Minus the code, I had a similar issue on my 1982 245GLT that was caused by a bad ground cable coming off the battery. The problem was intermittent and resulted in difficulty starting and a whole bunch of electrical issues. The one distinctive thing about it was the starter cranking in a much weaker fashion than normal. Replaced the cable and the car drove like new.

Keep in mind, this was a 1982 200-series car, though, and K-Jet not LH, but the symptoms you are describing are strikingly similar

Just for good measure, if it were my 940, I'd check the ground cable coming off of the battery and make sure it's in good shape.
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A bottle of oil and some basic tools in the trunk. The highway is calling. Always remember the difference between durability and reliability. Embrace the old Volvo in your driveway. She's eager to please and, with a little TLC (and a few headaches), sh

Hello montysano,

To answer your question...the starter solenoid doesn't go thru the fuel pump relay. It is powered straight from ignition switch. And in auto transmission cars the solenoid wiring went thru another switch at the gear lever so it only starts in parking/neutral position.

If the car couldn't start it could be the ignition switch, the starter (but it ran previously) and the gear switch (if auto). The wiring to these components must be checked.

But as most of the electrical system in the engine doesn't work, I would suspect the ignition switch. For auto car try to start in neutral gear position. The gear switch can't be bad at two positions simultaneously. For the ignition switch it could be the switch itself or its electrical connector or both. Is the switch still the original part? i.e. haven't been replaced since the car was new...

You'd have to dismantle the lower dashboard cover (underneath the steering) to access this switch. Feel (due to limited space here) for the ignition switch electrical connector. Pull the connector out and have a look at its contacts. Clean all contacts - at the connector and on the switch. Connect back and try to start. The switch itself is hard to dismantle open to clean its insides. Its easier to replace with new. But try to clean its electrical contacts first before replacing.


Next...

Your AMM is powered by the radio suppression relay (RSR). The RSR gets its power straight from battery, not thru ignition switch or any switch. Only the relay's coil is powered by ECU (to turn it on). Faulty relay can cause reduced or no power to the AMM returning a 'no signal from AMM' code. You can try to replace this relay. Alternatively you can bypass this relay (to see if its faulty or not) by jumping a wire between terminal 87 and 30 at its connector. The terminal number diagram is on the relay's body. If there is no diagram the wires are green/red and red (for Regina and NA). For turbo cars the wires are grey and red.

Hope this helps.

Amarin.

Dear montysano,

Hope you're well. A faulty starter wouldn't result in a car "running poorly". Thus, if the charging system is sound, there could be a problem with the starter, but that isn't why the "running poorly" condition came to be.

How many miles? Among parts that could cause that condition: (a) crank (RPM) sensor, which - if it fails (usually due to water getting at the wires, due to insulation sheath cracks) - will keep the fuel pump from running after initial spin-up; (b) ignition power stage (usually causes a "no hot re-start" condition; (c) radio interference suppression relay (aka fuel injection relay); (d) fuel pump (if the engine has Bosch fuel / ignition management, there are two fuel pumps; if Rex-Regina fuel / ignition management, there is a single, in-tank fuel pump).

If the these first three items are factory original, they are likely at the end of their service life.

As to the starter, I'd clean all connections. A failed solenoid is possible. But that might let the starter run, but not engage the ring gear.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook