86 240DL computer plug wires

[stripquilter1]

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.

 

[Jon Dough]

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!

 

[stripquilter1]

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.

 

[Steve W.]

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.

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. "Mike F"
the

adhesive

Maybe hanging up on the guy that asked, "inside or outside" wasn't
such a good idea. The computer for fuel injection is inside, behind
the panel to the right of the passenger's feet. The computer for
ignition is outside, mounted on the bracket for the windshield washer
bottle. And there are lots of problems with that connection you're
talking about. In fact Volvo recommends replacing that wiring
harness if it's ever disconnected from the computer for whatever
reason. There are bulletins about the sleeves, which pins to put
them on, and grease to use on the pins etc. If you buy a new
harness, there's a modification you need to make to it, and the
sleeves need to be removed from the computer, if fitted.

-- Mike F. Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Change cant to ca and remove parentheses to email me directly.