Thanks all.
In the light of day, we found that the top end wasn't moving by peering into the belt housing. The mechanic says it is fairly common that the belt actually not break but lose some "teeth" to the point that the works just stop. Basically a broken timimg belt without the break. He showed me one from last week that had started to "de-laminate" for lack of a more descriptive term. Hmmm. I have always wondered about belts vs chains but several qualified service techs maintain that belts are a fine advancement in technologies and over all a good thing. Volvo's reputation for virtually endless service backs that up I guess. Thanks again for the contributions.
These boards are a remarkable contribution to humanity. I also belong to a Mercedes Benz owners forum that operates much the same way with owners from all over the world offering advice and telling tales of their adventures with those excellent cars. I know only a little about diesels (or even gasoline) engines when it comes right down to it so their help has also been valuable. There is nothing like a well made car.

When you try to start it does it spin over really quickly? Like no compression? One customer described it as, "my Volvo doesn't have that throaty manly noise when I try to start it. it sounds like the wimpy wimpy wimpy of the trash bag commercial." Diagnosis...broken timing belt.

There's a plethora of other stuff...but no symptoms...and just dead...sounds like a timing belt.

Chris

The tank (feeder) pump will not cause the stopping you described.

You won't (read shouldn't) hear the pumps when "cycling" the ignition switch.

The only fuse you have (and it could well be the culprit) is a 25 amp blade fuse in it's own 2-wire holder near the coil.

As a test, you can bypass this fuse, AND the fuel pump relay by connecting a jumper wire from the LEFT contact on fuse 6 (or 7,8,9, or 10) as a voltage source, to the LEFT contact on fuse 4. The pumps should run immediately.

If you hear the main pump (under the car, on the left), try starting. If it works, the jumper bypassed a fuel problem, and the ignition obviously works OK.

If it doesn't start, suspect ignition. Much less likely, IMO, but the FI won't work at all, with no ignition.

Also, my '86 died suddenly like that once or twice and the fix was to reseat the AMM connector plug. You can also try starting with the AMM unplugged. If it starts then, but idles poorly and won't take much throttle, the AMM is bad.

Always have the Key OFF when plugging and unplugging anything.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

First thing is to see if you have fuel pressure or if you have a spark. Then look at whichever.
If you are running the tank empty before filling up, then welcome to the world of fuel pumps. It doesn't cost any more to run on the top half, and you will save your fuel pumps. You will spend a lot of money for being cheap with gas.

this has happened to me and ended up being corrosion on the #7(i think) fuse (main fuel pump), I spun the fuse in its holder and it started right up. I had the same sympytoms too.... just stopped running.

I could also be the fuel pump relay.... do a search for its location and how to fix.

Do you hear the fuel pump buz when you cycle the ignition???


matt

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'82 DL - 158k, '93 945 - 116k

Check out the posts about the small fuel line hose inside the fuel tank. If it is leaky and you let the fuel level drop too low, it will starve the fuel pump of fuel. You can check it by filling the fuel tank full to see if the car will run ok.

Other than that, it could be a failed fuel pump relay or a failed hall sensor in the distributor.

Do a fuel pressure test, then do a spark test to isolate your problem.

When the engine just quits without warning, often it is because of a bad timing belt. If, for example, the engine is leaking oil in front and you were gearing down when it died, I'd suspect this. (Oily timing belts soften and loose teeth.)

Engine is turning over quickly but the distributor rotor and cam shaft aren't rotating implies timing belt.

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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans