Group, I'm throwing this bottle! (more like a barrel...) I have a '88 240 wagon with 340,000 kms. It runs like a charm. So well in fact, that last month we were "that" close to buying a 2001 V40 - we even had left a deposit with the dealer - but changed our mind because it wasn't as smooth as this one. Of course, with this mileage, from time to time I have to change a few parts, but nothing major, just a little annoying when things break without notice... The only ungoing problem I've had with this car for the last two years is that it doesn't want to start when the temperature drops below 5 -10 degrees C. Let's have a look at the story so far: The first winter I had the car, five years ago, I killed the battery, but it was aged and needed being replaced anyway. Then I had to replace it again last year. This time, I got the most powerful one available. The mechanic at the shop I went to (Canadian Tire - a large chain I don't trust but I went there thinking my previous battery would still be under warranty) found nothing wrong with the charging system, which I found reassuring since I suspect this sort of place to tend to trick you into uneeded repairs. Anyway, I have this year a lot of cranking power but the car still won't start under 5, unless I plug in the block heater I had installed last year all night. When it's under 0 C (32 F) though, I have to crank it for 2 -3 minutes before it starts stumbling, even if it had been plugged. I had the starter rebuilt a couple of months ago, and it won't last long, I'm afraid. And this is nothing like it is going to be in the very cold of winter! When I got the car, it had "only" 260,000 kms on it and it was starting at the first turn of key (at the quarter of a turn, as we say). Only the battery went bad. After I changed the battery everything was OK for the rest of that winter. The following year, I experienced something else: Every now and then, while I was driving, engine would begin to stumble and lose power when I tempted to accelerate after a stop, but it would never stall. I only had to turn it of and start again and it would be fine! This lasted a couple years until one day, while I was dismantling the intake manifold to clean the air filter, I discovered that two hoses had cracks in them. I cut off the damaged end and I never experienced that problem again. Only, my engine nedded now three or four turns or more before it would fire up... It didn't worry me too much, though. But that seems to have been a turning point of sort. Every winter or so since then, I had to call the Auto Club for a boost at least 4 or 5 times. With my new battery, as I said, I have lots of power, but it won't last, I fear. Then, at the end of last winter, the car died on a red light. I had it towed home and I spent a week trying to figure it out: I already had the new battery, so I replaced also the plugs and wires, the distributor and the coil, and I diagnosed nothing wrong with the cold start valve, the O2 sensor, the coolant temp sensor, the throttle switch, the air mass meter as well as the knock sensor - I checked everything I was able to, according to the readings in my Haynes. For the first time in four years I resolved to have my car towed to the garage, where they found after an hour that the EFI module was faulty. I had it replaced for a used one - new ones sold for a mere </body>,200 - and I was back on the road. But my problem wasn't fixed. In the spring and summer there's nothing I can do about it, since there's no symptom. With the problem resurfacing again last month and being determined to get rid of it - the problem, not the car - I took it in for a routine check and mentionned the case. The mechanic at this Volvo only independent shop examined the fuel system and quickly diagnosed a failed check valve. He replaced it. That was last week. Problem is still there. I called another independent shop and they told me it might be the LH Jetronic ECU. I almost fainted. I don't want to go through this trial and error process! So far: Where should I look? Fuel pressure is apparently good, so must I assume the whole fuel system is OK? The EFI should now be all right. The electrical, I don't know... It seems so intricate that I'm a little lost. I've read a lot of posts about it and I feel it might just be a short ground somewhere or something like it. How can I find it myself? If I take it in for a full electrical check-in, I'm afraid it'll cost me a bundle. Oh, the symptoms: When cold, I have to crank it for 2-3 minutes or more before it begins to stumble. When it finally fires, it is VERY rough, as if only two out of four cylinders had fire. The engine almost jumps out of the bay and it stinks. It hesitates for 20-30 seconds then it picks up. After that, if I run it regularly during the day and don't let it cool off completely, it is fine. 1988 240DL Wagon Engine : B230F Jetronics : 2.2 That's about it. Group, you're my last hope... Thanks in advanve! Richard Bouchard.
