Hello,

I'm new to being a Volvo owner this year!

So this started out as an intermittent problem. The car runs great, except randomly it would not start, usually when I was out driving around, and has progressively gotten worse resulting in two tows. Now it will not start what so ever.

In the no-start condition I am not getting any spark. I have narrowed the problem down to being the hall effect sensor in the distributor. When I am cranking the engine the tach stays at 0 and does not move or jump around, pointing to the hall effect sensor. Using a volt meter on the connector wire to the hall effect sensor on the distributor, I show that the positive is showing 12.45v, negative is a good ground, the signal out in the middle shows 5v, all of this with the ignition key in the on position.

I removed the distributor & hooked it up to the battery with jumper wires bringing 12v to the Positive & grounding the negative connection. The middle connector of the hall effect sensor signal, I hook up to my voltmeter & spin the distributor. it registers around 4.5mv - 5 mv or 0 depending on whether the shield of the distributor is blocking the pickup sensor or leaving it open. From what I have gathered on the internet it should be around 5 volts.

Based on this I ordered a reman distributor for A1Cardone. Tried to install it & it looks different than my original distributor on my car. Apparently my distributor is the 14mm shaft distributor & the only one I'm able to purchase anywhere that I can find on the internet is the 10mm shaft distributor.

I have also tried to order just the sensor for the 14mm shaft distributor with no luck either. I have been refunded after paying for it, the seller telling me that it is no longer available.

So Based on no longer being able to get the part I need, are there any other options, like possibly just swapping out the 10mm shaft distributor instead of the 14mm shaft distributor. Obviously I would just need a to swap out the rotor & cap also. my only concern with trying this is the pick up sensor on my 14mm shaft distributor is at approx the 9 o'clock position & the 10mm shaft distributor hall effect sensor is at the 12 o'clock position, which makes me think this option is not a sound one.

Is it possible to bring my old hall effect sensor to an electronic shop & have them fix it by putting a new pick up sensor on it? I'm assuming the wiring is still good just because it is showing a difference in signal when turning the shaft.

Or do I just now own a giant rolling paperweight that I can no longer get the part for it?

Any suggestions or advise would be great!

Thanks!

1985 Volvo 244 DL manual transmission. 2.3L non-turbo

Update:

Installed the new distributor & still a no start. Put the original back on. Traced the wires from the ecu mounted on passenger side fender, under the engine & cut open the sheathing all the way up to the point where they split in 2 directions, & the wires were in great condition. There was also another wiring harness that was coming from the starter & the knock sensor that was very deteriorated & all kinds of copper was exposed & green from corrosion. it was so bad that what i thought was just 1 wired ended up being 2 wires a black one & a red wire. Replaced these wires with new wiring & routed everything back & connected everything. Still no start.

I checked the fuel relay which according to one of those troubleshooting guides, both of those are engaged after hitting the start on the key. All the readings at the ignition coil are 12 volt "1" "15"

Still a no start rolling paperweight.

Update!

So today looking at the wiring once again & was messing with the fuse directly off of the battery. I have unplugged & reinserted this many times while messing with the no-start issue. This time I noticed that one of the connectors on one of the blades of this fuse was kind of bent & not making a good connection. I used a sharp object to go into the fuse block & bend it to make a tight fit onto the fuse. Inserted the fuse, & turned the key. AMAZING! The car started right up. I've started it multiple times & took it for a test drive with no problems. It runs great once again!

Thank you for all of your suggestions & help!

Thank you for letting us know the solution you found for your problem.

We learn or refresh our mind about trouble shooting.

Happy you got it back on the road.

Proverb: if you hear hoofbeats coming up behind you, don't think Zebra....

You might want to replace that fuse holder with a new water resistant style meant for marine use, solder it and replace the battery connection. This fuse is a well known problem on pre 91 240's.
Dan

so now you have a spare distrib.

I'd suggest that --- keeping in mind that the "Wiring Harness" cud be the issue:

Take the Volvo Problem Solver book and go thru the steps for No Start and then on to the later pages that pertain to your particular model config --- Ignition - Fuel System.

If you read the forward to that book you will discover that it was written with the input of several Dealer and Inde employed working Volvo Techs -- with the intended readeres being other working Volvo Techs with paying customers. Volvo Mechanics knowledge for Volvo mechanics. (IPD sold it when it came out $65 per copy- yes pre laser printers and graphics. But then your model was assembled in 1984-5)

I've had the actual book for years. It came in a looseleaf binder. You may want to print out the pages for your Model year.

This may be a better way to go, rather than posting questions here and getting scattershot answers.

Good Luck Post your progress.

Hi,

Have you tried checking the wires with this guide?

http://cleanflametrap.com/manIgnition76.jpg

Try looking really good at the yellow wire near the top of the fender unit.
I have pulled it when I thought it was not making a good connection and soldered it to the pin on the controller. I never had another issue with failure to start until I had a rotor button go bad inside the distributor.

Alway check your spark starting from the end of the long coil wire to a strut stud or engine block surface made of metal. I use a strut stud because I can see it from the cars front seat.
It should spark about one quarter of an inch or .250. A coil wire is extra money in sets of wires and get very old.

Note: Recite this,
6x4=.24. One MM = .03937 or (4).
Divide or multiply and you never end up with out being converted!
You will end up using less cuss words!
But then, someone's gonna think you are close enough for consideration elsewhere!
Be careful with that Invisble stuff!
(:-)

Phil

Hi and welcome,

Something about your testing of the dizzy out of the car didn't sound right to me. The Hall device is a switch, so you don't see "output" whether you measure in AC or DC mode on a meter. The usual fault is with the internal wiring inside the dizzy from plug to the Hall-effect module itself. It loses its insulation, becomes intermittent, and shorts out. Many have fixed these with a bit of disassembly and application of something like "liquid electrical tape."

Maybe you have gone in that far, but the remarks about 5V and millivolts measured tells me you expect voltage out, but it is just a switch. I'd expect what you saw from a good one.

I used this back when I could pretty surely count on finding one in the junkyard.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming 1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it, 2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
-Patrick Murra

Thank you for the information & the diagram. I was expecting the voltage to be an output & had no idea it was just a switch. Will have to maybe take it apart a little bit more & hopefully it is just the loss of insulation.

Thank you again this was very helpful!

Great, I see you have a part on the way. Glad to hear you won't be shoving the car into a river...


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Take imagination to its limits but draw no conclusions without solid experimental proof. -- Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon

that looks like a mess for sure!

Before you get another Distrib you should CHECK the WIRES that run from the Ignition Module --- that box marked VOLVO --- mounted on the RT fender by the washer fluid res. ...They wires run under the front of the engine under the crank pulley and up to the distrib.

Your Volvo is in one of the years that suffered from a disintergrating Wiring Harness. The insulation fails and the wires short out. The Ignition wires that run under the frnt get a lot of oil dripping on them from leaks etc.

The wires run inside a plastic sleave and you may have to slice that to see the wires.


For manual and Guides

Go Here
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/?dir=volvo/Trouble%20Shooting%20Guides
and download...an oldie but good guide.

Volvo Problem Solver Advanced Edition-1.pdf

Then go to the home page to find the Volvo Green Books...the Volvo Tech guides.
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/?dir=

Thank you for the response on the wiring. I will check those wires out if for some reason the replacement distributor doesn't fix the problem. I'm hoping that the wires are still good in the plastic sleeve. I've noticed on the ends of a lot of the wires in the engine compartment there is electrical tape on all of them from the disintegrating wires you are referring to. I'm kind of thinking the wiring may be ok at the moment, because with my voltmeter in the no start condition the plug that connects to the sensor shows a good ground, 5V for the center, & 12V for the positive.

I appreciate the links to the wiring diagrams, those will prove to be useful!

Thanks Again!

call or email these guys for a Used Distrib.

http://www.voluparts.com/

I just called this shop & they were very helpful & friendly. He had one in stock & are shipping it out to me today.

thank you for the link!

I'll post once I install it to let you know if that fixed the problem!

Thanks again for all the Help!

Im not sure if it applies to your model but on a Ford I had once had a pin that broke in the base of the distributor & that was a simple fix when I knew what to look for.

maybe a used 1-

http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

good luck, chuck.

Chuck!

thanks for the link to the parts place.

I will keep it bookmarked!

Thanks!