I have a 1997 850 GLT wagon that has an intermittent starting problem. Approx. 2 to 3 times a month, the car just won't start. The engine turns over, but doesn't seem as though it is getting any gas. We typically have to wait a few hours and then the car finally starts. Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

MJB

my wifes car did the same thing anbd it turnede out to be the Crankshaft position sensor. the computer did not know when to fire the plugs i guess.

replaced the sensor and it fixed the problem

Dan

I may be dumb, but it sounds like a battery problem to me. But if it's turning over maybe it's not. Well..... good luck!!

Does this occur after the car has been run a few seconds (like starting
it to move it out of the garage)? That can cause this sort of problem.
Make sure you run the car for a minute or two any time it is started;
even if only moving it a short distance.

Oh, this problem is called the "Lawn mower syndrome" in case you want
to search the archives (in that you move the car to get the lawn
mower out of the garage).

Thanks Ray
It doesn't necessary happen after the car has been run for a short time. I located the below info on another site. Ever heard of this:

ALL VOLVO FUEL INJECTION MODELS - Intermittent poor/non start. Has vehicle got a radio suppression relay? (white color near front fender) If yes REPLACE! (radio suppression relay supplies injector 12volts - any problems here can cause injector mis-operation)

Nope. Never heard of that.

Also, if you have the lawn mower syndrome the engine actually
floods. You will smell fuel (particularly around the exhaust) and
the engine will crank over very quickly (the extra fuel keeps
the piston rings from sealing so the engine has no compression and
can crank very fast). If you don't smell fuel or the engine sounds
like it normally does when starting, then it is probably not the
lawn mower syndrome.

These can be real hard to trouble-shoot.

I had a 1996 850 with a similar issue. The problem coincided with running the car for a very brief period after it was cold and then trying to start it up some time after that. The dealer indicated this was an idiosyncracy with 850s. Since then, I would always let it run for a few minutes before turning it off, if the engine was still cold. The problem never returned...

Thanks Chris
It doesn't necessary happen after the car has been run for a short time. I located the below info on another site. Ever heard of this:

ALL VOLVO FUEL INJECTION MODELS - Intermittent poor/non start. Has vehicle got a radio suppression relay? (white color near front fender) If yes REPLACE! (radio suppression relay supplies injector 12volts - any problems here can cause injector mis-operation)