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fixed no-start problem for 88 245; now trying to figure out why 200 1988

posted by  flicka on  Tue Mar 15 13:43 CST 2005
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Hi all,
Have owned my 245 for 2 years now and used the search function several times but this is my first time posting; anyway, car has always started and ran well until about 3 weeks ago after sitting for a few days it stalled on my wife after a cold start and wouldn't restart. About an hour later it reluctantly started and ran rough for a minute then was fine for several days. After sitting for a week after that it again wouln't start. Turned out to be nothing more than fouled plugs (bosch platinum). After drying and cleaning the plugs, it started right up and has been fine since, However, I have two questions. First, is something causing the plugs to foul up or is it just time for replacement? The prior owner apparently changed them Jan. 03 and it has only 20k miles since which doesn't seem like much. The car displays no obvious signs of running rich and gets 29mpg on regular gas. It is used mostly highway. I use synthetic oil. Car has 156k miles on it. Second question; why does the service light come on if the car has been sitting overnight? I just reset it at 155k when I last changed the oil. It goes out after a couple minutes. It does not come on though if the car is started while still warm. I thought the service light was only a "reminder" and once reset would not come on for another 5k. Could these two events be related or just a coincidence? Thanks for taking the time to read this long post and many thanks for suggestions and advice. This is a great forum.








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    fixed no-start problem for 88 245; now trying to figure out why 200 1988

    posted by  someone claiming to be hillbilly on  Wed Mar 16 06:25 CST 2005 [RELATED]

    It may help to add a botle of fuel treatment. The symptoms you describe can be caused by a wide array of potential problems. It's hard to determine what is wrong when the problem is intermittent. I personally have had good success with the Bosch Platinum plugs. 20K miles is not a lot for a set of plugs, normally I would expect at least twice that. I've always been a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy, but with the fuel prices being what they are, the price of a full tune-up will pay back pretty quickly in fuel savings. When is the last time you changed the fuel filter?
    steve








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    fixed no-start problem for 88 245; now trying to figure out why 200 1988

    posted by  Kane on  Tue Mar 15 22:10 CST 2005
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    Never really liked how the Bosch platinums worked on these cars; they always seemed to run poorer, even when brand new. I've since opted to stick with OEM Volvo plugs. They cost more, but last longer too. I've got at least 45k miles on the set in my '91, with less erosion than Bosch supers (made in India) I had on the '86 at 15k miles.

    -- Kane
    --
    Blossom II -'91 745Ti/M46 ... Bubbles -'74 144GL/BW35 ... Buttercup -'86 245GL/AW70
    The Wayback Machine -'64 P220/M40 ... The ParaBox -'90 745GL/AW70L








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      fixed no-start problem for 88 245; now trying to figure out why 200 1988

      posted by  flicka on  Wed Mar 16 04:11 CST 2005
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      thanks Kane (and Cliff too)
      Sounds like new plugs are the answer; what brand are the OEM's?
      Anybody have theories on the mysterious service light?







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    fixed no-start problem for 88 245; now trying to figure out why 200 1988

    posted by  Cliff Pope on  Tue Mar 15 22:00 CST 2005
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    last visit: Thu Feb 3 05:28 CST 2011
    [RELATED]

    I used to think plugs never really wore out, but just eroded, and that a cleaned up plug would always give a spark of sorts. But recently I've found that they do seem to degrade internally with age/use. A few months ago my car suddenly failed to run properly after a cold start, and was clearly running on only 3 cylinders. I identified the missing plug, cleaned it, but there was still no spark. New plugs and it has run perfectly.
    I would say 20,000 miles is quite old for a plug.
    I think they start to foul either because of rich mixture, or burning a bit of oil, or because of progressive weakening of the spark so that deposits form instead of burning off properly.
    It would be worth looking at the state of the plugs now that the engine is running well.







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