265 wouldn't start

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by jg, Dec 29, 2004.

  1. jg

    jg Guest

    3 RAC men couldn't start it, but with the help of a battery guy and various
    Volvo forums isolated it to the fuel pump relay. Apparently they usually
    last about 7 years but this one had done better than that because my part
    number was superseded 10 years ago. They are used in later models but don't
    know how much later.
    I only bought the (24 years old) car recently but already prepared to donate
    a kidney to save it, wouldn't start all over Christmas & no parts places
    open. What an introduction to Volvos. But hey, that's a problemette compared
    to 50-odd thousand dead and their families caught in the Tsunami.
     
    jg, Dec 29, 2004
    #1
  2. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    Bosch relays seem to not have the best quality soldering in the world, I
    usually resolder all the critical ones whether the car is working or not,
    never had one fail again.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 29, 2004
    #2
  3. jg

    jg Guest

    This one had been done before and I had another go, but I think there was
    more wrong than that - there was a bit of beige goo around one of the
    components (to mask my lack of IC knowledge). I drilled a couple of small
    holes in the new casing, following one tip I saw.
     
    jg, Dec 29, 2004
    #3
  4. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    The goo is rosin flux from the solder, it won't hurt anything. Helps to
    remove the old solder from the heavy joints and use all new stuff. Also a
    dying fuel pump can oveheat the relay and stress the solder joints.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 29, 2004
    #4
  5. jg

    jg Guest

    Nah this is on the component side of the board, same colour as one of those
    plastic blobs with stripes, like it had burst. It's not flux and looks like
    no soldering had been done on any of the "small" joints, only the higher
    current/load parts. Do you do the all the joints or just those likely to
    have more stress?
     
    jg, Dec 29, 2004
    #5
  6. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    White blobs? You mean the resistors? They don't have any goo in them.
    Electrolytic capacitors (cylindrical things with two leads and a voltage and
    uF rating on them) are filled with liquid electrolyte that can leak if they
    fail. Also sometimes parts are glued down with hot melt glue or caulking
    like stuff.

    I resolder anything that looks dull or cracked, as well as all the heavy
    current carrying joints.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 30, 2004
    #6
  7. jg

    jg Guest

    Well I tried... then bought a new one and it works. Now I just have to work
    out why the tank pump still isn't working.
     
    jg, Dec 30, 2004
    #7
  8. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    The in-tank pumps fail more often than the main pump, pull it out, rinse it
    well with soapy water, then hook it up to a 6v battery and see if it runs.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 30, 2004
    #8
  9. jg

    jg Guest

    (thanks for taking the time to reply) isn't it 12v? I had tried to get it
    out but one fuel line is shrunk on & worried how hard it might be to put
    back if I cut it. But the pair of wires to it both have continuity to earth
    (and with each other of course) - that can't be right? I'll take the fuse
    out & see if it still happens, not stupid just a bit slow on the uptake...
     
    jg, Dec 30, 2004
    #9
  10. Motors typically measure very little resistance, with the stall current
    being very high but running current being low. The motor is 12V but should
    run just fine on 6V for a test.

    Also, there is a separate part of the fuel pump relay for the in-tank pump.
    You should have voltage to the in-tank pump whenever the ignition is on.
    Since the relay is a notorious trouble spot, be sure it is okay before going
    on the great tank expedition.

    Another common problem is tearing of the bellows-like line between the
    outlet of the in-tank fuel pump and the fuel pipe. The hose is not available
    separately (the last price I got for the assembly was over $300 US) and I
    did what most people do - replace it with a piece of fuel hose. That doesn't
    allow the pickup to rest on the bottom of the tank, but at least it makes
    the fuel feed right.

    Mike
     
    Michael Pardee, Dec 30, 2004
    #10
  11. Oops - I forgot you replaced the relay!

    Mike
     
    Michael Pardee, Dec 30, 2004
    #11
  12. jg

    jg Guest

    Hey I'm not going to be picky when someone is trying to help. But still not
    ready to suspect the tank pump when the power to it doesn't seem to work the
    way I think it should.
     
    jg, Dec 31, 2004
    #12
  13. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    Yes it's 12v, but 6v lantern batteries are common and it should run on one,
    you can also use a battery pack from a cordless drill, camcorder, etc. The
    voltage isn't really critical, you just want to verify the pump is ok. You
    can also measure voltage right at the tank, if you have close to 12v there
    but the pump isn't running then 99% chance it's bad. You don't wanna remove
    the fuel line there, it's permanently attached. Get down under the car and
    you'll find a union in the line which you can disconnect with a wrench.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 31, 2004
    #13
  14. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    What do you mean? Does it get voltage when the engine is cranking or not?
     
    James Sweet, Dec 31, 2004
    #14
  15. jg

    jg Guest

    It gets voltage ok, but there is continuity between each wire and earth with
    the key off which seems like a short to me. I just disconnected the plug
    near the pump & ran 2 wires from the battery and guess what... because the
    tank pump made such a noise before all the relay trouble I assumed it wasn't
    working because it runs so much quieter now, but it runs after all. Thanks
    guys you haven't really wasted your time, I was even too stupid to try that
    until prompted. I've always had a blind spot for electricery (specially
    since I got my hand caught behind the stove dashboard), really a mechanical
    man but I get the feeling the wiring is a weak spot with these cars.
     
    jg, Dec 31, 2004
    #15
  16. jg

    James Sweet Guest

    If it has something around 12v then the electrical side is fine, continuity
    is normal, as someone else said, the DC impedance of motors is generally
    very low, only a few ohms.
     
    James Sweet, Dec 31, 2004
    #16
  17. jg

    Robert Dietz Guest

    The hard plastic hose is only about 18" long until it connects to the
    hard line running to the main fuel pump. Generally the fitting will not
    separate at this time. The answer is to slit the plastic pipe and remove
    it from both ends. Replace it with 5/16" (8mm) fuel hose and two clamps.

    Bob
     
    Robert Dietz, Jan 1, 2005
    #17
  18. jg

    jg Guest

    It must slip over about 1" of metal at each end, I was worried I might have
    damaged the line trying to lever off the rubber casing (so robust it looked
    like it was the hose and the line inside was the spigot), but can't smell
    fuel or see a leak and it runs ok so I will hope. That's a good tip, fairly
    obvious like many tips but might not have thought of it. Hard to reach the
    other end, I've hurt my arm just reaching up to the hose on the pump around
    the tank from under (for a better angle to pull it).
     
    jg, Jan 2, 2005
    #18
  19. jg

    Robert Dietz Guest

    <snip>

    There's a plate in the trunk, secured by four phillips head screws, that
    allows access to the top of the tank.

    Bob
     
    Robert Dietz, Jan 3, 2005
    #19
  20. jg

    jg Guest

    Yes I found that and got the pump as far as half way out but couldn't get
    that one pipe off. Oh well it seems OK now so maybe I'll never have that
    challenge again. The car is 25 years old so you have to wonder how much life
    there is - it certainly seems in much better condition than the crappy old
    ford Falcon 7 years younger which passed its use by date a few weeks ago.
     
    jg, Jan 3, 2005
    #20
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