Hi everyone - its nice to be back! I was a member years ago with several 245s, I still have my 1980 but there are major wiring issues to overcome before Buttercup is back on the road. In the mean time, I picked up a lovely, 1 (ish - there was a dealer between them and me) owner 1973 144, basically a barn find after sitting since 2012.
When found, the engine wouldn't turn, so the dealer removed the plugs, poured oil onto the cylinders and let it sit for a few months. I looked at the car in the fall and was able to easily turn the engine by hand. We winched it onto the car trailer, towed it home and had it running within a half hour. Parts for a 144 aren't readily available, I have very basic knowledge, but did a tune up the best I was able. New battery, points, cap, rotor, plugs. The wrong wires and condenser were sent, but since it started and ran I figured I would replace them when I was ready to drive it farther than around the block.
The car felt 'draggy' and I figured the pads had swelled from sitting so long, and that was another thing on The List before it hit the road for real. But you know how it is - I live in the middle of nowhere, had the itch and wanted to take it for a drive. We hopped it, drove it a tenth of a mile up the hill (again, seemed very draggy and I had to give it a lot of gas ((but it didn't really rev))... got just to the other side of the top and it died. Gave it a good push and drifted back into the driveway.

Thanks if you've made it this far!

So, here we are in the spring and I'm ready to work on it again. It now has a new condenser and plug wires. It cranks perfectly well, I smell gas and the injectors buzz. However, I'm pretty sure there is no spark coming from the coil - we removed a sparkplug and wire, plugged it directly into the coil. We can't see the spark plug spark, even when held next to the block. The coil tests good with a multimeter (and we put in the coil from my 1980, still no spark). I'm wondering if I blew some relay? I don't know where to go from here.

Help!

First off, the easy part.

Brake pads do not swell. If you have high metallic content pads and you leave the car parked for a long time in conditions with high humidity or significant temperature changes which causes condensation to form on cold disks the pads will sometimes rust in place on the disks (been there, done that, got the tee shirt). But, that typically does not cause drag rather temporary wheel lock up. What will swell with age are the brake flex lines at each wheel. When you press on the brakes the caliper pistons move into contact with the disks; but, because of the swelling the pressure in the caliper is slow to release with the result that the pads remain pressed against the disk resulting in dragging. If you think the brake flex lines are anywhere close to original they should be replaced.

If the brake hydraulics have never been flushed, the 140 is a bit notorious for accumulating moisture in the rear calipers which leads to the pistons seizing or partially seizing in the calipers. This can cause the pads to drag. You need to check the pistons for movement and complete retraction. If the brake system has never been flushed you probably also need to check the front calipers for pad retraction.

Have you got a service manual for the 140? If not, you should start looking for one.

Until you confirm that you are getting spark do not go messing with the D jet fuel injection. The easiest way to confirm ignition non operation is with a timing light with a magnetic pick up. Connect the timing light up and crank the engine - if the timing light does not flash then you definitely have no spark. If you don't have a timing light purchase or borrow one because that is the only reliable way to set the ignition timing (maximum advance) on these engines.

There are no relays in the ignition system. Go here

https://www.sw-em.com/Wiring_Diagrams_and_Related.htm

and you can find wiring diagrams for the 140. The ignition system is pretty dumb-ass simple. Trace out the wiring as per the diagrams to confirm that the coil is getting +12v power when the key is switched on. If the coil is getting power and you are absolutely sure the ignition coil is good then the problem is likely with the ignition points or the condenser since your tests eliminated the cap and rotor as a cause. Connect a multimeter between the points connection and the chassis to confirm that the points are going open and closed as you rotate the engine.

If you can get the ignition system operating and correctly timed and it still does not run, then you can check the D jet system. Go here and down load the D jet fault tracing manual

https://volvo1800pictures.com/wordpress/misc-documents/#19

It will tell you everything you need to know about how to troubleshoot the D jet system. The people who carp about the D jet are the people who don't bother to take the time to understand how it works. Properly maintained it is definitely more reliable and consistent that SU carbs. The common failure point for the D jet system is wiring failure (and the mechanical auxiliary air valve). The insulation that Volvo used on the D jet wiring harness had a short life at elevated temperatures. At about 7-8 years the insulation starts to harden and becomes brittle and will break and fall off if disturbed leading to connection failures and short circuits. As a first step, carefully examine the wiring at the injectors, the coolant temperature sensor, the throttle switch, the air temperature sensor and the trigger points on the distributor. Chances are that the insulation has already fallen off leaving exposed conductors and the actual electrical plugs may have problems.

Ron K has a lot of useful information on the D jet system

https://www.sw-em.com/bosch_d-jetronic_injection.htm

Hi,

What about the timing belt? It probably jumping timing if you didn’t adjust it or at least inspect it.
No telling how long it ran on the belt before it sat.

Look through the valve cover to see the cam and if it is turning.
No turning means no distributor and no spark.
On number one cylinder and top dead center compression stroke the lobes have to be pointing upwards like a dog’s ears.


Phil

Although the B20 has timing gears rather than a timing belt, I'm kinda thinking along the same lines as Phil. A failed cam gear outer ring can cause the valve (and ignition) timing to retard which, in turn, will reduce performance.

One thing to check is to rotate the engine to TDC and see if the rotor is pointed exactly to either cap contact for cylinder #1 or #4. Also verify the rotor is turning when you crank the engine over.

1973 140 would have been a push rod OHV B18 or B20, so no timing belt. Complete no-starts without prior running issues were often fuel delivery problems. I'd start by checking fuses and the fuel pump relay then working out from there. Could be all kinds of fuel issues with a barn find that's been sitting. If it's a B20E, could also be the control module. The trouble prone B20E was the main reason I held back on buying a new Volvo to replace my 122S until the B20F with CIS K-Jet came out in the '74 140 GL (CIS constant injection system, not the later CIS constant idle system). The B20F was still OHV and I was fine tuning my valve clearances at every oil change all the way to receiving my Volvo 100K Mile Badge (still got that badge, never put it on the grill as it would likely get stolen).
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now