...and won't start back up.

I was driving home from work and had just

vectored in on a parking spot (hey, its war

in San Fran). I put my car in neutral to

wait out the other driver looking for a CD

to listen to. Just as I did this, my car

started to hiccup and then died. I tried

to start it back up, but it would only

hiccup a few times and never really turn

over.

The other data I have gathered is:

-nothing dripping

-no distinct smell or burning under hood

-minimal smoke came out after removing the oil cap

-temperature gauge hand is at 3o'clock

-belts all look to be intact

This is all I have to offer. Anyone have any input

on this problem?

Also, anyone have a Volvo shop in SF that they could

recommend? This car is no longer covered and the

local dealers don't appeal to me at all.

Thanks in advance!

John

If you are looking for a recommendation for a volvo shop in San Francisco, then try calling Centrum Volvo, I have gone to them for the last 3 years and have found the service excellent. prices are definately lower than the dealers costs. ask for john... he seems to be honest and straight forward in his advise. good luck

Not long after I got my 94 850 turbo, it died when I was idling in traffic. It would not start for about 20 minutes. My mechanic later told me it was because I was sitting there with the AC and lights on and the battery was being drained. I wasn't moving enough to allow the battery to be charged. The computer, to protect itself, will shut down the engine and not let it start for a while. I can't remember exactly but I think it turned over a little, but not much, and then just sat there. After 20 minutes or so, it started.

It worked well, until a few days later when I went to start it and the battery was totally dead. So I got a new battery and it has worked perfectly during the two years since then.

My first question would be what codes you got.

Check out Volvospeed.com, Bay 13, and read your codes. If you could get your car started it would be better, since if you could, you could check for idiot lights, which are a clear indicator for codes.

What was the climate like at the time?

Unfortunately i don't have access to a machine

that can pull codes.

I will bring it into a shop and see what they have

to say.

After thinking about it some more and trying to car

once again tonight, i'm thinking it may be more

fuel related. The car has 12 gallons, yet it died

like it wasn't getting enough fuel. It will try to

start, but just isn't firing. Pure speculation on

my part, in any case.

The climate was pretty warm today. approx. 75 degrees F

John

Some 850's have a module at the front of the hood on the passenger side that allows people to read codes. I believe it was 92-95, but it won't hurt to check.

Looks like this

http://volvospeed.com/CheckEngine.htm

I've noticed on VERY humid and hot days, some 850's stutter and seem like they are going to stall just after start up. Related?

There are no diagnostic modules on cars made after 1996. Have to use the scan tool.

I don't think that the weather could have

been very much of a factor. The car started

fine this morning, fine at lunch and again

when I was leaving work.

It just happened to die when I was 5 minutes from

home. I will see if I can pull any codes and report

them in the morning.

Thanks!

John

So you have that module? Great!

No problem.

I looked for the module this morning and

don't think my car has one. Tried to start

her up again, but no change from yesterday.

I did happen to notice that when the ignition

has been turned on, there is a slight hum

coming from under the hood. Even with the car

off, this hum is noticable but goes away after

a few minutes. It seems to me that this is coming

from the turbo/flame trap area. I don't have

torx so I couldn't remove the one screw that

was holding a cover over this area.

The current plan is to have it towed and looked

at. I'll report what the mechanic finds.

John

John M: That hum you are hearing has nothing to do with your no-start problem. The hum is perfectly normal. That's the sound of the cooling fan which cools the ECU modules for the engine & trans. This fan runs for a brief period after the ignition is switched off to cool the ECU modules. You fellas should be aware that there is an air filter at the opening of the plastic tube that routes to the ECU box. You should check this every couple of years or as I do, and replace it when you replace the pollen filter.

Bou Bou

Bou Bou, hood open, looking at the engine, where exactly is this tube located?

Try the fuel pumps. My car had a very similar problem and it turned out to be the in tank fuel pump. There are 2 pumps total.