Hello everyone,

This is my first Volvo and first post on these forums.

I purchased my '83 Volvo under a week ago, it was an inexpensive deal and exactly what I was looking for. I'm a college student, so money for car stuff is really tight. I just made a 750-mile drive from the Sacramento, CA area to Tacoma, WA for spring semester in the Volvo, with a bunch of my stuff loaded in the back. The car was really wonderful the whole way here, the only exceptions being a few odd quirks that I was aware of already.

Last night I went out to get some food and fuel up, after I filled the tank the car would no longer start. I'm no expert and I don't know the car very well yet, but the noises the engine makes sound somewhat different from what they were when starting it before. I can hear the fuel pump running and the relay clicks when the key is turned to the run position, so I don't think fuel supply is a problem. The previous owner replaced plugs, plug wires, dist. cap and rotor among other things (see list below) within the past few months, which makes me think it isn't the ignition system, but I haven't gotten out to check it yet.

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Unfortunately most of my tools are in California, but any insights into the nature of the problem would be appreciated.

During the drive up from California, the car developed some trouble in Oregon - what I believe to be tranny noise and also some clutch slippage when I press the gas hard in 4th (other gears don't slip for some reason). I've been playing around with the adjustable thermostat - I've had the coolant boil over a couple times and have filled it to the max mark once it stops each time... It doesn't overheat on the road, just when I stop. I've got it set properly for city driving now but this may have contributed to whatever issues it has now... I also lost some oil during the last 150 mile stretch of the drive - I checked it regularly and was topping it off at the fuel station just before the car refused to start. The clutch slippage may be that it was out of adjustment when I started the drive, and wore it down much faster because I forgot to check pedal free play before starting out. The tranny noise has me worried too... but now it won't even start.

It wasn't idling smoothly (not horribly either, just not great) before - but since it always started right up I hadn't started searching for the cause yet - I just needed the car to get me here. It did get me here but now I can't get it started to take it in to get the tranny and clutch checked out. The starter motor turns the engine, fuel seems to be getting to the injectors... other than that I haven't had time to check things yet.

Recently replaced by the previous owner:

New Elring headgasket kit (headgasket and every seal from the engine deck up)
New 60/63 Garett T3 turbocharger
90+ exhaust manifold
New Hepu Water pump
New OEM Volvo Timing Belt, Tensioner and Spring
Volvo "A" cam swapped in, new silencers and shims installed
New NGK BRP7ES plugs
New Bosch Cap and Rotor
New Bougicord (OEM) plug wires
New radiator hoses
Intercooled it
B230FT Intake manifold swap
New Clutch (OE)
ATP manual boost controller (I have this turned down to about stock boost right now)
New Fuel pump relay (have extras too)
New OE belts
new Vac lines
Porsche compressor bypass valve
All new K-jetronic seals, keepers, and retainers
Reasonably fresh rebuilt Kjet system including injectors
New OEM valve cover acorn nuts
S80 Electric fan + adjustable thermostat
New KYB front struts and rear shocks
New Upper Strut mount bushings
IPD poly bushed rear torque rods
Brembo OE replacement discs on all 4 corners
Mintex Redbox pads all four corners
cut springs 2 coils (this makes it hard for me to squeeze under the car...)
New master cylinder+fluid
New Engine wiring harness

I would disconnect the wire from the distributor cap that comes from the coil, and carefully hold it close to the frame to see if you have spark while cranking. Also verify the rotor is still turning.

Thanks for the suggestions robert240!

It delivers a spark from the coil, and the rotor moves when I crank the engine. The wires and connections all look good, and there wasn't any moisture under the distributor cap.

It seems like I have fuel and spark at this point... I lifted an edge of the timing belt cover (I don't have any sockets so I can't take it off!) and peeked under, the belt is intact and the teeth are in their grooves. I'm not discounting that it might have slipped, the mechanic/tow truck driver who helped me get it back to my parking lot here suggested that might have happened.

My battery is low enough on juice at this point (from my various troubleshooting efforts) where even if I found the issue and fixed it, the motor probably isn't cranking fast enough to start... I'll have to wait until I get a chance to take the battery somewhere I can get it charged. The battery had a full charge when the car first failed to start.

If anyone has any more suggestions for me, I would really appreciate them. Even if I can't try things now it would be great to have a list of possible suspects I could check for once I have a charged battery in it again.

Is it possible for a starter motor to only partially engage the flywheel (I'm assuming that's where it turns things, from experience with other vehicle makes)? I'm hearing a noise that reminds me of something I read in a Haynes manual for a Mazda pickup, about the starter motor teeth being broken or worn or something like that. It could also just be that I haven't started the car enough times to know what it should sound like, and I'm only paying a lot of attention now that I know there's a problem somewhere.

I know that the engine is turning over, the rotor moves and the belts all turn, but it seems slightly irregular and slow to me (again, this is probably just a combination of my battery running low and the irregularity could be compression building and releasing in the cylinders). The noise I'm hearing is a sort of rasping or dragging noise in addition to what I remember being the normal noises it makes just before kicking over.

If any other information is needed to help with ideas or diagnosis, please don't hesitate to post questions for me. Thanks in advance!

So you have spark. Now you'll want clean fuses 5, 7 and the 25A under the hood by the coil. Run a jumper wire between the left sides of fuses 5 and 7 and both pumps will start to run, try to start it with a good battery. If it doesn't start, unplug the air mass meter with the power off and try it agian. Listen to the main pump under the car it see if it sounds "stressed".

Lost oil and over-heating are not good signs. I would highly recommend doing a compression test on all 4 cylinders.

What does a "stressed" pump sound like? The one under the car (I assume in-tank?) hums and makes quick little clicking noises when the key is in the "run" position. The one under the hood just hums.

I'll go out and clean/check the fuses as recommended.

I believe I have the CI-type fuel injection... The Bentley manual for 240s only has a section on air mass meters for the LH-type fuel injection. I know next to nothing about either system, so I wouldn't even know where to look since it doesn't seem to be in the manual for CI-type fuel injection.

I went out to clean and check the fuses and couldn't find the 25A fuse near the coil, so I came back in and started searching in the Bentley manual.

The manual indicates that turbocharged models in the 1983-1985 model years used the CI-type (Continuous Injection) fuel injection system, the LH-type Bosch injection system was used on 1983-1993 non-turbo models. The CI-type injection does not have an air mass meter shown in the manual, and the 25A fuse in question is labeled on a fuse location diagram as "214 - LH fuel system fuse." I'm guessing this tells me that I don't have that 25A fuse either.

The fuse location diagram doesn't show a similar fuse for the CI system. I know that on my vehicle, the fuel pump relay is on the driver side, above the left side of the driver foot well instead of under the glove box, and there is a "CIS control unit (turbo)" near where the fuel relay is on non-turbo vehicles. CIS is the Constant Idle Speed System, the Bentley manual section on it reads as follows:


GENERAL
1983-85 turbocharged engines use a constant idle speed (CIS) system. See Fig. 1. The CIS system maintains idle speed within a 40-rpm range by regulating the amount of air that bypasses the closed throttle valve.

I'm also going to check the CIS system fuse (no. 13) now, and clean its contacts. Then I'll check+clean the connections at the CIS control unit. The troubleshooting section for the CIS says to check the connections at the air control valve, throttle switch, and coolant temperature sensor so I'm going to try and do those as well.

I'll also follow the instructions in the electrical tests section (I do actually have a multimeter).

Anyone have other suggestions?

The test section for the CIS control unit had directions for testing the connectors, apparently there is no way to test the operation of the unit itself - but a bad one can make a vehicle idle improperly. The connectors all tested out OK and the unit gets voltage when the key is in the "run" position.

Does anyone have any more suggestions for what I can check?

I'm really hoping I can get the Volvo running again so I don't have to pay for a tow into a shop...

UPDATE: This Volvo is now back on the road and running reasonably well.

I gave up since I didn't have the tools or good weather outside to pursue this issue any more, and took it in to a reputable import mechanic.

As it turns out, the previous owner had made a mistake when installing the new (yes, it was new) timing belt. The metal plates down near the tensioner pulley that keep the belt from slipping off have 5 bolts and an aligning stud that hold them in place. Three of the bolts he used when reinstalling the assembly were too long, and when he torqued them down they smashed into the plate, denting it in toward the belt. All 750 miles from California to Tacoma, that belt was pressed against this plate, wearing down. I'm really lucky it didn't quit on me while I was on the road! The job wasn't cheap and I also paid to have the head gasket (also reportedly new) checked for leaks because the technician saw more steam than is common for this area on cold starts. There's a new timing belt and new plates installed now, the engine runs smoothly once warmed up, and the shop performed extensive compression/leak-down/coolant pressurization tests with no leaks found. I still don't know where the steam comes from, but it doesn't appear to be a major issue at this time.

I kept the dented plate and abused timing belt for evidence. The belt had worn down to a point where it was only about half the width it is supposed to be, but somehow hadn't actually broken - its a miracle it ran for so long while slipping teeth! I'm also lucky that since the B21F+T is technically an interference motor, there was no damage to the pistons and/or valves!

I had a very similar problem recently, and for me it ended up being the fuse that's located right by the battery and the starting coil, it is a lone fuse. Your situation is very similar with the relay clicking and everything so if you have not tried it already, check that fuse, cause it can blow randomly and without any warning.
Good luck to you and I hope this helps.