Really bad fuel mixture problem - desperate! - Page 2

Louiseloves240s · Dec 12th, 2011, 14:18

Is the Lambda light the one on the dashboard? The one on the left with the triangle about emissions? That's been on since I had the car. The bloke who had it before said he had had trouble with it, had spent a lot of time trying to find the problem, then found it was the thing on the dashboard itself and replaced it (I can't remember why, but I still have his email and could ask him). The problem went away for a while then came back, and he gave up, as there was nothing wrong with the car or it's emissions at the time (my previous one had it on all the time as well, Craig couldn't find anything wrong with that one either, so said not to worry about it). At its MOT at the end of June, it passed the emissions test perfectly well.

I nearly forgot, re the air filter, it was changed when it was serviced in April and has only done about 5000 miles since. I do always have them serviced regularly.

If I could just get it up to Lancs, where I'm going for a couple of weeks, there's a small Volvo specialist up there round the corner that I could take it to, if you thought that was best. He's very expensive, though, and rather grumpy.

rusty244 · Dec 12th, 2011, 14:26

Could a vacuum leak somewhere cause these symptoms?

My somewhat more low tech B230A (carb) version had a crack in the plastic plug on the brake servo so the entire vacuum system was not pressurised correctly which resulted in VERY rough running. Quite a satisfying fix which cost small change but took numerous quite experienced friends quite a while to spot what the cause was.

Bound to be something simple!

Louiseloves240s · Dec 12th, 2011, 14:29

I do hope it#s simple!

The thing is, running rough is not something it's been doing, although it is a bit more precarious lately when it's cold, and I have found myself putting it into neutral at traffic liights so I can rev it a bit, just in case

honestjoe · Dec 12th, 2011, 15:46

The rough running and not starting could be separate faults..Did your garage chap change or clean distributor cap?..New plugs are a step in the right direction but a dirty or damp distributor will make starting near on impossible this time of year..Even if the car is running rough it will want to start before it realises its not well..do check the distributor..even if its just to move the car..Cheers..hope you get it sorted.hj.

radiomark · Dec 12th, 2011, 16:42

The lambda light doesn't just deal with emissions it let's you know that the system has logged a fault from one of the sensors.
There is a little black box just by the windscreen wiper motor on the near side in the engine.this can be used to read the code to tell you what sensor is not working.
http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Engi...agnosticCodesi

The codes are a series of 3 flashes by a red LED
Depending on your confidence you can do this without going to the garage.

The usual suspects are air mass meter,coolant temp sensor and oxygen sensor.
You have the lh 2.4 system

As Jo said you may have more than one issue

Louiseloves240s · Dec 12th, 2011, 16:50

The distributor cap is impeccable, it was the first thing I checked when it wouldn't start. Craig thinks it's just the plugs being filthy after a week of bad fumes - apparently last week when it was doing this, it started perfectly when he put the new plugs in, and started first time all week; it was only when I left it 24 hours on Saturday without starting it that it did this chugging and then not starting thing again - could that be a combination of dirty plugs and damp weather? He says the original problem is causing this secondary one, because I'm not using the car very much.

Will clean the plugs when I feel like I can walk down to the car and not fall over, and then it will start!

Meanwhile, have looked through the documents that came with the car, two very careful owners before me. Are these relevant?

In Feb 2009 he bought an 'Oxygen probe 3-wire' and 'Electric harness'
In Sept 2009, a garage bill says 'Check out Lamda light on', and remarks 'Fault codes show faulty air flow meter'.

Paul240480 · Dec 12th, 2011, 17:56

In Feb 2009 he bought an 'Oxygen probe 3-wire' and 'Electric harness'

I wonder if this was one of those 'universal' oxygen sensors that you hve to wire in yourself? If it is bin it & get an original, or at least one pre-wired with the plug on it. Universal ones can and often do cause more problems than they are worth.

Original spec would be a Bosch, you could order one from 'Rufe' on here from FRF in Swansea.
Good luck

tannachyallen · Dec 12th, 2011, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louiseloves240s

In Feb 2009 he bought an 'Oxygen probe 3-wire' and 'Electric harness'
In Sept 2009, a garage bill says 'Check out Lamda light on', and remarks 'Fault codes show faulty air flow meter'.

Pretty sure the 3 wire is the correct o2 sensor with pre-heat. If the air mass meter is the original I would strongley suspect it's the culprit. They can be cleaned, but I got a second hand one from Braydon Motors and all my fuel and running problems were fixed.

Dave A.

radiomark · Dec 12th, 2011, 20:04

If the receipt for the oxygen sensor is from a reputable garage it should be ok.
Second hand air mass meters can be had on ebay or from Braydons as suggested.You will need the exact same Bosch part number.

Ebay about £30-40

Cant see any 240 ones on there at the mo.

try google salvo volvo or braydon motors
http://www.salvogroup.co.uk/

radiomark · Dec 12th, 2011, 20:10

Do we get obsessed when someones volvo doesnt work or what?

Dec 12th, 2011, 17:56	#17
Paul240480 Ovlovnut Last Online: Feb 25th, 2024 08:58 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nivillac View Photos By: Paul240480	In Feb 2009 he bought an 'Oxygen probe 3-wire' and 'Electric harness' I wonder if this was one of those 'universal' oxygen sensors that you hve to wire in yourself? If it is bin it & get an original, or at least one pre-wired with the plug on it. Universal ones can and often do cause more problems than they are worth. Original spec would be a Bosch, you could order one from 'Rufe' on here from FRF in Swansea. Good luck __________________ 2004 V70 2.4SE Auto 'The Welshmobile’ 2002 Laika Ecovip 400i ( Motorhome on an Iveco 2.8TD) http://www.gitessouthbrittany.com/ http://moncopainmonchien.jimdo.com/

Dec 12th, 2011, 20:04	#19
radiomark Senior Member Last Online: Mar 6th, 2020 14:24 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: eastbourneish View Photos By: radiomark	If the receipt for the oxygen sensor is from a reputable garage it should be ok. Second hand air mass meters can be had on ebay or from Braydons as suggested.You will need the exact same Bosch part number. Ebay about £30-40 Cant see any 240 ones on there at the mo. try google salvo volvo or braydon motors http://www.salvogroup.co.uk/ Last edited by radiomark; Dec 12th, 2011 at 20:09.

Dec 12th, 2011, 14:18	#11
Louiseloves240s New Member Last Online: May 6th, 2014 20:40 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Llantrisant, near Cardiff, South Wales	Is the Lambda light the one on the dashboard? The one on the left with the triangle about emissions? That's been on since I had the car. The bloke who had it before said he had had trouble with it, had spent a lot of time trying to find the problem, then found it was the thing on the dashboard itself and replaced it (I can't remember why, but I still have his email and could ask him). The problem went away for a while then came back, and he gave up, as there was nothing wrong with the car or it's emissions at the time (my previous one had it on all the time as well, Craig couldn't find anything wrong with that one either, so said not to worry about it). At its MOT at the end of June, it passed the emissions test perfectly well. I nearly forgot, re the air filter, it was changed when it was serviced in April and has only done about 5000 miles since. I do always have them serviced regularly. If I could just get it up to Lancs, where I'm going for a couple of weeks, there's a small Volvo specialist up there round the corner that I could take it to, if you thought that was best. He's very expensive, though, and rather grumpy.

Dec 12th, 2011, 14:26	#12
rusty244 Senior Member Last Online: Apr 21st, 2024 21:01 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: North West	Could a vacuum leak somewhere cause these symptoms? My somewhat more low tech B230A (carb) version had a crack in the plastic plug on the brake servo so the entire vacuum system was not pressurised correctly which resulted in VERY rough running. Quite a satisfying fix which cost small change but took numerous quite experienced friends quite a while to spot what the cause was. Bound to be something simple!

Dec 12th, 2011, 14:29	#13
Louiseloves240s New Member Last Online: May 6th, 2014 20:40 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Llantrisant, near Cardiff, South Wales	I do hope it#s simple! The thing is, running rough is not something it's been doing, although it is a bit more precarious lately when it's cold, and I have found myself putting it into neutral at traffic liights so I can rev it a bit, just in case

Dec 12th, 2011, 15:46	#14
honestjoe MY 240 DRIVES ME! Last Online: Jun 1st, 2024 02:16 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: ashford kent View Photos By: honestjoe	The rough running and not starting could be separate faults..Did your garage chap change or clean distributor cap?..New plugs are a step in the right direction but a dirty or damp distributor will make starting near on impossible this time of year..Even if the car is running rough it will want to start before it realises its not well..do check the distributor..even if its just to move the car..Cheers..hope you get it sorted.hj.

Dec 12th, 2011, 16:42	#15
radiomark Senior Member Last Online: Mar 6th, 2020 14:24 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: eastbourneish View Photos By: radiomark	The lambda light doesn't just deal with emissions it let's you know that the system has logged a fault from one of the sensors. There is a little black box just by the windscreen wiper motor on the near side in the engine.this can be used to read the code to tell you what sensor is not working. http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Engi...agnosticCodesi The codes are a series of 3 flashes by a red LED Depending on your confidence you can do this without going to the garage. The usual suspects are air mass meter,coolant temp sensor and oxygen sensor. You have the lh 2.4 system As Jo said you may have more than one issue

Dec 12th, 2011, 16:50	#16
Louiseloves240s New Member Last Online: May 6th, 2014 20:40 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Llantrisant, near Cardiff, South Wales	The distributor cap is impeccable, it was the first thing I checked when it wouldn't start. Craig thinks it's just the plugs being filthy after a week of bad fumes - apparently last week when it was doing this, it started perfectly when he put the new plugs in, and started first time all week; it was only when I left it 24 hours on Saturday without starting it that it did this chugging and then not starting thing again - could that be a combination of dirty plugs and damp weather? He says the original problem is causing this secondary one, because I'm not using the car very much. Will clean the plugs when I feel like I can walk down to the car and not fall over, and then it will start! Meanwhile, have looked through the documents that came with the car, two very careful owners before me. Are these relevant? In Feb 2009 he bought an 'Oxygen probe 3-wire' and 'Electric harness' In Sept 2009, a garage bill says 'Check out Lamda light on', and remarks 'Fault codes show faulty air flow meter'.

Dec 12th, 2011, 20:10	#20
radiomark Senior Member Last Online: Mar 6th, 2020 14:24 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: eastbourneish View Photos By: radiomark	Do we get obsessed when someones volvo doesnt work or what?

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