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1992 Volvo 940 surge and stall

Tiny
JWALLACE314
  • MEMBER
  • 1992 VOLVO 940
Engine Performance problem
1992 Volvo 940 Front Wheel Drive Automatic 154000 miles

Volvo 940GL 4cyl, 1992.

Cranks twice then stops cranking. If I hold the key in the crank position it will pause and try to turn over again. The car has not been running smoothly. I inspected the Radio (Noise) Suppression Relay by opening the case and visually inspecting, all looks good. I resiliconed the unit and put it back in place. It started okay right after I put the relay back in, but at 2500-3000rpm the car cuts out until the rpms drop down below 2500. So as the automatic transmission moves through the gears as soon as the engine speed hits these rpm it cuts out again. Sometimes, rarely, it runs smooth even at 2500-3000 rpm. Is there a particular sensor that needs to be changed? What do you make of this problem
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Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 AT 10:29 PM

14 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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Volvos in that year had a problem with the wiring harness, plus check the connector and look for wires that have bare spots. The insulation dilapidates and wires become exposed. Please inspect and get back to me.
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Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 AT 10:44 AM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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Hello Ken,
I checked the obvious wire harnesses, the ones I could visually inspect. I found a two-wire shielded harness with significant damage to the foil shield. The number on the wire is: Volvo 3547847. It is runs along the firewall and appears to attach to the top of the transmission on the drivers side. Could this affect the rpms around 2500-3000?
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Friday, April 11th, 2008 AT 11:43 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Have you had a tune up lately. It sounds like the ignition could be breaking down and causing the engine to missfire. Please let me know
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Friday, April 11th, 2008 AT 2:04 PM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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The car had a complete tune 10 months ago, but has only been driven 50 miles since the work was done. It past its emissions test two months ago, but has not run well enough to put any mileage on. The mechanic that did the work typically works on Japanese cars. When I recently called him he thought maybe it was an exhaust restriction. Is there an rpm sensor that may have gone bad?
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Friday, April 11th, 2008 AT 3:15 PM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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This 1992 Volvo 940GL still is not running. Three weeks ago it just died on the highway and we had to have it towed home. A week later it starts again and my son drives it to the store and back with no problems. Systematically, what should we replace first to try and find the issue? Could it be a bad coil getting too hot and shorting out, then cooling and starting again? You mentioned the wiring harness can harbor issues and other forums mention sensors going awry. What’s the next step?
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Friday, May 16th, 2008 AT 3:25 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
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You could throw parts at it til the end of time and still may not get it. Need to do some basic tests when it is dead, spark and fuel pressure, if both are there check for injector pulse with a noid light. If the car is running, there isnt really a problem to find unfortunatly
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008 AT 12:26 PM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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Thanks for the reply. I went to Dave's Volvo Page - Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 www. Davebarton. Com and ordered the three basic parts listed below. After reading posts all over the internet, these sensors and relays seemed to be the place to start and his site confirmed.

-Crank Sensor 3547847 $43.00
-Relay 3523608 $38.00
-Noise Suppression Relay 1323592 $36.00
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008 AT 2:17 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
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I can see the crank sensor causing intermittent stalling, which relay is it? Not sure if the noise supressor will cause it either, but hey he's the Volvo expert
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008 AT 4:25 PM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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3523608 New Relay, Original Volvo (Stribel),
WHITE (LH-Jetronic Fuel Injection).
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008 AT 7:23 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
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The main EFI relay, that could do it as well
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+1
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 AT 7:37 AM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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After replacing the little white electronic fuel relay and the crank timing sensor the Volvo came back to life. We have not had a down day sense the repairs.

The starter seems intermittent and the air conditioner need work next.

Any ideas on where to start trouble shooting the air conditioning? It was 103 degree here two days ago.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 AT 6:36 AM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
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Have to be sure it is full of 134a first, system wont work if the pressures arent right.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008 AT 7:57 AM
Tiny
JWALLACE314
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Okay, we had the air conditioning compressor tested and it is functional. The system is charged with coolant and holding pressure. The fan switch only works on high and the air conditioner won't turn on with the switch. The mechanic said something is wrong between the switch and the compressor, but he had no idea what.

Is there a special relay or some other piece of mechanical magic?
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Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 AT 9:53 AM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
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My software doesnt have the wiring diagram for your car. Follow the a/c lines and see if there are any pressure switches on them, if so they should pass the power through if they are working right and the pressures are correct. Also look in the underhood power center for an a/c relay, if it has one, use a test light to see if there is power going to the relay
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Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 AT 10:34 AM

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