The saga continues......

After I pulled the plugs and eitherized them, I stuck them under a heat gun, blew them off with dry air then the car started and ran for about 3 seconds then croaked again. I am becoming less perplexed.

I am starting to belive that the Volvo guy in Concord, NH is right about the flooding issue, it actually makes sense to me.

We are due for heat wave tonight, it's supposed to get up to near zero.

I pulled the plugs again and will leave them out overnight to help any excess fuel evaporate from the cylinders overnight. I am taking the plugs into the house and will keep them near the woodstove overnight to let them air out and try again in the a.m.

There may be some hope left before I resort to the C4 option. I'll make sure that I post a link to the 740 pictures after the C4 thing happens.

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Rich George

I don't have personal experience with this but have retained some info regarding flooding and not starting. I believe the original poster, from many years ago, was Don Foster or Art Benstein.

If the engine was really flooded there is a possibility that the gasoline may have seeped past the piston rings, this does two things: adds gas to your oil which could be potentially dangerous and also would lower your compression in the cylinder(s) that the flooding is occuring. From the original post, the fix for the no start was to add a squirt of oil into each spark plug hole. Maybe crank the engine a few times to distribute the oil in the cylinder...unplug the injectors before doing so.

Considering your car runs for three seconds, the compression is probably good enough. Something to think about though.

Good luck,
Bean
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'80 242GT 93k, '94 945T 139k, '89 765T 68k (new '94 B230FT)

Bean,

I think I am going down the right track now, at least it started for a few seconds, which is an improvement from 5 days ago. Thanks for your post.
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Rich George

And saw the mention of oiled cylinders, scratch what I just posted.

Bean
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'80 242GT 93k, '94 945T 139k, '89 765T 68k (new '94 B230FT)

Fair enough, I almost went down that road then I realized that I had it running just before the mercury dropped to like -25 (mooting the oil at cylinder issue). Thank you for posting. I am going to get this fecking thing running 100% if it kills me. I refuse to let a few thousand pieces of inanimate metallic material outsmart me.
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Rich George

Hey Rich,

I guess what puzzles me is why a low compression engine would fire when the temp is in the 20s and flood when it drops below that? If the only difference is temperature then it has to be a sensor not giving the right stuff to a computer. I'm going to go through my wiring and sensors tomorrow after I put the transmission tailshaft bushing back in. The 87 740 wagon has already got all of the ridiculous electronics out and will be getting a 350HP 350Chevy with an R700 trans. If I have to crawl my old butt under one of these I'm going to enjoy driving it!

Keep me posted:will@willdallas.org

Been awhile since I experienced -25* but I used a "hillbilly block heater", a furniture blanket with 100W or bigger trouble light (placed next to the engine where nothing is flammable) It helps if you can get it out of direct airflow or wind.

Are you using 87 octane? The 93 burns slower and is not as volatile.

Have you added dry gas? Isopropyl type.

Rich, next time paste the link from previous post, it makes it easier to follow.

for ref, it happens to be RWD - Look for the RADIO suppression relay [oops, fixed]

Keep us posted on the outcome. Hopefully this PITA experience can be of use ...
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Norm Cook Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 202,000KM

Hi Norm,

Sure thing. This flooding issue has been amplified by a few external environmental factors (like -25 F temps)..

I'd like this to be a lesson for future reference on here. Could save someone else from pain. This is my first and only Volvo, I used to own and wrench on several E21 BMWs. They just don't cut it up here in the snow and ice. Great little cars though.

For some very odd reason I find myself having fun working on this beast. I'm leaving the plugs out of the head overnight to ventilate the cylinders and will do a retry in the mid morning tomorrow and post the outcome.
I am betting the Volvo guy in Concord, NH was right about the flooding.

I bought this 740 from the service manager at Merrimack Street Volvo in Manchester, NH a few years back in spring 2000 when I moved back from Australia. I want to try to get 300K out of it, I'm at 195K now. Thanks in advance.
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Rich George