I have a 1992 Volvo 960 station wagon that will not start. I have determined that it is a matter of having no spark, but to this point have been unable to actually determine the reason for this issue.

The problem started in mid January, 2008, when, in the coldest morning of the year in Colorado, my car failed to start. This had never been a problem in the past, but I did have to replace my engine (with a 1996 960) in March 2007. Since the replacement, I had no problems UNTIL the extremely cold days. After the weather warmed up, I was able to start the car, but I had to pump the gas pedal for about 30 seconds to keep it running. I took it to the Volvo shop in Ft.Collins, CO, but they were able to start the car right up (it was warmed up). They could not figure out why it didn't start in the cold, but they did change the air filter, the fuel filter, and they reset the "adaptive." This made the car run great, but I still had a hard time getting the engine to turn over on cold mornings. Once it was started, it would usually start all day. I tried using a oil dipstick heater at night, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Then I went to Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minesota within a week. The car became harder and harder to start, sometimes taking dozens of attempts to get it going (I charged the battery every time it wore out).

Finally, I went to Chicago, where it was so cold that it refused to start at all. This was over a month ago. I had it towed to a shop to figure it out. They kept it inside all night, and it started right up the next morning. The head mechanic thought I was an idiot. Then the left it outside over night, and of course, it didn't start. They tried doing diagnostics while it was outside. They said that I was getting fuel to my injectors, but for some reason there was no spark. Since these dignostics, the car has never started again, even when it is warm. At my own descretion, I tried replacing the ECM (engine control module) and the CKP (crank position sensor). Neither made any difference.

So I decided it would be best to take it to another shop in Chicago for further inspection. They have had it for 9 days, and they still haven't found the problem. They have determined that it is not the ignition relay, and they continue to test the wiring, but there is still no answer.

I have returned to Colorado to work and try to catch up after being stuck in Chicago (and loving it, by the way, despite the many challenges of living in the windy city;) for a month. To make matters more interesting, I have to go to court in Illinois in late March, and I am hoping to resolve my car issues at that time (or whenever I get out of jail, if that is what happens). If anybody out there knows what's wrong, God bless you. If not, you are OK too, I love you, good luck on someone else's Volvo issues. I feel like I'm the legal guardian of a patient in an episode of HOUSE. I may end up trading the car for the mechanic bill, but I just want to fix it! It's a good car, I think . . .