88 volvo 240DL will not fire up?

88 volvo 240DL will not start?

engine turns over fine, has spark, and has fuel as it’s flooding the
engine, strongly smells of gas!!

what else could be the problem. car ran fine up until we changed the
spark plugs and wires? AND we noticed since its been colder then when
i last drove it? could the cold be the problem?

i recently bought the car so i do not know its history. :roll: is
there a cold start injector somewhere?

 

Unplug the air mass meter and see if it starts. Also carefully inspect the
engine wiring harness for crumbling insulation, '88 may or may not have the
updated harness.

 

go back over the plug wires, especially between coil and distributor, and
make sure they are seated completely... and go to the proper plug!

 

And that the wire hasn't pulled out of the connector inside. I've had that
happen on a couple occasions, if they're old it might not hurt to replace
them.

 

1. Make sure the wires run from the correct connection on the
distributor to the correct plug.
2. Make sure the wires are pushed down through the hoods so that they
connect to both distributor and plug.
3. Were the connectors properly installed on the wires?
4. Was the rotor removed? If so was the new one put in? (it happens)
5. Were the wires kinked? Is so they may have an internal break.
6. Were the plugs gapped properly?

 

james sweet, thanks for the tip on disconnect the air mass meter...you
were right! kinda backwards...now it starts up with it
DISCONNECTED?? with it connected it turns over and floods the engine,
but will not start...but DISCONNECTED it starts no problem? so odd?

once its running for a few min. we re-connected it and it sounded/ran
even better...

so i think i just need a NEW air mass meter..they cost $250 on
vlvworld.com 8O

i’ll search eBay first...or does anyone else have suggestions as to
where i can get one?

thanks so much for your suggestion!!! :

 

With the AMM disconnected, the ECU goes into limp mode. It will start and
run, but it won't run very well and you will get terrible gas mileage.

Suggest first cleaning the connectors and see if that helps. Failing that,
check salvage yards and ebay for a good used one or buy a rebuilt from one
of the online discount places. Make sure the Bosch part number matches the
one on yours.

 

A bad AMM can drive you crazy. I found three to fit my car at the
local Pick 'n Pull. Mounted all 3 on my car (one at a time) to test
them. Replaced the one that failed, and vac sealed another and put it
in the fender storage well in my 245... just in case. cost? $25 each.
Cheap rebuilds were around $175 at the time iirc.

And as James stated, be SURE that the numbers are the same.

 

thanks for all your help and suggestions everyone!! I found a used AMM
on eBay (matching part # and all) for $67 incl. shipping, thank god!
used it was $250; new it was $600?! 8O

i think i will occasionally go to the pick n’pull to see if i can get
a spare one should this ever happen again. i had no such luck on the
weekend...all the volvo’s AMM were gone...

we figure that the AMM wires were damaged bc the guy who i bought the
Volvo from did not have the air filter attached properly so we think
that some debris got in and damaged the AMM wires?? i’ve never had to
replace the AMM on my 1990 240 DL...

anyhow hopefully this was the only problem, and the last! :wink:

mucho gracias

 

They just fail sometimes, no real rhyme or reason, though a bad preheat
thermostat will kill one in short order, it's why I always remove the
preheat hose on these cars, it's not needed in this climate. If yours is
intact, do check that.

I keep a spare AMM around too, they're under 10 bucks at the local Pull A
Part so worth grabbing.