So I'm leaving work today, get about thirty yards onto the highway and the Volvo quits. I coast into a parking lot and the fun begins.

Two hours, a Sonicburger, and a trip to the parts store and NOTHING. I checked spark, replaced fuel filter, bypassed the fuel line and gas tank with a "mini gas tank" in front of the radiator, even tried starting fluid. Didn't even come close to firing. Yet it was getting fuel and getting spark.

So I got a tow truck. (hate that, its like going to a hooker)

Anyhow I got it home and started in. Static timed it and it fired right up, ran for about fifteen seconds, started to stumble and died. Re-timed it, put the timing light on it, started again and watched. It fired regularly then became erratic until it finally died again. Was thinking condensor, points?

So I pulled the distributor to check it out, all seemed in order and when I reinstalled it I had the solution.

While monkeying with the electronic ignition this past weekend I reinstalled the distributor so that it wasn't fully engaging the drive gear. It ran fine for a couple of days, seemed a bit off yesterday and then gave it up today.

I was losing light on Sunday and hurrying the reinstallation of the breaker dizzy so didn't catch that I didn't get all the way home.

So it was all my fault! Wasn't careful enough doing what I took for a simple reinstallation.

Lost an afternoon, learned a lesson.

-Mario E.
Lawrence, KS