QuestionQUESTION: Hi,
I looked over a lot of the other answers but nothing seemed quite similar to
this. I asked you a question about cold weather driving the other day. Well it
turns out that I have a bigger problem than I thought and it must extend
further then the battery. To start off, the car would consistently start up in
the morning (one morning it was even -5 and each morning it started up first
time. Then I would drive it a couple of miles, it would be parked for probably
three hours, and then it would take many times of trying to finally start it up.
I have only had this car for five days and I drove it back from boise (bout two
and a half hours and it drove fine no stalling or anything) the next two days
it seemed to run fine, and then it got progressively worse - it took longer and
longer before the car would start up. But all the lights on the dashboard
light up and the car turns over, it is just like it won't catch and start up. So
the battery must be fine. Then two days ago, I am driving back from the ski
place (3 miles away) coincidentally this was probably the time it took the
longest for the car to finally start up, and two and a half miles down the road
the car just stalls out and it wouldn't start back up again (again the battery
would turn over - just nothing would catch. I did notice a little crack in what
I think is the vacuum hose - but I think the problem goes a little further than
that. The vacuum hose is cracked right near the top - can I just cut off the
cracked part and reattach it? - so I think the problem might be electrical but
you guys know much more then I do.
It is a 1989 240 gl station wagon. I just bought it used a week ago. It has
two hundred and 14 thousand miles on it.
Thanks a lot,
Jimmy
p.s. ask me any and all questions you have.
ANSWER: Jimmy, it's ok to just cut off the end and reattach it. When it stalls, pull the vacuum line off of the fuel pressure regulator and see if it's wet inside. If so, replace the fuel pressure regulator.
Next, when it's stalled, or not starting, You need to check for the presence of spark and fuel to see what you are losing. We are assuming the engine is ok mechanically, because it runs well otherwise, correct? Check for spark first, then fuel. Let me know what you find out and we can go from there. HTH
Mark
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: hey Mark,
thanks a lot for the quick reply. So the car right now is at a place that works
on foreign cars. I will fix the vacuum line when I get it back.
Well I talked to the mechanic yesterday, he said it wasn't getting a spark and
it wasn't getting fuel so could that involve something with the vacuum line or
the fuel pressure regulator. Another thing I didn't mention is that the stereo
would intermittently play out of one speaker and then there would be no
longer any sound - the guy who sold it to me showed me where the wires
were above the radio and heat controls - so when I have been driving around
town and back from boise, I have kind of been lightly pulling on the wires or
trying to press them closer together in hopes that the speakers would start
working again (I have to admit I was just kind of doing the old, tweak
something and hope it works - but none of this was super aggressive) -
would this have effected anything important electrically. And back from
boise (2 and a half hours) and around town when it has been working the
engine has sounded good.
As a side note - right now the car is at the mechanics but I bought a chilton's
guide and am thinking about investing in a craftsman 260 pc. mechanic set
(Do you think this would be the best one to get) - I have found one for about
175. Anyway, so I don't really know how to check for spark or oil or do most
of the other repairs but I am really interested in it and would like to kind of
be versed in making at least ordinary repairs and have an idea of what's going
on. Is a volvo 1989 something that I could do most of the work on? Shoot
any advice or wisdom my way.
Much Thanks,
Jimmy
Answer Jimmy, let me guess. You are 21 something? VBG I really admire your tenacity. Yes, buy the Craftsman stuff and dive in. As you learn, you will save yourself thousands of dollars over the years. You have a PERFECT vehicle to learn on. The 240 series are tanks, and almost no one can destroy them. A really basic vehicle with not much very complicated. Go for it!
"so could that involve something with the vacuum line or
the fuel pressure regulator." NO!
I'm a little concerned about your technician's diagnosis. Almost no situation will cause no spark and no fuel. It's usually one or the other.
OTOH If the ignition module is bad and the fuel pump relay sees no pulse, it's possible. Then you have a no spark primary problem that needs to be addressed first. I would start there. Very common for the modules to go bad. Second would be the Hall transmitter in the distributor. Broken wires most common. Kits are available and you do not need to replace the whole distributor.
Solder up and insulate those stereo wires please and quit flirting with disaster!
Don't hesitate to e-mail me again with questions. Have fun!
Mark
