'96 850 Cough = Check Engine Light

Intro: Someone backed into the front of our '96 850 wagon and damaged
the grill and hood enough to prevent it from opening. (No, they didn't
leave a note!) Body shop did a nice job on the front end (looks like
new)

Problem: In the 3 days the body shop had it, the car was started, moved
10 feet, stopped, repeated several times. On the day we picked it up it
wouldn't even start. It finally started and worked fine. Then my wife
left the lights on and killed the battery (brand new in January). She
jumped it, left the blinkers on and killed the battery again, jumped it,
and it appears to be fine now.

A few days later, I was driving it when it started coughing and
sputtering while idling in traffic. It sounded like it was going to die
but didn't. Instead, the check engine light came on. The engine has run
without a problem since (over two weeks now), though it sounded a tiny
bit wheezy this morning after an hour on the highway.

Fields Volvo service thinks it may need it's 60k tune up (it is at 59.3k
miles), but charges $100 for the privlage of looking at it. My wife
thinks it just needs it's oil change (due about now). I don't have a
diagnostic tool, but would like some advice of what to look for. I don't
feel like putting a ton of money in, as we plan on selling it in the
near future.

Thanks.

 

A bad battery can cause hiccups and coughs when the load on the
alternator changes suddenly, as when the rad fan switches on. Visit
Autozone and have them read the codes, they'll still be there even if
the engine light is off. Then all I'd do is watch for a repeat,
especially since it's been 2 weeks and you're thinking of selling it.

 

Thanks Mike, that sounds exactly like what happened.

Visit

Autozone? Had no idea they did that sort of diagnostic. Can they turn
off the Check Engine Light also?

Then all I'd do is watch for a repeat,

Has been fine ever since that day.

Thanks again.

 

They can read and reset OBD-II engine codes and do so for free, in an
attempt to get you to buy your repair parts there. You'll end up with a
generic code like P0172 instead of the Volvo code like 2-3-2.

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