I'm at my wit's end!!! I've taken my Volvo in for this issue twice now. I've typed into this forum twice now for the same issue. I'm about ready to rip my hair out!!! Here's the problem:

When the engine is warmed up, whether the car is in gear or not, at random instances, the car will not respond to me pressing on the gas pedal and the tach needle will bounce up and down as the engine revs up and down, over and over. If I'm driving, no matter what speed I'm at, it will rev up and down and stay at the speed I'm driving at or will begin to slow down, and then all of a sudden, will respond normally as if nothing had ever happened. I have to keep my foot on the brake and the gas when I'm at a stop, just to keep the rpm's up, but, when I let off of the gas, the car won't budge until the engine reving stops and it randomly goes back to normal for awhile. Again, the problem is only occuring when the car is warmed up.

I've taken it to my mechanic, who is a Volvo specialist, and he says the car is definately a one of a kind problem. The last time it was in, they regrounded every connection and that seemed to solve the problem for 3 or four months. But, it's happening again.

Recently, I took it in because the check engine lamp came on. They found a leak in the manifold, puttied it up, and the problem seems to have gone away.

Other recent problems are: the radio will work for about half a minute and then cut out and will not work, and, the check engine oil light and oil pressure light flicker on and off, randomly, together.

I've got some major issues and I'm about ready to take a sledge hammer to what I thought was a reliable vehicle.

Please help me,

Mason Schreiber

And the stupidest question: Has your fuel system been cleaned? Could this problem be caused by irratic gas flow due to a clogged fuel filter+dirty injectors and a gummed up throttle body?
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Brandon
95 854T 92k
Pictures =)

Yes, my mechanic completely cleaned the injectors, checked the filters, etc. Thanks though.

Mason

Amazing. At first I would have bet you lived on either the East or West coast, near salt water. But I checked your profile. Is the car from either Florida or Louisiana by any chance? Sure sounds like an electrical problem coming and going. Stupid question, but has the PNP been replaced?

What is the PNP valve? I don't think this has been replaced.

Mason

Has electrical part of your ignition switch been replaced? it sounds like you have some of the symptoms.

The reving/stalling issue sounds like your tranny is giving up the ghost.

What do you mean by "putty up the manifold"? Is there a physical hole in one of the manifolds? Bad gasket?

Good Luck
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RussB in Ct '96 855T - '91 944T

I guess there is a crack in the manifold. They said they could replace it (expensive) or that they could use a new kind of putty that is quite effective. It seems to be doing the job. I haven't had any parts replaced at this point.

Did you ever resolve the starting issues from your previous posts? When the ignition switch is going bad, lots of "Gremlins" can start running wild in the electrical system.

Any codes stored?

http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/ignit_switch.htm
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RussB in Ct '96 855T - '91 944T

Yes, accually. Thank you for asking. My mechanics got the problem to occur (three months ago) while the car was hooked up to their computer. They found that there was a voltage spike happening at at certain area. They checked that part and found it was functional. Their next step was to reground all of the grounding contacts. They did this and the problem ceased to exist, for three months. Now it's back. I'm wondering what to do at this point. My mechanics are very confused and say that my car is definately a one of a kind problem. They say that the previous owner had had a front end collision with this vehicle and it's had little problems like this ever since.


Mason

I don't think the collision has anything to do w/ it. Sounds like the car was in the water for a while? Possibly needs new wiring?
Also, sounds that your mechanics are not sure what to touch. I 'd go to a dealer and ask them to diagnose the problem.
I had a lose connection between transmission and the speedometer, and my mechanic (who I think is "good") did not seem to know what to touch-suggested to replace "this" or "that", said he needs the car in the shop "for a couple of days". Since I did not have time, I took it to the dealer, and they found a lost connection after 2 days, using Volvo diagnostics and connectors testers. I thik it would take my mechanic a week to find the problem. i paid $360 to the dealer, but I had the car running.