QuestionQUESTION: I recently acquired my dream car a volvo p1800E w/B20 engine coupe.Yesturday was the first time I took it out on the Parkway I was cruising at 70mph for about 10 minutes.About 3300 rpm oil temp was significantly hotter than water temp.Oil temp was 3/4 across the dial,water temp was right in the middle.Suddenly rpm went to 0 within 6 seconds.I gave it some gas and got what sounded like a misfire and some black smoke.Luckily I was able to pull to the side.Checked all belts and wire connections waited for about 3 or 4 minutes and the car started right up .At this point unless I know what happened and how to rectify this the car will be a toy instead of a driver.Any suggestions what could have gone wrong and how to make it right.
ANSWER: Well, first off you have a nice classic, I am fond of that car and look. What year is yours? A sudden loss of power , engine actually shutting down, can be caused by a lot of issues. First and formost is fuel delivery, followed by an electrical malfunction. It could be as simple as a bad battery connection or as complicated as a fuel pump or carb, injector malfunction. I will really need more information, your temps seem normal, so I would look closely at fuel or electrical issues. Did it run nomally after it restarted? Same power?
What happens when you give it gas going up a hill.
Let me know
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QUESTION: It ran fine after it restarted.It's a 72 with fuel injection.Same power as if nothing happened.All I did is check all the connections manually and closed the hood.
Thanks for your help(I'm an expert too, field of dentistry)
ANSWER: SOunds then like fuel delivery, could have had a sudden loss of fuel, have the filters been cleaned recently?
Could have had a vapor lock, make sure the gas cap is venting properly, and by all means check the battery connections. In this case the problem is hard to diagnose untill it happens again, if it does, keep me posted and sorry I could not be of more help
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QUESTION: I think you hit the nail on the head. After driving on the highway for the 45 miles ,I was surprised to notice the fuel gauge remained as if it was still full. Then the car died as described.Upon restarting the fuel gauge was down about an eighth which is what I thought it should be.The vapor lock makes sense since it would in theory hold the gauge at the full mark. The gas cap on this car is quite primitive.It consists of a rubber gasket that's part of the decorative gas door on a spring. There is no relief.Any ideas how I could rectify this? I really appreciate your timely and knowlegable input Thank you kindly.
Answermost caps are vented, you may just want to start with a new cap, you probably could find a replacement at your local autoparts shop. Also I have seen some of these vintage cars, mercedes most noted, that has a vent system from the tank out a small hole in the fender. Check around to see if something like this is apparent. These vents sometimes get clogged and need cleaned out with compressed air.
