QuestionThank you so much for replying. I decided to bring the car home from the Volvo dealer because I don't trust them. They gave the error codes, though. The codes are 532-541. Do they mean anything to you? If so, what are they?
Secondly, I opened the engine compartment to check the engine, and I found that one of the hoses that is connected to the air filter compartment and it is located next to the radiator was completely disconnected. That really made me angry - that Volvo dealer sucks! I also found that the air filter was dirty, but not extrely dirty. There were debris particles on the bottom of the air filter compartment, though. Could these things, a disconnected hose plus a dirty air filter, cause rough idling?
Finally, I'm in New York City, do you recommend any good mechanics in Manhattan or in the surrounding areas?
Thank you very much for your time.
-Leonardo.
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Followup To
Question -
I purchased a 1996 Volvo 960 (sedan) almost three months ago. It has 132,000 miles and it's my first car. I've always wanted a Volvo. Needless to say, I love the car and I would love it to last till I finish graduate school.
The car used to drive smoothly and quietly, extremely powerful and solid until three weeks ago, when it started presenting rough idling problems. It would sometimes shake while stopped at a traffic light. The check engine light even came on.
I took the car to a Volvo dealer, and the dealer charged me $800 to have the spark plugs and fuel injectors replaced. They also said they cleaned the engine because it had too much carbon build up. Two hours after I picked my car from the dealer, the car starts to rough idle again. This time 100 times worse than it was before - the check engine light even came back on again. I took the car back to the dealer again, and this time they tell me that the engine harness needs to be replaced. The thing costs $1,400 plus $800 labor! They said that the harness is short-circuiting when the car gets hot, and as a result, cylinder #2 is misfiring.
I'm mad! I'm not sure whether to trust the dealer, since they should have found the problem right when I brought the car in for the first time. I'm not sure whether it is something else wrong, since they might have misdiagnosed the problem again. I’m not sure the dealer is competent.
My question is, could it be something else wrong with the car besides the engine harness? What could it be causing the misfiring? I don't know anything about cars, but I heard that usually when a Volvo is rough idling, usually there is a problem with the O2 sensor, or the vacuum hoses are leaking or the cylinder coils need to be replaced. What else should I be checking? Could you offer me any advice? Please help.
Thank you,
Leonardo.
Answer -
Leonardo,
A 96 Y/M car has OBD II diagnostics on it and will set codes to indicate the miss fire along with identifing the one that is miss firing. Now I have seen in the past that cap, rotor and wires will cause intermittant problems as you have indicated. The codes should be read and then trace the problem out according to procedure. I might also suggest that a meeting with the service manager at that dealer might also lead to some good wiil on the dealers part.
Vacuum leaks will also cause poor idle, but will set what is called a fuel trim code, not a miss fire code. Fuel trim codes are also set when the Mass Air Flow sensor is on it's way out. That also causes poor idling and runability. The O2 sensors may also cause poor running, but the codes set will be those of O2 sensors. I think the key to your repair is in the reading of the codes and following the clues.
Now if there are no codes in the system I would look to the fuel pump and the pump relay.
AnswerLeonardo,
5-4-1 CANISTER PURGE VALVE, SIGNAL There is no 532. Is the canister valve stuck open? Was it recommended that it is to be replaced?
If the hose is on the right side of the engine between the radiator shroud and the control unit box, that will not cause the car to run poorly. NOW you need to get the car to someone that will read those codes and follow the clues as to the problem. Ask others as to where they take their car and see if that are happy and then try them yourself. Try to show them what is happening and let them keep the car for a few days to find that problem... I am not sure why that is so hard to do, there must be a decent tech somewhere in NY. Personally I am from Chicago and now live in Arizona, and do not any techs in the East.
