86 240DL computer plug wires

My 240 is leaving me stranded on occasion on the freeway or in the driveway.
The plug that goes to the engine computer (on the passenger side front of
the engine compartment) seems to be the culprit, if I wiggle it or push in
on it while someone else cranks it, the engine starts. If I hit a bump
sometimes the car dies and I have to work with that plug again to get it
going. This is getting scary. I called three independent Volvo shops and no
one seems to undertsnad what I am talking about, one of them asked me "This
computer, is it inside, or outside the car?" I had to hang up on him. any
ideas how I could fix this? Thanks.

 

although it's tempting to blame the main computer, perhaps it's only
something simple like the fuel pump relay, which is in the same general area
(right front, beneath dash).... might be worth checking, since that's a
known source of problems, would cause the car to die/not restart, and would
be cheap to fix or repair first!

 

Well Mike, the guy I hung up on asked the question after I told him TWICE
that the computer was in the engine compartment on the passenger side up
front, how much more clear could that be? I ended up taking the car to Volvo
of Houston, and they replaced the wiring harness (yes I got the same story
about Volvo says if the harness is ever disconnected, the wires need to be
replaced. {My next statement to the tech was "Wow, I didn't know that Volvo
wiring would be so FRAGILE!") [Good thing we don't have to replace our
computer wires every time we unplug them from the wall] Anyhow, $481.72
later my car is good to go, I had a Honda Civic loaner, and they washed and
vacuumed my Volvo before I picked it up. Great treatment.

 

I have an 86 240GL, and have disconnected/reconnected that harrness
manytime with no ill effect. I also work for a company that
remanufactures the computers for older Volvo and Chrystler cars, and
they use the identical connector that is used in the car for the test
set, and this thing can see 10 to 15 computers a day.

That harness will wear out eventually, but it takes more than that. I
have found that the pins on the harness can be put back into shape
because they have a split down one side of each pin, and you can take
a
pick and push the sides of the pins together so there is no gap in
that
split.This tip came from the tech who repairs these computers.