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OK, here's the latest:
I had the fuel filter replaced and... it looks like the car had the ORIGINAL fuel filter still on it! At least the old filter said "VOLVO", not BOSCH as I would have expected. The old fuel filter was also badly corroded and dented. Not a pretty sight. With the new filter I've already noticed a big improvement in idle steadiness and drivability at low speeds/rpm's (no more near-stalling). Could it be that I was driving around with a fuel filter that had seen 250,000 miles worth of use??
The fuel pump is also really dirty and rusty on the outside. I would not be at all surprised if it chokes intermittently after a bit of high speed or high rev driving. It tests fine though, so I won't replace it yet (I've just spent $1000 on the car and my money supply is completely tapped out). But I did notice RPS has a sale on the Bosch pump ($139), so I might just replace it as a preventative measure.
Zee wrote:
> 1. The hose for the cruise control was jsut asked about on the RWD
> board. Look down past the throttle body to the rear of the engine
> block. there is a vacuum hose there. Maybe that is what IAS means.
I'll check and see if I can find that. Would I find info on the cruise control in the Bentley manual?
> 2. On the fuses, about all you can do there is make sure the fuses
> are good and maybe clean up the copper contacts with a nylon scrub
> pad. Switch to glass tube fuses, like BUSS.
I pulled out the fuses and checked them with a DVM, all tested fine (no resistance). IAS told me they had cleaned the fusebox when they sold me the car last year. It does look reasonably clean.
> 3. Idle is to be about 700 cold or hot. About 950 with AC. suspect
> your Idle Control Valve dirty of faulty. Dirty can be removed and
> cleaned. Faulty, no, need to replace. Probably not your problem,
> though.
Hmmm, interesting... On my car, idle goes *down* when I turn on the AC. I was mistaken yesterday about the idle speeds though. When I first start up the car, idle is about 700 rpm, 900 or so when warmed up. Once warm, always is at 900 in all kinds of weather; definitely is lower rpms at cold startup. But I definitely see the idle go down when I turn on the AC. Anything noteworthy about that? Maybe my AC system is worn out or drawing too much current?
> 4. The fuel pump relay is located on the inside of the firewall on
> the passenger side, just about where the rider's right foot would
> point. Just inboard of the ECU. White plastic box. Solid state
> connections can weaken and crack. Can be resoldered. New is about
> $40-50
Looking through my service records I see that the fuel pump relay was just replaced along with the in-tank fuel pump, this past Monday (at Dougherty's in West Chester, PA).
I've found that the choking/lurching/hesitation thing is worst when I go out on the highway immediately after a cold start, and especially in humid and/or cold weather. I drive 20 highway miles every afternoon from work, so next week will be the test.
Assuming the ignition wires are fine (I'll check for arcing tonight), if the problem continues that will leave three likely suspects for me to look at: the main (external) fuel pump, Idle Control Valve, and the ignition coil. How's that sound to you?
Thanks again for all the valuable information. BrickBoard rules!
Ron Gonzalez
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