I don’t have time to get my car fixed until the end of the week. Until then, is there anything I might try to get it to work? The car is a '79 Volvo. The last time I used it was 3 weeks ago, when I went on a 100-mile trip. It worked fine then. Yesterday when I tried to start it, it cranked but the engine didn’t even cough or sputter. I checked the fuses visually and they look fine. Gas tank is half full. What are some possible causes for this? I can identify most components under the hood but that’s the extent of my automotive knowledge/experience.
Ask someone to give you a jump-start. Maybe it is the battery. Good luck.
If it cranks over fast enough, a jump probably will not help. Get a can of Ether/ Starting fluid. A short spray in the air intake, then crank over. If it then spits, sputters and trys to start, you have a fuel system problem. Let us know whats happening.
Also try getting a wrench and removing the battery cables from the battery one at a time, and brush or scrape the oxidation of the battery cable end as well as the post on the battery, then reconnect them and tighten well. I’ve had oxidation buildup prevent sufficient current from reaching the starter, so the starter will kind of moan, but will not turn over the engine.
A gasoline motor basically requires 3 things to work: Fuel, compression, spark. Let’s assume the compression is still there so you need to check two things: whether you have spark and whether you have fuel. The first simple checks are to pull a spark wire and see if you have a nice, powerful, fat spark. If no, check ignition. If yes, then put a bit of gas or starting fuel in the air intake. If this generates a few explosions like the engine wants to start, it means the motor is not getting fuel. Check carburetor, fuel pump etc. Most times this simple procedure willn lead you right to the problem. good luck
Let’s see, if the engine cranks hard, it aint getting gas or can’t produce electric to run.
If it sat for three weeks, after running well, something funky could have happened to the fuel. Does the car sit around alot? If so, you might need some fuel stabilizder.
Did you buy fuel at an unfamiliar place?
I don’t think any electric parts went south, so to speak, between trips when it rested, so you have to play the odds and think fuel.
Take the advice on starting fluid, add fuel stabilizer and add fuel if you can. Also, keep in mind that you might end up draining the battery if you continue to have problems, but that can be jumped easily.
Checking for spark involves removing a plug, re attaching the wire, holding the plug end against the engine block and having someone crank the engine.
Playing the odds: you have to lean towards fuel as the issue.
Thanks for the tips everyone. I’ll try the starting fluid (is that something I can buy in a spray can at an automotive store?) and checking for sparks, and get back tomorrow.
Remove the air filter before using the starter fluid. It can and will backfire, and the backfire could break the airbox unless you remove the filter.
I’ll bet you have a tired battery and need a jump start, though the ether may work. It has been three weeks since you ran the car. This isn’t enough time for the fuel to dry up (even in hot climates, this takes a month or more), but it is more than enough time for an older battery to partially discharge. Your car’s starter loads down the entire electrical system when starting and the ignition may have to work with less than a full twelve volts. The engine will crank, but you aren’t getting enough of a spark in the cylinders.
For what it’s worth, American cars used to (and may still) have ignition systems that used nine volts or so when running but stepped up to the full battery voltage when starting. A lot of older imports (ok, imports to the U.S.) didn’t have this feature. In my (very) limited experience, a lot of imports are harder to start with a tired battery because of this.
I like to turn it on & just let it run down the street then when it gets enough momentum put it in first or
second. Works great. Of course, its not for automatics. Has anyone tried it on an automatic?
One more faint possibility is that if you have an older car with older wiring and it has been raining, you could have water in the distributor cap/coil. Usually a squirt or two of WD-40 sprayed on the ignition wires will clear that up. But this isn’t tremendously likely if the car has been stationary.
Update:
I didn’t have time to work on the car till yesterday, and decided to try startin the car again before I head out to buy the starter fluid. And it started! It ran a bit erratic at first, but after a minute it was fine. Now I can’t reproduce the problem. The weather is a lot warmer now than when the problem first occurred, which may be a clue. Also when I turn it off for a few hours it still runs a bit erratic.
So what car problem is exascerbated by low temperature and prolonged disuse? Distributor cap, spark plugs and wires were replaced less than 10,000 miles ago.
I suggest taking your car to Doper Billy Rubin, who is rumored to work cheap.
Of course, you might also earn yourself an appearance in his Pit Rant about people who don’t maintain their cars
It should have a Bosch CIS fuel injection system. The warm-up regulator comes to mind as the main suspect.
Not necessarily! As far as I remember, only the 244/5 GLT had injection! didn’t most of the 240’s have the B19 engines with carburettor?
Anyway, I think scr4 owes us to tell what model he’s got!
I agree. The 140 series all had fuel injection from 73 on, as shown here:
My book shows '79 California and 242GT models having Lambda/CIS, all other models having CIS. Either way, it’s CIS (Constant Injection System–the Lambda version added an oxygen sensor to the basic CIS), and has a warm-up regulator (also called control pressure regulator).
You need a tune up. Your car will thank you by easy starts and smooth running. Poorly tuned engines are hell on the starter and battery, as they are designed for extremely short duty cycles and the interminable attempts at starting the engine dilute the oil with raw fuel.
Sigh…This–Distributor cap, spark plugs and wires were replaced less than 10,000 miles ago.–was a tune-up, and another one’s not due yet. Not that I can personally know with certainty that there’s no problem in that area, but with the info at hand there’s no indication that a tune-up is needed.
Some of the old Bosch systems wouldn’t fire the injectors if the battery voltage was low. My old Alfa was famous for that trick. Jump it just to rule that out. You can use a stethoscope to hear if the injectors are firing as it cranks, they make a tick, tick sound.
If there’s a schrader valve on the fuel rail or in the fuel line, (a schrader valve is kind of like the valve stem on a tire) push in the valve at the center to see if you’ve got any fuel pressure. Cover it with rags while doing this so you don’t spray yourself with gas.
Next I check the systems from the easiest to fix to the hardest; check for spark, check compression, change the fuel filter, etc.
A lot of chain stores rent/loan out the equipment needed to do those checks. Good luck.
b.
::: waves hand in air:::
Pick me, Pick me!!
Besides having owned a 79 240 for a lot of years, I am a Volvo master technician.
OK from the top, 240’sere fuel injected here in the states from start of production on. In other markets carbs were around for a lot of years. (Canada used carbs until 84) Since the OP didn’t mention a location, while CI isn’t a bad guess it isn’t the only possibility.
The following assumes that you have a US spec car with Continous injection (CI) also know as Bosch K-jetronic, or K-jet.
Three things to check. #1 will help the most if the car is not starting, #2 or 3 are the most likely if the starting is intermittant, #4 is possible.
#1
When you turn on the key the fuel pump should run for 1 second (a buzzing sound can be heard from under the car) then when the key is turned to start the pump should again run. It may be hard to hear when the engine is cranking so enlist a lackey and have them turn the key to on and then to start while you reach under the car on the drivers side behind the front seat and infront of the rear seat. The fuel pump lives there on a bracket along with the fuel filter. If you have to do this yourself you can, if you have reasonably long arms. Kneel on the ground at the driver’s door, reach the key with your left hand and the fuel pump with your right. (wear a glove it might be dirty down there) While it is possible to have an intermittant pump, these are very uncommon. Usually fuel pumps are like being pregnant you are or you aren’t, they work or don’t. In 17 years of Volvo work I have seen exactally one pump that ran and the can didn’t start due to a bad pump (not enough pressure)
#2
Now one very possible cause of your intermittant no start is a bad fuse. CI injection works on pressure and if the pump does not put out adequate pressure, you will have a no start. You need to check the fuses, not just to see if they are blown, but if they are cracked or corroded. Get down close to the fuse box and look really close at the fuses. Can you see any white deposits near the ends? Does the foil across the top fuse look good or perhaps is there a tiny crack in the foil? LOOK REAL CLOSE! I once saw a 240 traded in for repeated stalling, the cause was a fuse with just such a crack in the foil. If there is any corrosion, remove the fuses and clean with a wire brush (DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST) if there is any doubt about the conditions of the fuses change them. I’m working from memory here, but as I recall #4, 7, 12 or 13 are the ones that you are concerned with. Check the listing on the fuse box cover to be sure or e-mail me and I will check a wiring diagram.
#3
The fuel pump relay can go bad in stages. This for sure could cause the problem that you are having. This is the relay that turns on the fuel pump when fuel is needed by the engine. My old 79 which a friend still drives had the FP relay go out about 2 months ago. This relay is located above the driver’s footwell clipped to a bracket . The relay is either black or green in color with 8 wires plugged into it. If everything else checked out and I had to guess at one item, this would be where I would start guessing. To test it will require some test equipment. (beyond the scope of this post) You might want to take the cover off and look at the inside of this guy. The cover can be removed with a small screwdriver. If the solder joints look bad (dull not shiny) or the contacts points are pitted, it’s time for a new one. figure about $125 at the dealer.
#4
Next go out to the battery. Look at the battery cables, find the positive. (usually red, and runs to the starter) There are some smaller wires that come off the battery cable and go into the harness. If the connector for these wires is broken or corroded you will be screwed. You must have a good clean connection.
Let me know how you do. Good luck
Rick