Hey everybody

Here's the story with my 240...

I replaced the distributor cap and rotor with new Bosch parts. Started right up and idled fine (ran for a few minutes before going out on the road). I then drove it three blocks. It shifted into second and when it was about to shift into third, it completely died. It would crank, but not catch. Well, I quickly drained the old battery that was in there and decided to spend some more time attempting to start it. So I took the good one from my Honda (which origianally came from the Volvo) and put it in the Volvo (his name is James). I then put the old distibutor cap and rotor back on and guess what? It started as if there had never been any problem!
So I then decided to take out the Honda's battery and put in the older battery to get it charged up again. I left it running. I took off the - and + cables and it died out. I couldn't figure this out. My 82 240 ran fine without the battery attatched. So I was going to reattatch the cables and start it up. No problem, right? Well, I had left the ignition in the run position (because that's where it had cut out on me just a second ago)--didn't even think to put it to "off." So I replaced the + cable and saw a good sized spark. I replaced the - cable and there was no spark. It would not start after this. There are no blown fuses. The fuel pump still runs, the car still cranks, but there's no life left in James. I don't think it's a problem with the fuel system, could I have fried the ECM or some relay somewhere?

James hit a deer last fall. He needs a new hood, grill, and a L corner light. He has 184,000 miles and ran like a top before this incident. I wa actually on the way to the shop to have an estimate done for the repair on the hood. James is black, with a tan interior, sunroof, all the power options, new tires, etc. Really nice car.

What's the problem? Is it worth fixing? Do any of you want a 240? I live in Duluth, MN.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tahnks,

Jorn