Volvo: Hard start when engine cold, volvo 240 wagon, fuel pressure regulator

Question
Hi, I own a Volvo 240 wagon 1987, which is really hard to start in the morning. Unless the engine is warm already, it takes 7-8 starts until it can keep the idle without me pushing the gas pedal. Also, whenever I push the gas, the engine seems to lower the rpm at first and almost stall, and then only after a lag of 2-3 sec it would go up. Again, this only happens when the engine is cold... What could the problem be? I cleaned up the throttle body thoroughly, then checked for spark, but it seems these shouldn't be the problem since the car starts right off when warm... so all parts are working fine except when cold. What could be wrong? Could it be the throttle switch which is not reporting correctly the amount of gas I press? Or is it a fuel pressure problem? Also, I have heard that old volvos have a lot of carbon built up, how do I diagnose and fix this, and is it cheap?

Thanks a lot!

Answer
Momchil,
Check the fuel pressure. That should be 42 psi. See if you have rest pressure when the car is turned off. That should be at least 15 psi for the first hour. See if the fuel pressure regulator is leaking, pull off the vac hose and see if it leaks. Test the fuel injection temp sensor it maybe out of range and the control unit does not know how cold the engine really is.