........

I would start out by checking the coilpacks. They are under the plastic covering on top of the engine. With the engine running, gently unplug one at a time (no need to pull the plug all the way off, just enough to stop the spark plug from firing) to see if the idle changes, then push the plug back on. If the idle does not change, then that coil needs to be replaced. If all the packs are ok, then it could be either a vacume line or the ETM. The ETM for this car is $545.00 from Xemodex.

You can also check the injectors by pulling off the injector rail and turning it upside down. Crank the engine over just enough to see that all injectors are squirting evenly. Either they are giving the same spray pattern or not or not at all. Its pretty obvious when they spray. Unless they are not giving out any fuel, I doubt the injectors are your problem.

I have the same year and engine with 157k miles. Just ended up replacing the ETM, Coilpacks (had 1 bad and 1 intermitten Coil, replaced all of them since they were origninal, they are inexpensive $45.00), and CVVT solenoid.

 

Hi All,
Thanks for your suggestions. I gave my old garage a call yesterday afternoon- the swedish pit up in VT- and immediately jim was like oh yea sounds like either a spark plug or an ignition coil try checking those. Turns out he was right, the coil on the #1 cylinder was shot. This caused the engine to skip which caused the shaking and the unspent fuel heading into the cat provided the sulfur smell. The car runs like a champ again and now I'll know better. Also, I learned, don't screw that plastic cover down to hard because it can pinch the wires and cause you even more problems.

Again, thanks for the help and I hope somebody else finds this useful.

Best,
Pete

 

Pete, I would keep a lookout that the rest of the coils will slowly start to go about the same time as your #1. Pull all the coilpacks and pull off the rubber covering. You may see cracks in the plastic which exposes the metal body molded into the coilpack. If this gets damp inside the rubber boot, of oil or water, it can short the coilpack to the engine eventually causing the coil to fail, just as #1 did.

Just something to think about and worth looking at in case you have another coil go bad...

Oh ya, and while you are under that black cover, go buy some new wire loom and replace all the old cracked loom. Best to keep all that wiring well protected against the valve cover and being pinched

Glad you were able to get it fixed.

Brian from CT

 

Greetings,
I was just reviewing your thread on the 99. I am new to the forum and am interested in buying a v70. I really like the 98 and 99 styles. From reviewing other threads, I see suggestions to avoid AWD, 2000 to 2002 models, etc. What advice does anyone have on which of the v70s to look at purchasing? I would like to stay under $9K if possible. Are there other problems I would need to expect. Currently my vehicle is a 98 Jetta TDI with just over 300K on it. The volvo would be to replace the Astro van my wife drives. Your thoughts would be appreciated,
John W

 

If you're on a fence between a '98 or '99 MY, I would definitely recommend the '98! The '99 was the first yr for the ETM (electronic throttle module; aka drive-by-wire) and their problems are legend. Do some research on this and other volvo forum sites; you'll see what I mean.

You should have no problem staying under $9K but clean well maintained ones will be few a far between; I looked for about a year or so before i bought my '98 S70. But glad i waited..

BTW: A big thanks to peteman1076 for posting what the ultimate resolution was; too many people don't bother, and like you said, someone else will find this info useful!

 

Thanks for the good advice. Is AWD reliable on the 98? How about a turbo on the 98?
John W.

 

Thanks for the good thoughts. I see a 98 v70 with 52k miles in Georgia, but with AWD and turbo. Will the AWD and turbo be likely to give problems?
Much appreciated,
John W.

 

I don't have any personal experience with the AWD models; just read about lots of problems with them; again, do some research... And for me, unless I'm in the mountains, it un-necessary. If the snow gets that bad, i throw the chains on...

Turbos are another story; if any auto line knows how to do turbos, it volvo! But it's like any time you're looking at a car that's over 10 yrs old; if the previous owner didn't maintain the car (oil changes especially), then the turbo will likely be worn out too. Ck it out thoroughly yourself and/or have a competent indy volvo tech ck it out too (thoroughly; make sure that includes a compression test!).

52K is very low mls for a '98; suggest you do a AutoCheck/CarFax too...

Good luck!