Many years ago I had my 1980 California model 244 running and on jackstands on the front. I installed a later model accessory package (AC and power steering pump and mounts.) The engine was running and all I did was to turn the steering shaft from lock to lock to bleed out any air in the system. The steering wheel was off due to me removing the entire dash for AC/heater repair so I was using a pair of vise grips on the shaft and as I turned back and forth I touched the steering column housing and there was a small arc and the car died. It won't start now, no fuel pump and no spark. It seems I activated a collision circuit but I can't find any mention of this anywhere. I am close to giving up on this car or doing a full rewire as I can't find anything wrong with the wiring.
Any suggestions???

here's the wiring book-

http://www.volvotips.com/service-manual/volvo-240/Volvo-240-260-wiring-diagrams-1980.html

good luck, chuck.

Hi,

You do have quite the puzzle!

Interesting enough to ask, are you using a K-jet Lambda Sond setup or is it converted to an LH system? If so, what year engine? Big differences!

Have you checked both ground cables or even the small positive wire over for that matter, for any high resistances. I gather you are able to crank the car from the cabin or not?
There are two wires for each side of the battery.
What I’m saying is, the vise grips made a better circuit for the electricity than the “on going circuitry” at that time.
Maybe you smoked a bad small positive wire over to ground.

If the whole car is dead, that is one thing, but you are zeroing in on no spark and no fuel pumps.
The K does not have electric injectors.
On both systems they are fed by the small positive wire to a terminal block on the left fender.
On the LH’s there is a 25 ampere in-line fuse to the injector system.

Next, In either case,
You need a signal from the distributor to start anything no matter which system and the harness is down there between the engine and the steering column going to the distributor.
As far as that goes, so are the starter terminals!
How big of an arc did you get?
Was there a large burn mark on the pliers or a tiny spot?

From here, I have no idea where you had the vise grips.
Down below or on the steering wheel end as a substitute handle? There is a horn circuit in there and it works going to ground.
Are the wipers working, the turn signals or the high beams. All is hot, out to the flipper relay when the car is running.

Boy, this is sifting through a bunch of “What ifs .... ?”

I think we need more details of what is working and how answers!

Phil

Thanks guys,
The vice grips were in place of the steering wheel and the ark was tiny the car just died. Original K-jet with new matched injectors. I fix and train people to fix much more complex stuff (BioMedical equipment) for a living so this is driving me nuts.

Hi,

Well that’s nice to know, that you are a trainer from text books.
Text books have workshop manuals with answers in the back or a teachers guide in a drawer!

What has happen here is not a textbook event.
You need troubleshooting skills and I’m sorry to say but that sometimes that comes through a hard knocks education! You raise up and scratch your head a lot but if you hit something on the way, that is wrong, you learn not to hit that area again! Same goes for a bump on the head!

You have to think through the processes of what your inputs need to be, to get a resulting output!
Sometimes you have to work backwards or know where the middle is!

I read your original post and figured out that you said, you attached vise grips to turn the wheels.
There are only two places, as I mentioned and logically there is not much room down below to spin the tool around and around!
I got a “handle” on the lack of information from your post or I call this, a non-textbook mistake! He was probably wanting to spin it fast to evacuate the air out of the rack. If the steering wheel was on why was he using vise grips? There was the thing that generated my response!

I tried using the link on Trev29’s post to get diagrams but even registering didn’t get me anywhere near any files. That site is messed up for a simpleton like me!

A diagram is useful and a voltmeter is like having a Lions nose to follow a trail! Without it, you might as well sit down and have a beer!
If you are more than a trainer, you should know how to use a voltmeter. Medical devices or any electrical controls use logic! Inputs & outputs!

So, we now know you at least arced the horn wire!
If you had the surrounding covers off or the control stalks dangling about is another thing!
Did you have wires loose from their terminals around there too?
If so, there are a host of other avenues of circuitry to consider.
By any chance was the cluster out of the dash too? I know of stranger things to be done out of carelessness or taking short cuts!
You found one short already substituting the steering wheel. (:-)

Stop being a trainer and turn on those eyes! Be an observer with ears and even a nose for burnt connections. Feel for weak spots under wire insulation. Get them senses working for the answer!

The best thing to do is to follow the first rule of troubleshooting and that is to follow the power supply coming into the systems.
Identify any systems not working on the way in.
Let this paint a picture of breakage in the power supply circuit.
It could be as simple as a corroded terminal that got overloaded right at that crusty point.
Someone could have added an in-line fuse someplace thinking they were protecting a radio or anti-thief system. That would shut down the power to a crucial component!

Keep us posted on your Safari hunting days!
(-:)

Phil

Thanks,
I train people but I am not a textbook person. I train on real equipment and travel the world fixing 'un-fixable' instruments. I am what is often referred to as 'that guy' as in send 'that guy' from HQ out to help me. I think I may have a fuse block issue with those crappy fuses Volvo used, I have the same issue on my 914.

Hi,

I think you are on to it now! Any place like that could be the problem.
If you owned a Porsche, you are use to working down low close to ground! (-:)
The door hinge fuse panel is a knee bender all right.
It is susceptible to having moisture problems from rain and snow off the feet too!

Sorry, I interpreted that you trained from a set of established curriculum handed down from design engineers. That stuff can be written from the likes of Microsoft jerks.
You have to train yourself on how to lookup, what the heck their talking about, in three or four places throughout their manuals!
If it weren’t for the like of geeks, fixing their bugs, they should have gone out of business!
My brother did the same things, that you do, for Kodak in Graphic paper printing machines.
But he saw the writing on the wall with digital coming and films disappearing.
He was headhunted to work as a troubleshooter in the plastic stretch film packaging industry.
He travelled all over the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico until he retired due to a merger!
He doesn’t miss the air traveling hassles!

I know about teaching, as I did my share for a while. I didn’t like repeating myself by the book, so much! To me it was boring. Those that can teach, teach and those that don’t, find better things that are more giving in other ways!

Good luck hunting!
Phil

" I was using a pair of vise grips on the shaft and as I turned back and forth I touched the steering column housing and there was a small arc and the car died. It won't start now, no fuel pump and no spark."
There isn't much sensitive stuff in an '80. I'd check the fuses.

https://app.box.com/v/volvowiring/folder/220930948 will help you with individual circuits.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb, M46 trans, 3:31 dif, in Brampton, Ont.