Been having an unplesant time with my 1994 940 wagon the last few days. Went out yesterday morning to run an errand. She was a little slow to start, but I figured that was normal when the air temp is -1' F. I left her to warm up while I dusted the snow off the outside. After I got around to the back, I realized that she was running particularly quietly. Went to see if it had stalled and it had. Try to start her again and she just wouldn't. It would barely turn over.

Popped the hood and went around to the front. There was no coolant in the expansion tank. Poked around a little and noticed that there was some rather ominous looking florescent green coolant sitting on top of the water pump (not a lot) and what looked like a little dribble running down the block from there. However, there wasn't a puddle under the car, but it looked like some had collected in the splash pan. I checked the oil (it had the consistency of maple syrup). Filled it up to about 3/4 of the little matrix on the dipstick with new Mobil 1. Tried starting her again. She ran for about 45 seconds and then stalled out again. FIgured I should stop and fill the coolant before I did any more damage.

Fast forward to tonight.

I've filled the coolant back up (over-estimated how much was gone and only had room for straight Prestone, but I was planning on flushing the system in the spring anyway, so no big whoop). I also took the liberty of putting some Heet into the fuel tank. This cold snap came suddenly and I didn't have time to fill the tank all the way before hand, so I figured there might be some condensation in the tank.

Tried to start her again. Did it first with the accelerator to the floor to clear out any flooding from previous attempts. Then tried it normally from there. She'll turn over a few times, slowing down more as each cylinder pumps. Eventually stalled out the starter. Figured I shouldn't drain the battery more than I have to.

At this point I'm really quite stumped. I don't really have the money to have it towed and worked on, being in college and all. I was just wondering if anybody out there had any suggestions on where to move from here. Should I try to jump it and see if she'll even start? Or just wait until it's warmer out (it has been consistant at 0' F or below for the last two days). Thanks for any help you can render ahead of time.
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1994 Volvo 940 Estate

Well I got her jumped. Had to hand throttle it to keep it from stalling. She backfired once and seemed to be okay after that. Drove around for about 30 minutes to charge the battery up and popped the hood open. The water pump and hoses seemed to be holding alright. There was a minute bit of steam coming from the joint where the hose meets the water pump. It was only visible when a flashlight was turned on it. I'm guessing that this is the source of my slow coolant leak.

At this point I feel confident driving her around. Once the weather warms up, I'm planning on replacing the hoses, pump, thermostat, and maybe the radiator as well. I believe that the pump and radiator are both original, not sure about the hoses. Thanks for all the great help guys.

I might also replace the RPM sensor soon as well. Once in a while when sitting at a stop light, the tach will hop between 0 and 1500ish RPM in what is obviously and instrumentation error. Thanks again and let me know if you have any more recommendations.
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1994 Volvo 940 Estate

The erratic tach is probably not an "instrumentation" malfunction. As stated below, if the crank position sensor is on the way out, it will interrupt ignition briefly and the tach will drop to "0". Another possibility is the "interference" relay - same symptoms, I think.

Jim Weiss
83 245T, 90 744T/M46, 90 760T, 93 945T, want more . . .

For your cold weather start, Spook's suggestion about the RPM sensor is very possible. The other is the fuel pump relay located behind the fuses under the radio. Both of these items will be affected adversely by cold weather You can replace them both by yourself for about $80 to $100.

There is also an EPROM cold weather start reprogram/update the dealer can do. will cost about one hour labor. This you can not do yourself.

I had similar problem to what you are having, and did all three. Don't know which on fixed it, but starts great now in all weather.

You should deal with the water pump problem per the other posts.

If the battery is at fault, then jump starting is the way to go. This will allow you to drive it to a mechanic and have the water pump replaced. As Mike notes, the pump o-ring seal sounds shot. To replace just this is silly when the entire pump costs only $45: have them replace the whole assembly for peace of mind and reliability. The labor is the same (about 1-1/2 hours). Fixing this is important: they NEVER get better on their own; dumping "stop leak" in and waiting is dumb since it does more damage than it helps; and you risk frying your engine and causing more expensive damage.

Then have them test the battery, which is no doubt shot. Look closely at the battery cables and make sure the ends are not corroded.

See the 700/900 FAQ for more information.

Dear shultzm,

May this find you well. It sounds to me as if the battery has had it. Very cold weather stresses batteries, and kills them if they're weak. In extreme cases of failure, the battery will not even take a "hot shot".

Further, the RPM/crank sensor may have failed. This sensor is located on top of the bell housing, the bell-shaped aluminum casting that connects the transmission to the back of the engine. If the RMP/crank sensor fails, the fuel pumps do not send fuel to the engine, and the engine will not start (regardless of the temperature).


Check these items.Hope this helps.

Let us know how it goes.

Yours faithfully,

spook

Sounds like your water pump to head seal is leaking. You can get a new pump from FCP and install when the weather breaks. Keep an eye on the coolant level. The stalling could be any number of things. Did you check for a code, flywheel pick-up could be acting up, is car is good state of tune, are you sure the battery is good, is alternator charging.