If you have read my previous posts let me update. The car died suddenly, won't catch on, sparks across #1 plug wire, and crank and cam turn fine. Bought a new Fuel Pump Relay but it didn't solve the problem. Distributor is off the cam.

1993 944 NA Rex Regina, 214k Miles

Previous advice was to also check, and swap, the RSR and the A/C Fan relays. Apparently they are similar enough to replace one another in a pinch. I thought I did that, and ruled out another relay failure....BUT turns out I did not. I assumed (don't go there...) that the only two relays behind the fuse block that looked similar must be those two, so in retrospect, I switched the central locking relay with the window relay and guess what? It still won't start. Now I realize: they are elsewhere.

The 740 Haynes book I have is useless. It sounds like they are somewhere in the engine compartment. The car is parked in a lot 30 miles away from here. I want to fix it and get it home.

I tried starting fluid in the air intake and the car sputters and seems to want to catch on when I pump the acclerator pedal (old habit). I was about to change the timing belt (it's overdue) and wonder if it might have jumped a tooth. I figure I can pull the upper timing cover and compare the marks on the belt and the cam gear with the crank at zero.

I ordered a new fuel pump (Regina), fuel pressure regulator, and an RSR/A/C relay, and fuel filter for Saturday delivery. I have them now. I am not excited about the prospect of changing these parts thirty miles from home. I am just about ready to give up and get it towed.

(Sniff! Whimper! The shame and embarassment I will bring upon my family.....)

Where are the AC Fan and RSR relays located? Once I find them and switch out I think that will determine my next step. Please, any suggestions?

I went over to where the brick rests, and I checked the Radio Suppression Relay. I put in the new one and it made no difference. Car catches and ‘runs’ with a good dose of starting fluid, then it dies. Just like before.

I am going to go out when I am through posting here and see if the plugs are 'wet'. I've been assuming that the car is starving for fuel and I had better verify this. I will be very surprised to see wet plugs.

I checked the vacuum line to the fuel pressure regulator to make sure it was clear, and not blocked. Seems fine.

I had the vacuum line to the flame trap holder plug up and go hard a few months ago and I thought I should check this.

Also, no one suggested this as a way to test the FPR itself, but I disconnected it from the fuel rail side and put the hose in a small bottle and turned the car over. No gas. Nothing. I am figuring that this conclusively points to the fuel pump, or power to the pump, and that if the pump worked I would have seen a lot of gasoline. Is a logical conclusion? This doesn't test the FPR, I realize, but I think it points to the pump.

I pulled the plate off the truck floor and took a couple of light whacks at the fuel delivery housing. Maybe the pump was stuck and I could get it going. No such luck.

I had the car towed ($150) and now it's in my garage.

Does anyone have Step by Step instructions for the fuel pump replacement? I have a ScanTech pump with general instructions and a new sock. The pump is made in Korea. I hope it is a decent pump and I am not wasting my time. I have changed a few fuel pumps but never pulled one from the fuel tank. There is nothing in the FAQ about changing this pump. Anybody done this?

if your cranking and it ISNT starting if you DONT see wet plugs then you definately arnt getting gas thru...time to pull the gas feed pipe off the fuel rail and pump into a suitable container to CHECK gas is being fed to the rail...

"There is nothing in the FAQ about changing this pump. Anybody done this?"

I did find some information in the FAQ. Must have overlooked it as so much of the data seems to pertain to the Bosch system. Great thing that FAQ.

"Main Pump (In-tank for Bendix/Regina/Later Bosch Systems):
[Tips from C Weidner) I have the Regina style fuel system - one pump - and it’s in the tank. Pump replacement seems like a pretty straightforward job, and for the most part is. Two obstacles - the pump assembly was wired straight into the wiring harness; there were no plugs. This requires soldering. Nothing serious, just annoying and un-volvolike. The biggest hurdle was getting the pump assembly to fit back in the tank. There is a large, plastic, oval ‘cap’ that threads onto the plastic fuel tank - this cap is what snugs the assembly to the tank. AROUND the assembly is a rubber seal (about 2” deep) that sits between the assembly and the tank opening wall. I hope this makes sense. It was a bear. It wasn’t until my neighbor came over and got underneath the car, and I got out the vaseline (no funny stuff, I was crammed inside the trunk) to coat the seal, did we get the it to seat. IT took three hands. The secret was not to do the obvious/easier route and put the seal around the assembly, but to seat the seal in the opening and push the assembly through"

My thoughts:

1) is it simply a matter of disconnecting the hose connections and taking off the large plastic cap, then withdrawing the entire assembly straight out into the trunk. Do I have to look out for the float assembly and losing the sock?

2) will I be able to take it away from the car to work on it if I need to do any soldering?

3) will I need help (three hands...) getting it back in, and do I really need access below the car?

4) if I use Vaseline to help ease the assembly through the seal do I have to be concerned about Vaseline dissolving in the fuel? (I figure a little Vaseline can't do much harm here)

FIRST AND FOREMOST
Check the fuel pressure. It's trivial. There are three points to do it. Make sure you read all the sentences, as there are important details.

1. On the fuel rail (where the injectors connect) there'a valve not unlike the one you have on your tire to inflate it. You can use a throwaway tire pressure gage to check it - unprofessional, but hey - it works. The seals in the pressure gage will die due to gas getting in it, just throw it away when so. Use a cheap one.

2. There's similar valve on the fuel rail before the fuel filter. That's under the car, driver's side, just in front of the rear passenger seat. There'll be a small protrusion (looks like a capped pipe about 0.75" long) from the fuel line. Unscre the cap and check pressure there.

3. Remove the fuel sender assembly access panel (black cover with a couple sheet metal bolts on it) in the trunk. One of the lines has a thicker "cylinder" on it -- it's the quick coupling of the fuel line. Get it off and check fuel pressure by pressing the tire gage straight onto the shiny fuel feed pipe. It has the right diameter for the gage to fit on (luckily :). Danger: pressurized fuel might splash all around you - have paper towels and fire extinguisher handy.

Note that you need a helper to do all that because ideally you should be running the fuel pump while testing the pressure. I say ideally because if everything is all right there's pressure in the system even if the car was off for a week.

You don't have to crank in order to activate the fuel pump. Just turn the key to position 2 (all idiot lights should be on). Turn off everything that's not needed in order not to run that battery down (headlights, radio, fan).

When you turn the key to pos. 2, you should hear a click from the fuse panel (fuel pump relay energizing) and the fuel pump should operate for a couple seconds to pre-pressurize the fuel.

If you definitely don't hear the fuel pump buzzing when the helper turns the key, it means either the fuel pump relay needs fixing or the pump is dead. Listen via the gas fill tube -- get the cap off and listen into the tube.

In order to replace the pump, you *will* need to have a soldering iron and some flux-cored solder handy.
In order to remove the fuel sender:

1. Open the left trunk bay (I have a wagon, no clue how it is in sedans). Disconnect the black connector with 4 wires going into it.

2. The bundle with 4 wires goes along the gas fill tube towards the tank. Cut the wire ties that clamp the bundle to the tube, push the cable out of the car body. The cable goes outside of the body in the spare tire area. There's a rubber grommet through which the cable exits, push the grommet out together with the cable.

3. Remove the fuel sender access panel (black metal plate with sheetmetal screws)

4. Disconnect all lines from the top cover of the fuel sender assembly. There are several:
A. gas fill hose (1-1.5" thick rubber hose)
B. vent hose (next thickest one, about 0.5" thick maybe)
C. fuel return hose
D. fuel feed line (danger, it may be pressurized, read above) -- this is a quick-disconnect, just pull up on the round cylinder, it may be hard but it will come off

5. Remove the hose clamp that holds the fuel sender retaining nut

6. Unscrew the fuel sender retaining nut (the large plastic nut with small "wings" on its side). Use a thick, flat bladed screwdriver and a hammer to loosen it (same goes for final tightening).

7. Pull the assembly out. Be careful, you shouldn't loose the sock - it fits quite well on the bottom of the pump. You'll have to rotate the assembly to get it out. Use your brains and you'll figure it out.

Then you can remove the pump and put a new one in. Try to remember (better: take digital pictures :) where things went, it's a funny assembly :).

Note that when you put the plastic ring that goes on the bottom of the fuel pump back in, you should bend the small plastic snaplock inwards so that it will securely snap into place when you slide it onto the pump and the flat metal thingo. If this ring separates (did for me) due to the snap lock being too lose, the pump will slowly slide out of the damper (plastic/metal thing with two ports, ekhm, holes on it) and you'll be stuck. If your pump runs that may be the reason why you don't get any fuel pressure, but it will be obvious once you see it what has happened.

Assembly is reverse of disassembly, although note that you must maneouver the sender assembly when putting it back in since bottom of the tank has an ansti-slosh pan on the bottom. Give yourself 3-4 hours of nice weather to do it.

If you didn't check the obvious things first, I'd suggest you do sooner than later in order to save time and grief. Like whether there's 12V power to the pump on the connector in the trunk well [two thicker wires supply the pump, the other two are returns from the fuel level sensor], whether the pump currently runs, whether the relay may be faulty etc.

Cheers, Kuba

Kuba,

I think I diagnosed the problem but have not mastered the mechanical considerations to get this thing in right. Here is what I posted on the 9th.

"To bring the matter up to date, I had a no start on my Regina NA 940 and checked both relays. Took a couple of light whacks at the mounting area on the fuel tank, through the access in the trunk, and the car started and died. My conclusion: after 214k miles my fuel pump failed.

Installed the new one Tuesday afternoon with some degree of difficulty getting the sending unit out and installing it back in again. New pump is an Airtech from Scantech and FCP. A little noisier than OEM AC pump because I did not use the sound deadening foam sleeve, but the car ran fine, in fact better than ever. Apparently the pump was failing for 'some' time and the boost in pressure improved performance.

When I replaced the plastic retaining ring that holds the sending unit in place on the tank flange I noticed I had to press down on the sending unit to get to seat whereby the ring would catch the flange threads.

Here is the problem. Yesterday it drove fine until the tank level got down to less than one-quarter full. When I stopped a signal or intersection, as the car comes to stop, the RPM's surge while my foot is on the brake. It drops way down then comes up to normal. Last night I filled the tank to one-half and the problem disappeared. On the way to the gas station it died twice on me, but restarted.

My diagnosis is that I don't have the bottom of the pump properly placed in the anti-slosh tray at the bottom of the tank and the pump is not in proper position. I am assuming I have to slightly withdraw and reposition the pump and sending unit.

I had a heck of a time getting this thing in in the first place. Any help on this subject is greatly appreciated. What is the best way to manuver the sending unit and pump into position? "

I am going to pull the sender again, and try to get it right this time.

Just finished. Took three hours. My comments follow.

1) Your guidance and details are right on the money. I waited a day and didn't see any other comments so I got the courage and winged it through. Wish I had read your post first.

2) The coupler that goes off to the right, just below the electrical connections, is a pop-off connection. I managed to mangle it, but discover it how it pulled off when I reconnected the sending unit hoses.

3) The pump I purchased is manufactured by Airmaster. They have a toll free tech line in Illinois. I called because I discovered two part numbers that corresponded to Volvo's 350XXXX number. The E3210 and the E8279 look similar but they are not. The E3210 is for the 740 and the other for the Regina 940 vintage. The 940 pump is rated at 10 gallons per minute higher. The manufacurer said you might not notice in the beginning, but as the pump breaks in and ages the weaker pump will create performance problems on the 940. The pump that came out of the car was a AC Delco.

4) I did not install the rubber insulator because I figured I didn't need it because the old one had none. This pump is a little louder than the OEM. The insulator would have made a difference. It's done now and I don't care to go in there again. At least I know the sound now and can easily discern when the pump is working.

5) Prior to the pump failure I had notice a hesitation on take off. My car is much peppier now.

Thanks for your post. I appreciate it.

See the 700/900 FAQ for tips. The RSR and A/C fan relays are under the hood on the passenger side strut tower in some cars.

Found the RSR and swapped it out. No change. Car still 'starts' with starting fluid but dies immediately....

Broke down and had it towed home. The driver was amazing....backed it right in the garage.

i REALLY hate to ask this...but after cranking are the plugs wet? if not you may simply have run out of gas...(perhaps your guage has gone funny...)

I KNOW you will have checked this but if it was me i would chuck a couple of gallons in unless its REALLY full as a just in case...

I'll check, but there should be plenty of gas. About half a tank.

The car catches with starting fluid, and actually sounds likes it's ready to rev up and drive away, then it dies immediately.

Where are the AC Fan and RSR relays located? Once I find them and switch out I think that will determine my next step.

I have the same car, and those relays are no longer identical. The RS relay is hung on a bracket on the right inner fender, jammed up under a wire bundle near the ABS module.

The Fan relay is in front of the battery, below the right headlight. Not similar to the RSR at all.

I would bite the bullet and get the car towed home where I could work comfortably on my own turf.

And I would want to check the fuel pressure before arbitrarily replacing that expensive pump (although with your mileage, it may be going/gone. Word is they don't last as long as Bosch pumps).

Starting a new thread like this, a recap of symptoms and what you've checked would be helpful. Like does the pump run for a second when you turn the key on? That would verify the basic relay operation (but not "running" operation) and the wiring to the pump.

Are the plugs wet or dry right after cranking?

T-belt may have shed some cogs, throwing valves and spark out of sync with pistons. Set crank at 0° and see if Cam sprocket marks agree.

All those parts can't be faulty. I hope you can return the ones that aren't. When the smoke clears (just kidding), post back I'll give you #s for some Volvo "Green Books" you might want to have in place of the Haynes.
--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.