740 GLE sometimes won't start ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark Bratcher
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Mark Bratcher

I have a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE, B230F engine (I think ... standard 16-valve
fuel-injected).

Anyway... in the summer, it will occasionally not start. I don't recall
if it has happened in the cooler months. If it has, it has been much
more rare. The starter cranks fine, very strong. It just won't ignite.
Not sure if it's due to lack of fuel being pumped, or lack of spark. If
I wait long enough, from a couple of minutes to ten minutes or so, and
try again, it will finally start and it's good for a few days or more
before it happens again. It doesn't happen very frequently.

Has anyone else experienced this behavior, and know what the cause is?
My first thought is the fuel pump...

Thanks.
Mark
 
Wow- a rash of 740's these days! Cool!

I had my engine (B230F) pulled and the lower half rebuilt. When we
reinstalled the engine, it would only crank with a shot of ether. Make
sure your fuel pump relay is good. That's a biggie.

There was something else....brain freeze. Sorry - more tomorrow.
 
Mark Bratcher said:
I have a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE, B230F engine (I think ... standard 16-valve
fuel-injected).

Anyway... in the summer, it will occasionally not start. I don't recall if
it has happened in the cooler months. If it has, it has been much more
rare. The starter cranks fine, very strong. It just won't ignite. Not sure
if it's due to lack of fuel being pumped, or lack of spark. If I wait long
enough, from a couple of minutes to ten minutes or so, and try again, it
will finally start and it's good for a few days or more before it happens
again. It doesn't happen very frequently.

Has anyone else experienced this behavior, and know what the cause is? My
first thought is the fuel pump...

Thanks.
Mark
Click to expand...

Happening in warm weather really focuses suspicion on the fuel pump relay.
The solder connections between the relays and the circuit board inside the
housing fatigue and crack, making the fuel pump operation intermittent. Warm
weather makes it worse, for whatever reason.

The pc board in the relay module can be resoldered or the relay can be
replaced.

Mike
 
Had the same or similar problem with 940 GLE, I changed the "Fuel pump
relay" (sometimes called "fuel injector relay") and now it is somehow OK.
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

I pulled the fuel injector relay and resoldered all the contact points.
I'll see how it goes!
 
Mark said:
I have a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE, B230F engine (I think ... standard 16-valve
fuel-injected).

Anyway... in the summer, it will occasionally not start. I don't recall
if it has happened in the cooler months. If it has, it has been much
more rare. The starter cranks fine, very strong. It just won't ignite.
Not sure if it's due to lack of fuel being pumped, or lack of spark. If
I wait long enough, from a couple of minutes to ten minutes or so, and
try again, it will finally start and it's good for a few days or more
before it happens again. It doesn't happen very frequently.

Has anyone else experienced this behavior, and know what the cause is?
My first thought is the fuel pump...

Thanks.
Mark
Click to expand...

Well... I resoldered all the soldering joints in the relay and it
operated OK. But today it's 95 degrees and while I was stopped at a
light the car just died and wouldn't start (same symptoms). I pushed the
car to the side of the road and it finally started after maybe only a
minute.

Any other thoughts? Perhaps it just needs a new relay or something?
 
B230F is 8-valve not 16-valve. Try the Radio Suppression relay, usually
attached at the side of one of the suspension strut towers. This feeds the
power to the injectors via a block of four resistors. Check for power to the
resistor block before checking relay. It has almost precisely the same
symptoms as the Fuel Pump relay.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).
 
Thanks Peter and Jamie.

This is strange indeed.

The car used to very infrequently have trouble starting. Now that I've
secured all the solder joints in the injector relay, the thing stalls
while driving about every 5 to 10 miles. I have to coast to a stop
somewhere and wait for it to want to start again, usually a couple of
minutes.

Tonight when I got home after driving, I when to pull the relay again
and the injector relay, as well as the two small ones in front of it,
were very hot. Not enough to burn your hand, but very hot nonetheless.
More than I would expect. This relay looks pretty simple, and I don't
see anything wrong with it on the inside. It's just a couple of coils
etc and looks pretty clean.

I can try a new one as well as a radio suppression relay. But I am
puzzled by the connection in events between my fooling with the relay
the first time and this sudden frequent stalling issue. And I'm no
slouch when it comes to soldering. I don't get it. :-/

I appreciate all the help. This is a great news group with very
knowledgable people. :)

Mark
 
Thanks Peter and Jamie.

This is strange indeed.

The car used to very infrequently have trouble starting. Now that I've
secured all the solder joints in the injector relay, the thing stalls
while driving about every 5 to 10 miles. I have to coast to a stop
somewhere and wait for it to want to start again, usually a couple of
minutes.

Tonight when I got home after driving, I when to pull the relay again
and the injector relay, as well as the two small ones in front of it,
were very hot. Not enough to burn your hand, but very hot nonetheless.
More than I would expect. This relay looks pretty simple, and I don't
see anything wrong with it on the inside. It's just a couple of coils
etc and looks pretty clean.

I can try a new one as well as a radio suppression relay. But I am
puzzled by the connection in events between my fooling with the relay
the first time and this sudden frequent stalling issue. And I'm no
slouch when it comes to soldering. I don't get it. :-/

I appreciate all the help. This is a great news group with very
knowledgable people. :)

Mark
 
Mark,
thank you but I must defer to the veterans here. Honestly, I am a
newbie here who only knows the little I know, thanks to the kind,
knowledgable and intelligent Volvo owners who have been here long
before me.

I have probably learned 75% of anything I know by reading here and the
other 25% by trial and LOTS of error.

G'luck

Jamie
 
Mark said:
Thanks Peter and Jamie.

This is strange indeed.

The car used to very infrequently have trouble starting. Now that I've
secured all the solder joints in the injector relay, the thing stalls
while driving about every 5 to 10 miles. I have to coast to a stop
somewhere and wait for it to want to start again, usually a couple of
minutes.

Tonight when I got home after driving, I when to pull the relay again
and the injector relay, as well as the two small ones in front of it,
were very hot. Not enough to burn your hand, but very hot nonetheless.
More than I would expect. This relay looks pretty simple, and I don't
see anything wrong with it on the inside. It's just a couple of coils
etc and looks pretty clean.

I can try a new one as well as a radio suppression relay. But I am
puzzled by the connection in events between my fooling with the relay
the first time and this sudden frequent stalling issue. And I'm no
slouch when it comes to soldering. I don't get it. :-/

I appreciate all the help. This is a great news group with very
knowledgable people. :)

Mark
Click to expand...



I've said this a million times before, but how's the engine wiring
harness? If it's original and the car is pre-1989, it needs to be replaced.
 
Thanks Peter and Jamie.

This is strange indeed.

The car used to very infrequently have trouble starting. Now that I've
secured all the solder joints in the injector relay, the thing stalls
while driving about every 5 to 10 miles. I have to coast to a stop
somewhere and wait for it to want to start again, usually a couple of
minutes.

Tonight when I got home after driving, I when to pull the relay again
and the injector relay, as well as the two small ones in front of it,
were very hot. Not enough to burn your hand, but very hot nonetheless.
More than I would expect. This relay looks pretty simple, and I don't
see anything wrong with it on the inside. It's just a couple of coils
etc and looks pretty clean.

I can try a new one as well as a radio suppression relay. But I am
puzzled by the connection in events between my fooling with the relay
the first time and this sudden frequent stalling issue. And I'm no
slouch when it comes to soldering. I don't get it. :-/

I appreciate all the help. This is a great news group with very
knowledgable people. :)

Mark
Click to expand...
Here's some food for thought. THere are two fuel pumps in the system.
A;pw pressure pump in the tank that provides a solid column of fuel to
the main pump. This is to prevent the main pump from cavitating during
acceleration in any direction as well as ensuring that the main pump
lubricating fuel supply is always present. Although the car will run
with the prepump not working it can hesitate and stall during normal
driving maneuvers. Ultimately the bearings wear in the main pump causing
it to draw more current than normal, but not necessarily enough to blow
the main fuel system fuse.

Bob
 
I e-mailed Dave Barton and bought a used harness from him not when my
car died, but when I reached under the hood to grab a hose and my car
started!

The wires were so worn that I touched two wires and turned the car
over. SCAREY!
 
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