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Volvo Repair Questions and Answers

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Question: I just bought a used 1997 Volvo 960 sedan with 119,000 miles, 6 cylinder. It started fine when I bought it. Used it several times the first day with 3 -4 hour intervals before starting and no problems. Left overnight it would not turn over. There was a click and the belt starts to turn. I was able to jump it and it started. Now after sitting 36 hours or can not be jumped. I have checked all fuses. what might it be and what should I do?

Answer: First, check the battery terminal connections, they should be clean and tight, next check the battery surface voltage, (engine off) if it is below 12.4 volts the battery needs to be charged before you can go further. If the battery does not accept a full charge replace it with a new unit. After installing the battery start the car and test the alternator output, it should be between 13.6 volts and 14.2 volts at idle. If the voltage is lower, replace the alternator with new and retest system. Please let us know how it goes, Thanks for visiting 2CarPros.com

Question:  1999 Volvo V70 2.4l 5 cyl turbo mileage: 5,000.  Previously (200/700/900 series) Volvo recommended a full AT flush every 20K miles.  Now (850/70 series) they do not call for any changes at all.  Several owners feel that this is because newer technology in the electronically controlled AT units (with lock-up in 3 of the 4 gears) does not harm the fluid as the older AT units did, hence does not need new fluid over the life of the car.  Furthermore, they claim that new fluid could actually be harmful, as the possibility exists that microscopic dirt particles enter the AT and cause damage.   With this as background, my questions are about newer electronic AT units in general, not just the Volvo units in particular: 1) Do newer electronic AT units need periodic fluid changes?  If so, at what interval?  2) Is it better to do a complete flush and fill over a longer duration or a partial drain and top-off over a shorter duration?  (The question arises because a complete flush and fill may be quite difficult to do, while a partial drain and top-off can potentially be done at every oil change.)  3) Have you ever heard of dirt introduced via the dipstick or with fresh fluid destroying a newer AT unit?  Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:   Heat build-up is what shortens the life of automatic transmission fluid.  The newer transmissions with the lock-up torque converters eliminate the heat normally caused by converter “slip.”  Follow the car manufactures service recommendations for servicing the transmission.  They have research staff that studies these things.  If the dipstick is wiped clean before checking the fluid, it should not add dirt to the transmission.

Question: 1990 740GL mileage: 169K. I had the fuel pump replaced in December (there is only one in this model, inside the fuel tank). Last weekend the car failed some miles from home; the local mechanic told me it was the fuel pump and replaced it. I made it almost home and the car failed again. Had it towed in to the guy who did the work in December, and he called to tell me it's the FUEL PUMP!! I'm at my wit's end!! How can this be??

Answer: Assuming you have the correct fuel pump installed, if you have a plugged filter, it will continue to burn out the pump. It is also possible you are getting poor quality pumps.

Follow-up: Okay you guys, here comes the punch line: 3 weeks, 3 tow trucks and 3 fuel pumps later, We finally found someone at Volvo who knew what he was talking about. Seems the model I have, with only one fuel pump, was only in production for about 6 months. The fuel pump that Volvo kept sending out to my mechanics was one for the 2 fuel pump model. It looks like an overgrown spark plug, with a 3 prong attachment on one end. The REAL fuel pump for this car (which is finally in there following good advice from the one person at Volvo who knew this particular model) is a labyrinth of hoses and pipes and baskets and is about 10 times the size of the one they kept putting in there - on Volvo's advice - and that kept burning out. What an episode.

Response from Bob and Ken: Your episode points out the fact that replacement parts need to be identical to the original ones. In all fairness to your mechanic, he/she may have thought the part he received was an upgraded pump. Normally, however, there are instructions in upgraded parts that explain the upgrade.

Question: 1995 Volvo GLT 854 mileage: 161,500. My car lost pressure when accelerating and started to putter then stalled out and I had it towed. The dealership told me that they could not duplicate the problem and I picked it up. The next day, I drove about 15-miles, filled the tank and the car lost pressure when accelerating, putted then stalled out. I had it towed to the dealership and they could not duplicate the problem. Today, they still have not identified the problem. I was told that they replace the CPU, but that was not the problem. Then I was told that I needed to replace my rotor button, distributor caps, and spark plug wires. I need your help.

Answer: Intermittent problems are difficult to trace. From what you have described, we would start by replacing the fuel pump and filter.

Question: 1986 Volvo 760 Turbo 2.3l mileage: 180,000. I want to put a "remote lock system" in my car so I can open the car with my key chain instead of using the key. Am I able to do this? If so what do I need to get?

Answer: There are several aftermarket alarm systems that you can install on your car that have the ability to lock and unlock the door with a remote device.

Question: 1991 Volvo 740 4 cyl. mileage: 145,000. At times, our air conditioner doesn't cool properly. The electric fan doesn't seem to come on. I've tried jumping the thermal switch on the radiator and got the fan and a/c to work properly. Before changing the thermal switch, I would like to know if there is a high-pressure switch located on the high side of the a/c system. I know of a low-pressure switch cut out. I suspect if there is a high-pressure switch, that it may have gone bad and not allow the electric fan to kick in. If the condenser does not have sufficient cooling (stop and go), then the a/c won't cool properly. If there is no high-pressure switch in the system, then I will change the thermal switch located on the radiator. Your thoughts would be appreciated. I know that there is no leak, the compressor is good, and the filter/dryer is super cold.

Answer: The filter drier on your air-conditioning system should not be super cold when the system is running. The filter drier is probably plugged resulting in a pressure drop, which makes it super cold. The filter drier should be replaced.

Question: 1983 Volvo DL 4 cyl no turbo mileage: 225,000. After running at highway speeds when it's hot outside, I can't get the tranny to go out of overdrive. I've tried shifting into 4th and even 3rd without any luck. It kind of goes between both gears like it's slipping and seems real hard on the gears. I believe that the overdrive filter may be plugged according to a manual I was looking at but would like another opinion to feel better. Is the fluid really ATF? Any help would really be appreciated since I recently moved and can't find my manual! Thanks a lot.

Answer: Your problem with the transmission not shifting out of overdrive is probably due to an internal transmission problem. Changing the fluid in the transmission may help. If not, it may be time for some internal repair work.

Follow-up: I have faced this before, and the cause of the problem is black gunk inside the solenoid. The black gunk is finely divided iron "dust" that's attracted and held by the magnetic field. This problem occurs on cars with high mileage (one of my Volvos did it a second time when the odometer rolled over 425,000 miles). The "gunk" packs in so tight that the solenoid can't switch out even when the current is stopped and the magnetic field disappears. Thus, the solenoid plunger is glued in the "on" position, and the OD continues to receive hydraulic pressure. (In reverse, this can damage the OD.) The solenoid can be removed, disassembled, cleaned, and reinstalled in under an hour for $0 by anyone who doesn't mind a bit of grease. Don Lakeville, MA

Question: 1988 Volvo 760 2.3l DOHC mileage: 66,000. I just replaced the head gasket and timing belt after a water leak into the oil. I completely rinsed the engine with fresh oil and followed all instructions on replacing each hydraulic lifter into the same slot. It runs great except that the lifters are making me deaf, which they did not do before the repair. Do I need to replace the lifters because of the possibility of water in them? Can I replace them without replacing the camshafts? How can I determine if they're bad? Thanks.

Answer: Check the oil flow to the valve train in the cylinder head. When changing the head gasket, the passage may have been blocked. If there is oil flow, then you may have to replace the hydraulic lifters.

Question:  1998 Volvo S70  mileage: 16,000.   No cold air from air conditioner. Dealer's mechanic added 1/2 quantity of Freon and a "black light sensitive dye" to identify leaks.  Told me to drive car until no cold air again, then to bring it in and they would use light to find leaks.   When air is on there is a pungent/sweet smell and switching noise every 15 seconds.  Couldn't stand smell so turned off air.  2 days later with fans off still smell the pungent smell.  Have to drive with windows open.  Am I smelling Freon?  Dealer says no.   Didn't have smell problem before Freon added.   Where do I go from here?

Answer:  The dealer is right and possibly wrong.  The Freon has no odor to it.  We are not familiar with the “black light sensitive dye” that was added and that may be what you smell.  Because you smell this pungent odor with the air-conditioner on, there is a good chance that the evaporator coil is the source of your air-conditioning problems.

Question:  1990 Volvo 740 turbo 2.3 mileage: 145,683. My cars idle speed is low and it stalls out when I slow to a stop.  I had the codes read and here are the results of the report.  241-EGR system flows too low.  311-Speedometer signal absent.  121-MAF sensors signal absent or faulty.  What could the possible problem be?  Please troubleshoot this for me.

 Answer:  Check to see that the catalytic converter is not plugged or restricted.   Also, check the speedometer signal generator in the transmission.

Question:  1995 Volvo 850 turbo mileage: 80,000.  If a fuel injected car runs out of gas, will the engine be damaged?

Answer:  Running out of gas should not damage the engine, however, if one were to keep trying to start the engine with no gas, the fuel pump may be damaged.

Question:  1987 Volvo 740 Turbo Diesel mileage: 2000!  I have recently put in a refurbished 2.4l turbo diesel engine in my Volvo and driven approx. 2000 miles.  Every day last week it took longer and longer for the oil light to switch off after cold start.  Now it takes more than 5 minutes to switch off.  When the engine is warm, there is no problem.  I have changed out the oil pressure sender, but no change.   I use half synthetic oil.  The car is left in the garage now.  Can you give me any suggestion?

Answer:   Verify the oil pressure by removing the oil pressure-sending unit and replacing it temporally with a mechanical oil pressure gauge.  Start the engine and observe the oil pressure gauge.  If the oil pressure is satisfactory, the problem is in your dash warning light.  If it is not satisfactory, which unfortunately is what we suspect, then you have internal engine problems.

Question:  1986 740 Volvo Turbo 4 mileage: 300,000.  Manual Transmission. Overdrive button on shift lever.  Overdrive will not engage until it gets good and ready.  It then may pop out several times before it finally stays in overdrive.  I just have to keep pushing the button until it finally engages.

Answer:  The switch for the overdrive is likely worn out and must be replaced.

Question:  1994 Volvo 940 turbo 4 cyl mileage: 72,562.  The brake lights won't work. I have done the obvious.  Checked the fuses; checked the wires; checked the bulbs; and even replaced the brake light switch.  I am at a total loss.  The car was repaired by a shop for the same thing 2 months ago.  I have figured out that the shift lock and the brake light switch are one in the same.   Any leads?

Answer:  Check for 12 volts into and out of the brake light switch.  Then trace the 12-volt power.

Question:  1986 Volvo 740 turbo fuel inj. 4cyl. mileage: 86,000.  I am having problems starting my Volvo.  I’ve changed the spark plugs, the fuel pressure regulator, and the fuel filter. I’m trying to figure out if there is a cold start valve or something else that does the same thing.

Answer:  Check the thermo time switch it may be faulty.  It controls the cold start injector. 

Question:  1985 Volvo 4 cyl mileage: 152,000. The oil filter lid was not tightened during a tune-up and I drove for one week with an oil leak. The oil light flickered on 4 times (when I was stopped or turning corners) on a 20 mile trip-Barely long enough for me to be sure it was the oil light. Well, I got it fixed- (I also had to add 2 1/2 quarts oil when I got home-) Do you think any internal engine damage was done from driving with oil too low? It sounds fine-I just don't know if I should have stopped immediately, but I could barely tell it was engine light, it was so quick. When I got home the dipstick had no oil on it-but I guess there was probably some oil in the engine.

Answer:  Driving a car with low oil pressure in not good. Was any damage done to the engine? Hard to tell without an engine tear down. You mentioned the engine sounds fine. That is a good sign. At this point what do you have to loose by just driving the car and waiting for a knock to develop. You may luck out and the engine may be okay.

Question:  1984 Volvo 240 G: wagon, mileage: 100,110. While driving in rainy conditions, the engine died giving it gas on an uphill grade. Now it won't start again.

Answer:  Here are some things to have checked: 1. Check to see if the timing belt has failed, 2. Check for ignition spark at spark plugs, 3. Check for fuel pressure.

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