Temperature guage - late 96 440, and lumpy engine

[volvo4me]

Hello,
Can anybody provide advice?
The temperature guage on my 440 does not work. Should I just replace it, if that job is simple to do, or could there be another reason?
Also my engine has a lumpy idle speed. Taking advice from another thread I have changed the plugs, HT leads, distributor cap, rotor arm and thoroughly cleaned everything under the bonnet, and the checked connections.
As a pensioner I have to watch the pennies.
Thank you.

[B20F]

Most of the times the cause for a non functioning temp. guage is corroded contacts at the back of it. Simply remove it, clean the contacts with contactspray and re-attach them with a bit of vaseline to prevent them corroding in the future. Another cause could be a bad sensor in the block.
As for the lumpy idle we need to know of which engine we're talking about.

[volvo4me]

Most of the times the cause for a non functioning temp. guage is corroded contacts at the back of it. Simply remove it, clean the contacts with contactspray and re-attach them with a bit of vaseline to prevent them corroding in the future. Another cause could be a bad sensor in the block.
As for the lumpy idle we need to know of which engine we're talking about.

Thank you for your advice regarding the temperature guage, is it easy to access?
The engine is a 1.8 fuel injection, manual.
Thanks again.

[Paul240480]

Okay, (B20f will correct me if I'm wrong!). Mine is B18ft. Idle probs are notorious & I THINK the same for you.

First port of call is Idle Control Valve - Take a peek at this brill 'how to':

http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15569

If yours has a throttle position sensor, clean it up with contact cleaner & Vaseline, then refit.

You may have an engine temp sensor & an engine COOLANT temp sensor (mine does). The latter if dead can cause rough idle as it tells the ecu that the coolant is still cold (continously) so "give me more fule please" causing rich running etc..............

Good Luck:thumbs_up:

[B20F]

If it's not the B18U (monopoint)engine, then Paul480240 is right. If it's the B18U the setup of the idle controller is more complex. The idling in the B18U is controlled in a completely different way than that of the multipoint engines. The B18U doesn't have an external idle control valve, the idle control is integrated in the throttle body. I've got no experience on the B18U setup so can't give you advice on that one, sorry.

[volvo4me]

Okay, (B20f will correct me if I'm wrong!). Mine is B18ft. Idle probs are notorious & I THINK the same for you.

First port of call is Idle Control Valve - Take a peek at this brill 'how to':

http://volvo480.dragons.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15569

If yours has a throttle position sensor, clean it up with contact cleaner & Vaseline, then refit.

You may have an engine temp sensor & an engine COOLANT temp sensor (mine does). The latter if dead can cause rough idle as it tells the ecu that the coolant is still cold (continously) so "give me more fule please" causing rich running etc..............

Good Luck:thumbs_up:

Thank you for the input Paul.

[bvs]

Just in case it is helpful for anybody with fuel/temp gauge problems...I did this job a few months ago('96 440), luckily had the help of an electrician at work who knew roughly how to do it.

Remove the instrument panel surround as described in chap 12.16 in the haynes comic but note you do not have to remove steering wheel (I put it at its lowest setting !).
The actual instrument unit is only held in by 2 screws on RHS of unit (pic2) and then carefully prised out towards you and to the right (the LHS is just 'slotted in').
Next you remove the 8x No10 torx screws and lift off the perspex cover,being very careful not to damage odometer zeroing shaft.
The fuel/temp gauge is held in place by 4 x 7mm nuts (the blurry ones in pic3 :D),remove the 4 nuts and carefully pull/push gauges out(pic4)...caution do not lose the 4 brass spacers(you can see one in pic4) as these are the electrical connection to the printed circuit board !
You will now see the PCB...missing on my photos but you can see the connector holes for the six pins (just above the 2 top gauge mounting holes),the PCB just 'pulls out' from the six pin holes.
My PCB was very corroded so I changed that and the gauges as well(as a unit,i did not try breaking it down further)
Obviously the gauge/brass spacer/PCB connection has to be very clean for everything to work ok.

cheers baz

[veegard]

Thank you for your thread. I've been suspecting the temp gauge sender itself, but this seems like a much more logical step (although a more difficult one).
Not keen on changing any more components, except if it looks really **** back there. Was the pcb expensive?

[bvs]

Thank you for your thread. I've been suspecting the temp gauge sender itself, but this seems like a much more logical step (although a more difficult one).
Not keen on changing any more components, except if it looks really **** back there. Was the pcb expensive?

Hi V
I was lucky to find an inst panel from a pristine 19,000 mile 440 (dont ask me why it was in the scrappy :D) for £10.So i just took the relevant components from that,if I had a petrol car I would have been able to just bolt in the new one,but I believe that the rev counter is different on the diesel.
Of course you can never discount a sender/wiring fault.
good luck

cheers baz

[veegard]

Took off instrument panel, checked behind it. Looked very nice, just like new. Except the very thin cheap pcb film looked a bit crispy. But all my lights are working, and circuits seemed fine.
Ohmed both meters to 50 ohm, and since the gas tank meter works fine I suppose it's a good chanse the gauge is working.

Swapped thermostat, radiator cooling fan switch, engine block temp sender yesterday.
Went for a drive, it looked like it was working better than usual.. But can't really know until I've done several trips. It tend to not work after a couple of trips in a row, for some reason. But hopefully, once I fix the leak in the aeration screw in the T-section behind the engine, and a little leak i accidentally made in the radiator airing, I'm good to go!

[jeff t]

Had the same temp problems as this.
Ive had the car from new 1992 and had to have the pcb changed in 1994.
Just had to change it again in dec 08 from a p reg scrap car and solved the problem again, but sent gauge and pcb to a friends
electrics firm to be checked and came back ok , they think the problem is with the little brass spacers as there was marks on them simular to rust.

[volvo4me]

Hi Veegard,
Can you let me know where you got your engine block temp sender? On the Internet I have seen many for various B18 engines, usually with silly post and packaging costs, but none for my B18U. I am hoping your supplier may have one.
Cheers,
Colin.

[veegard]

I called Frydenbø, which is my local vovlo dealer. They ordered one for me from sweden, and I got it in express overnight delivery.
Swapped the temp sender, and now the gauge is working fine. Very easy to swap also!
If my B20F is different from your B18U, i don't know. I would check the specs in Haynes book of lies to see if there's any difference.

[volvo4me]

Re: 96 440 petrol 1.8i, B18u engine, can anybody tell me where I can get a water coolant sensor? I have tried quite a few companies on the Internet, but only one replied. They did not have one.
The sensor on my engine has a green plastic top, round in shape. Image attached.
Thank you,
Colin.

[Paul240480]

Have you tried these guys?

www.gsfcarparts.com

[veegard]

Tried your official volvo dealer?

[B20F]

The B18U and B20F both use the same fenix ecu, so the sensors are the same. Veegard is talking about the water gauge sensor though, that is NOT the same sensor as you posted. The picture of the sensor with the blue (green) connector is the coldstartsensor and has 2 wires, the watertemp.sensor only has 1 wire. The cssensor is on the front of the engine below plug #1, the watertempsensor is on the backside of the engine opposite the cssensor. So ask for a coldstart sensor at the dealer, something like 10-15quid.

[veegard]

OH yeah, you're probably right. I remembered seeing it, but I couldn't really place it.. So we were talking about two different things! What's a coldstart sensors function by the way, if you don't mind me asking?

[B20F]

The cssensor gives a signal to the ecu to let it know if the engine is cold or warm. If the engine is cold it needs more fuel to keep it running (rich condition, like a choke on carburettor engines). When warm it needs less fuel so the ecu opens the injectors for a shorter while everytime they inject. Symptoms for a bad cssensors are bad starting with a warm engine and running rich OR bad starting when cold. When the ecu detects a valse signal from the cssensor it goes in the save mode and acts as if the engine is running at 20c all the time. So with a hot engine it runs rich, as the ecu injects more fuel than is really needed. The lambda will detect the rich condition and correct this to a certain level.
The cs sensor detects the info also from the temp of the cooling water, that''s why it is often been mistaken for the watertemp sensor for the watertemp gauge.

[veegard]

Ooh.. I didn't know it worked that way! Thanks alot, learned something new today aswell then :D
Still looking for my consumption problem, but I guess this isn't causing it, since mine starts just fine. Gonna have to check the lambda soon I guess.. Does it say in the big blue book where it's located?

[Paul240480]

The lambda is most likely bolted into the catalyser like on my 480. Guessing they're all the same..........

I got mine from GSF & chose the Bosch one. Lesser makes can cause all sorts of erratic problems, so I would steer clear of those. Cost around £53 mark.

Once you found it, (look under car near to passenger (front) door). Follow the wires back & you should find a connector, which once the rubber cover is folded back, will separate. New one will plug in here. To remove the sensor itself, best thing is to get it really hot go for a blast first. Then go for it, but don't burn ya self LOL.

My connector was only about 18" away from the sensor itself. But on some it will be right up underneath the battery tray, as I say just a case of following the wire back.............

Good Luck

[B20F]

On the B20F and B18U the lambda is located just in front of the cat, in the downpipe. All other B18 engines have the lambda in the cat itself as Paul240480 stated.

[veegard]

God damnit, B20F. You know everything about this car.