Should I preventatively replace at 218,000 original miles before a long trip in rural, non old Volvo frequented places? Works fine now.

If so, what type? Original Volvo goes for $133. Beck Arnley is about $43.

Thanks.

I replace mine about every 7 to 10 years. To the best of my knowledge this part has no mileage based prevention plan. If it fails in remote situation I may pinch the return line to keep the fuel pressure up and plug its vacuum line to manifold - whatever works. Let LH compensate for the rest - but this is all theoretical.

I last replaced mine in 2009 for $53 (Bosch#0280160294). Bosch part in Bosch box. Not OE. Now that you've mentioned it I think its time to replace.

Amarin.

As noted in Art's link, Bosch does not seem to make this part anymore. Unless there is a good OE equivalent--let us know--then I am stuck with Genuine Volvo for about $122.

Hi,

It's hard to know about aftermarket parts. I've being buying CP sensors for $7.50 shipped from EBay, as recommended by Trichard, for quite a few years now and have never had one fail. Volvo are $68 at FCP and Bosch about $50 on EBay.

If it was me and felt I needed to travel with a spare, I'd buy this and run it for a couple of days, then throw it in the toolbox. It's a crap shoot, but odds are it wont be needed anyway.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Volvo-850-93-95-Fuel-Pressure-Regulator/273046129899

Alfred E. Newman

Hi Peter,

You're right about the crank sensors, if you ask of my experience. Have had out-of-box problems with OE vendor Bougicord sensors, and watched their prices climb into the $75 range a few years back, and since then no trouble at all with the AIP copies available on ebay.

I hesitate to transfer that bit of anecdote to other parts, but I'm usually willing to experiment. In this thread below is a bit of my own anecdote about getting a fuel pressure regulator used on ebay a little over a year ago. Unlike Ted, I have had several fpr failures, but I have to imagine most have occurred since our switch from MTBE to ethanol in the fuel. I don't replace parts pre-emptively as a rule, namely because we have multiple cars using the same pieces, so on the shelf they wait for failure.

https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1651535/220/240/260/280/excessive_fuel_consumption_many_places_check.html

Actually you have to read all of my posts in this thread to get to the ebay part story. It was a long story.

On the unrelated subject of the John Prine refrain, I heard Sheldon (Dr. Cooper if you please) refer yesterday to the construct as a "semantically null sentence." But oh how clearly it conveys a meaning!
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"By the way if, you're wondering where the Bluetooth name originally came from, it named after a Danish Viking and King, Harald Blåtand (translated as Bluetooth in English), who lived in the latter part of the 10th century. Harald Blåtand united and controlled Denmark and Norway (hence the inspiration on the name: uniting devices through Bluetooth). He got his name from his very dark hair which was unusual for Vikings, Blåtand means dark complexion. However a more popular, (but less likely reason), was that Old Harald had a inclination towards eating Blueberries , so much so his teeth became stained with the colour, leaving Harald with a rather unique set of molars. And you thought your teeth were bad..." -- Palo Pacific

The FP regulator is just one of MANY parts that can fail on an older car. But since you can't carry spares of EVERYTHING in the trunk, how do you decide what to carry and what not to carry?

How about carrying more tools, less parts?
--
Current rides: 2018 Volvo S60 Inscription (What the heck do all these buttons do?), 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T (Soon to go bye-bye), 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA (The family "truck"), 1973 Volvo 1800ES (STILL not road worthy!)

Good thought!

I know my philosophy has some holes in it, and they're growing. My approach to having an all-240 fleet has been to keep the spares in the garage, and for road trips, nothing but a cell phone and this glove-box kit of diagnostic help, and no tools beyond the Volvo-issued kit with the spare tire.

Most want to carry the parts that let them down in the past. If I were to do that, I'd carry an alternator brush/regulator. I've been burned by my own neglect to check the maintenance records at least, before driving cross-country. Silly things like brake pads (twice).

Last time I was shocked to find I could not get 240 parts from a Volvo dealer (without special order) -- and I'm talking about brake pads that were no different between at least 1975 to 1993! This has given me sympathy toward the OP who is picturing being stranded in rural America (Ford country?) with no furrin parts within easy reach. My daughter had an unexpected 3 days and 2 nights in Wyoming and that was a Delco part she needed for the 245!

I saw where the Bosch fuel pressure regulator was on back-order at the retailer. Our technology becomes out-of-mass-production, which is a different category of auto part.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"...real expertise is never appreciated. People would always rather muddle along in their own dim, blundering way than have someone else point out where they were going wrong--even if that other person is clearly brighter." -Jeff Lindsay

"The FP regulator is just one of MANY parts that can fail on an older car. But since you can't carry spares of EVERYTHING in the trunk, how do you decide what to carry and what not to carry?

How about carrying more tools, less parts?"


All the tools in world are of no assistance if you do not have the part to rectify the problem. And it is my belief (open to discussion of course) that the number of parts on a well maintained car that can fail without warning and leave one by the side of the road is not large: ignition power stage, crank position sensor, and yes, the fuel pressure regulator. Maybe ECU, though people here seem to think that quite rare. Anything else? Please advise.

My philosophy is not to carry a whole bunch of parts in the car. For instance, the place for new fan belts is not in the trunk, but rather...installed on the car.

But even new parts, especially electrical ones, are unknowable, and keeping a known good set of the "greatest hits" set forth in the FAQ seems advisable to me.

Thoughts?

Dear U.S. Diver,

Hope you're well. I keep on-board spare fuel pump and fuel injector relays and an overdrive relay. None of these require tools to change.

Alternators seem rarely to fail on cars with less than 200,000 miles. Even if one had on-board spare brushes or a regulator, replacing those items is "depot" not "field"-level maintenance.

Replacing an ignition switch could be done at night, roadside. But ignition switches usually go "intermittent" before failing completely. Further, the screws - that secure the switch to the ignition lock housing - are not in "line-of-sight", so daylight is not much helpful. What is needed is a very short, flat-blade screwdriver.

Changing fuel pumps is "depot-level" maintenance, i.e., too complicated to do road-side.

Engine and ignition computers seem to fail very rarely. While they can be changed with no more than a screw driver (T-20, if I recall correctly) - and these items can't be had from any Volvo dealer - it doesn't seem worthwhile to haul them.

Perhaps it's best to rent a car for long trips, and use 940s for "tow-distance" trips, i.e., within 100 miles or so.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Thanks, Spook. I will add those relays to my list.

As when Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, relying on the constancy of his Wright Whirlwind engine, there is of course no complete assurance of reliability, but I feel these steps of selective renewal and spare parts should decrease the chance of road side failures.

Thank you all!

art and you are aren't wrong if it makes you feel better.

these are quite robust and last a very very long time. i have installed used ones from parts cars and one stripped at junkyards to no ill effect over many years. never bought a new one.

just saying!

Sounds like a good idea. I've always kept one on the shelf -- that is until recently. Recently, I found out the price was no longer $40 but north of $100, and I've not heard anything kind said about aftermarket copies, so I haven't tried one yet.

I advanced this same notion on TB last week here. Check out the discussion. Bottom line, I still don't know. :)

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=347254
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk -Joaquin de Setanti