Need some advice re. my 1989 Volvo DL SW...

I just purchased the Volvo recently so I'm new to this group--it's
already been a great resource.

When I bought the Volvo, the previous owner told me that it needed a
new OD relay. I'm in the process of buying one, but in the meantime
the car has occasionally stalled out on me while I'm driving. When
this happens, it's like someone is slowly turning a rheostat--I can
feel the car losing power and then dying over maybe 10-15 seconds,
rather than just suddenly cutting out. When I pull over to the side,
it starts right up and seems fine (although when this happens I stick
to side roads on the way home and keep my speed down).

The circumstances in which the stalling/dying has occurs varies--the
first time was just after starting out and making a turn onto a
residential street (20-25 mph). The second time was just after I left
home and was on an expressway doing about 50-55 mph (that time was
scary--just managed to get off of an exit before it died on me). And
just yesterday, I had been driving for about 25-30 minutes at about
35-45 mph when it did it again. On this third time, I was just
starting to go over a brick street that was pretty rough which made me
wonder if a connection was vibrating and causing intermittent failure.

My concern is that something over than the OD relay is repsonsible.
Anyone experience a similar problem with a bad OD relay? If not the
relay, any other likely suspects that I can look at before taking it to
a mechanic? BTW, the guy that I bought the SW from always took it to
a mechanic or dealer and kept all of the service records so I could
look for work that's already been done to eliminate possibilities, if
that would help.

Thanks in advance for any advice that you can provide. FYI, the
mileage is 189K.

 

sounds like a fuel starvation problem... I've had similar occurances with my
'89 240 wagon, and it has always been fixed by replacing the main fuel pump
(3 times) and the in-tank pump (twice). Let me suggest the following:

1. new fuel filter (if not done recently)
2. take a look at the in-tank pump, see if it's working and if there's a
tear in the rubber connection between the pump and the outgoing fuel line.
Might as well replace the pump while you're in there!
3. While you're replacing the fuel filter, replace the main fuel pump as
well
4. Check the solder connections on the fuel pump relay... either resolder
them or replace the relay
5. There is a large fuse attached to the left firewall, next to the ignition
coil. Check it, and make sure the socket it plugs into is firmly connected
(failed on me once!)
6. Disconnect, then reconnect the Air Mass Meter connector once or twice, to
make sure the connections are clean

Yes, this sounds like overkill, and you don't have to do it all in the above
order. Just telling you what I've found to be helpful...

m9876c at yahoo dot com

 

forgot to add... when I first got my car, I experienced some strange "loss
of power" symptoms, which I eventually traced to a bad catalytic
convertor... the inner honeycomb had broken apart, and rattled around until
it was just a round ball, which would eventually roll into the outflow tube
and block it, increasing the backpressure and causing the engine to lose
power. Easily fixed with a new cat convertor....

 

My first thought is it sounds like the air mass meter may be going out.
Check the flapper thermostat in the airbox and make sure the flap is not
stuck open when the engine is hot.

The OD relay can be fixed easily, you just have to pop the cover open
and touch up the solder.

 

rolf...

before spending hard earned money on fuel pumps, mass air meters, etc.
check the fuel pump/main relay. It is located on the firewall in the
passenger foot well. Remove the fuzzy panel below the glove box and you
see a white or beige box approx. 2x2x1 on the firewall with a single
multi-wire connector. There will be a date stamp on one of the
surfaces. If that date stamp corresponds approximately with the year of
the car, then replace it first. A faulty relay can work intermittently,
it can allow fluctuating or reduced current to the pumps or it can die
completely. It is a relatively inexpensive part so purchase only OE [I
know !] or Bosch [same thing] from a reputable source.

It may not be the problem, but in my shop it would be the first thing
my techs looked at for a Volvo of your vintage with the symptoms you
describe.

pat hayes
preferred fleet
medford, oregon

 

I agree with dupree. The description of your problem sound exactly like the
one I went through few months ago with my 940 GLE. A $40 dollar do it
myself fuel pump relay (also called fuel injection relay) cured the
problem. Try that first and let us know the result.