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Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

posted by  someone claiming to be Adrien on  Fri Oct 31 11:56 CST 2003 [RELATED]

I own a 1994 850 with 122k that is stalling on me on a more and more regular basis. I cannot see any pattern in the behavior. I can be driving it anywhere from 3 to 300 miles. It does on of two things... It will stall at a stop. Usually in the most inconvenient place possible. It sometimes will start right back up, and other times will have to sit for up to 20 min. It turns over like mad, but will not catch. When it goes, it is fine again for a while.

I do not know if it is related, but it will also attempt to accelerate to very high RPMs. Usually when at a very low speed. It will attempt to drive it self off for a few minutes, then drop back down to normal again. This car has been to four shops, and is currently at a local Volvo dealer. No one yet has had any clue what is causing the issue. The dealer is not driving it enough to reproduce the problem and has not been able to pull any error codes. Nobody seems know what direction to head in troubleshooting the problem. I am at a total loss what to do with this vehicle. I have owned the vehicle for just under a year and would like to drive it for many more. Any suggestions are appreciated….

Adrien







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    Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

    posted by  mraldonnelly on  Tue Nov 4 02:03 CST 2003
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    Adrien,

    I had the same stalling problem on my '93 850. Called several main dealers and independent specialists in the UK and they all told me more or less the same thing - "You'll have to bring it in and we'll investigate. Don't know what it could be if the ECU shows no fault." Well I figured this would be expensive so decided against it. Well hell, if they don't even have an idea what it may be then how the hell are they going to find the fault? Come to think of it, how are they even in business?! By ripping people off obviously.

    Anyway, to the point, many a kind folk on this forum suggested the Fuel Pump Relay. After trying to source one from a parts supplier I eventually had to approach my main dealer and paid £37 for one (I believe they are under $50 in the USA). Fitted it and voila! Problem gone. No more stalling. Not even in the most embarrasing places at rush hour!

    Considering the Fuel Pump Relay appears to be such a common problem why the hell do none of the dealers or specialists know about it? Or do they? I'd say they do but just enjoy charging for doing nothing. My apologies to any good honest mechanics here by the way - my dig is only at the dishonest ones.

    As for the acceleration - do you have Cruise Control? If so, could it be a problem with that?

    Good luck. Keep us informed.

    Andy








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      Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

      posted by  mraldonnelly on  Tue Nov 4 02:06 CST 2003
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      Oh yes, sorry, forgot to mention that the fuel pump relay is located under the bonnet behind the fuses. It is in the fuse box compartment but you will first need to remove the screws to get the main cover off. You'll need a torx 25 driver. The fuel pump relay is relay number 103.








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    Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

    posted by  danielflading on  Fri Oct 31 14:25 CST 2003
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    Stalling: sounds like the fuel pump relay is acting up. not to be confused with the fuel system relay, they are different.

    as for the high revs, i would clean the throttle body it gets dirty and the throttle plate will stick.

    Dan








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      Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

      posted by  Adrien on  Sat Nov 1 06:03 CST 2003
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      The fuel pump relay is something i will look into. I have read it as a stalling cause several times now looking through all the messages boards.

      The throttle body did get cleaned out by a shop and did not seem to make a difference.

      Thanks for the help...

      Adrien








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    Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

    posted by  someone claiming to be yona on  Fri Oct 31 13:39 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    adrien:

    i would try to eliminate the obvious starting from the simplest.

    for the stalling check the following:
    -fuel filter (it may be plugged up with dirt)
    -fuel pump relay (most probable cause)
    -fuel pump itself (does it make a loud buzzing noise?)
    -distributor, wiring and coil (tune up items)

    for the revving up and down:
    -engine temp sensor on the engine block (check if bad or loose)
    -throttle body (get it cleaned)
    -cruise control (check if it gets stuck or activated somehow)



    yt855, 5spd, nonturbo, 90k







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      Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

      posted by  Adrien on  Sat Nov 1 06:13 CST 2003
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      The dealer has called and said that they are at a loss. They did say that it needs a new Thermostat and ECT sensor, but that it was not related to any of the problems, so you comment on the revving is interesting. Is the ECT sensor the same as the engine temp sensor on the engine block?

      We have had a tune-up done recently, replacing the cap, wires, etc., but not the coil. I have heard coils can be very sensitive to temperature, so that is another thought.

      The fuel pump does not make a loud buzzing sound.. Can i pickup the fuel pump relay mentioned at any auto parts store?


      So do i keep this car if i like it and keep trying pick through these things, or do I take a huge financial loss now and trade it in on something. Four shops not being able to figure it out, including two volvo shops and a volvo dealer, does not feel very encouraging?







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        Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

        posted by  someone claiming to be yona on  Sat Nov 1 18:31 CST 2003 [RELATED]

        Adrien:

        I used to own a 740 gle before i got the 850 and i read up on the bestest FAQ on the cars in here:
        http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EnginePerformanceSymptoms.htm

        Even though it was about the 700/900 series, most of the symptoms/remedies are essentially the same. so i highly recommend you print and read out this section. you will start recognizing things in there. back to you question:

        1. yes, ect is engine coolant temp. when the signal coming from it is bad, the computer thinks the engine is running cold and injects a richer mixture which causes revving. and then the computer cuts out the fuel supply to protect engine from over-revving.

        2. good to hear that there is no buzzing which means your fuelpump is ok. yes you can buy the relay (i think it is a bosch) from the dealer. just mention your vin# so that you get the right part.

        stalling is often caused by by a sudden interruption of fuel or spark so that's is where to focus.








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          Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

          posted by  someone claiming to be randyf on  Wed Nov 5 10:18 CST 2003 [RELATED]

          Adrien,

          I have a 94 850 which is doing what sounds like the exact same thing!- I have had a guy trying to get to the bottom of it, which is why I'm checking here. We did the motorvac and tune up stuff, but no better. One of the things that has been suggested is the cam sensor, and from what I hear, it is hard to diagnose definatively. Don't know about cost yet but will let you know if I find out ... keep me informed on any progress you make...

          Randy
          drfrancis@gov.pe.ca
          PEI Canada








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            Help!!! 1994 850 wagon problems! 850 1994

            posted by  randyf on  Fri Nov 7 02:47 CST 2003
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            Update : After some testing, now looking pretty hard at the crank sensor ( or RPM sensor). It seems to be somewhat cheaper than cam sensor so we may try that, subject to gettting the part here in (or to) eastern Canada. Still trying to confirm by checking for other opinions as well

            Randy







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