2001 V40 1.8Gdi starting & idling issues, won't rev

[theboymike]

Hi all, looking for some help with my V40 please

It seems to have been running ok until a few days ago, when the following happened:

- Started from cold (fine)
- Driven for maybe 3/4 mile and turned off (as part of a larger route before anyone wrongly pegs me as the "drive round the corner to the shop" type )
- Upon restarting I thought it had fired so released the key but it died
- It continued to turn over on the ignition key but wouldn't fire
- It did start a few times but the idle was very low, with the accelerator to the floor it wouldn't rev over 1500rpm or so
- I eventually managed to get it going and nursed it home - at constant light throttle vehicle speed would remain consistent for a while but would periodically bog down, then pick up again.
- The engine doesn't appear to be mis-firing or running rough, just running very sluggishly with very little power- it reached the heady heights of 15-20mph and refused to go any quicker..


A poke around when I got home revealed not a lot:
- Oil level OK, no signs of water
- Water level OK, no signs of oil
- Visible steam from exhaust but not an excessive amount IMO considering it was still cold
- Engine warning now light on
- Coolant temperature didn't go above about 1/4, with 1/2 being the norm when warm
- Reasonable smell of fuel at the exhaust


Additional info, FWIW:

One of / the ancillary belt slips sometimes for a short period when cold but there are no indicators that any important driven bits aren't working as they should (battery evidently has plenty of juice and it's never overheated so I guess the water pump is doing its job).

Upon turning the ignition key to position 2 prior to starting the throttle body(?) has always clicked repeatedly before starting, which I've read potentially implies an issue. Thinking about it I have experienced a slight but detectable loss of power of power / bogging down before, but nowhere near as bad as it is now; which renders the car un-driveable.


I'm wondering if it might be a fuelling issue caused by a failed throttle body (either the stepper motor that controls the butterfly, the throttle position sensor or perhaps accelerator position sensor) as I guess this would flag up a warning / fault code and I hear they're a bit squffy on these engines.

I'd like to have the plugs out for a look inside but a previous idiot I'd paid to service the car has evidently stripped out the thread in the cam cover for the plastic engine cover so I can't get access (yet another job to do - any pointers on removal much appreciated!) - as a result the plugs are probably overdue a change but tbh I doubt this is relevant unless maybe excessive gaps have knackered the coil pack..

I'm skint and miles away from the only garage I trust so ideally I'd like to sort this issue myself if I can. I'm guessing from the engine warning light that I should be able to get a fault code, although I'm struggling to get my head around this having trawled google..

Will my model display DTC codes on the dash if I use the correct procedure? I'm not sure if this applies to this particular age / type of car. Also, am I correct in thinking that I can use a generic OBDII fault code reader to interrogate the ECU, but that this will only give me basic codes and that I'll need a Volvo-specific reader to get more specific codes..?

Any help would me much appreciated - thanks

[Clan]

Originally Posted by theboymike

Hi all, looking for some help with my V40 please

It seems to have been running ok until a few days ago, when the following happened:

- Started from cold (fine)
- Driven for maybe 3/4 mile and turned off (as part of a larger route before anyone wrongly pegs me as the "drive round the corner to the shop" type )
- Upon restarting I thought it had fired so released the key but it died
- It continued to turn over on the ignition key but wouldn't fire
- It did start a few times but the idle was very low, with the accelerator to the floor it wouldn't rev over 1500rpm or so
- I eventually managed to get it going and nursed it home - at constant light throttle vehicle speed would remain consistent for a while but would periodically bog down, then pick up again.
- The engine doesn't appear to be mis-firing or running rough, just running very sluggishly with very little power- it reached the heady heights of 15-20mph and refused to go any quicker..


A poke around when I got home revealed not a lot:
- Oil level OK, no signs of water
- Water level OK, no signs of oil
- Visible steam from exhaust but not an excessive amount IMO considering it was still cold
- Engine warning now light on
- Coolant temperature didn't go above about 1/4, with 1/2 being the norm when warm
- Reasonable smell of fuel at the exhaust


Additional info, FWIW:

One of / the ancillary belt slips sometimes for a short period when cold but there are no indicators that any important driven bits aren't working as they should (battery evidently has plenty of juice and it's never overheated so I guess the water pump is doing its job).

Upon turning the ignition key to position 2 prior to starting the throttle body(?) has always clicked repeatedly before starting, which I've read potentially implies an issue. Thinking about it I have experienced a slight but detectable loss of power of power / bogging down before, but nowhere near as bad as it is now; which renders the car un-driveable.


I'm wondering if it might be a fuelling issue caused by a failed throttle body (either the stepper motor that controls the butterfly, the throttle position sensor or perhaps accelerator position sensor) as I guess this would flag up a warning / fault code and I hear they're a bit squffy on these engines.

I'd like to have the plugs out for a look inside but a previous idiot I'd paid to service the car has evidently stripped out the thread in the cam cover for the plastic engine cover so I can't get access (yet another job to do - any pointers on removal much appreciated!) - as a result the plugs are probably overdue a change but tbh I doubt this is relevant unless maybe excessive gaps have knackered the coil pack..

I'm skint and miles away from the only garage I trust so ideally I'd like to sort this issue myself if I can. I'm guessing from the engine warning light that I should be able to get a fault code, although I'm struggling to get my head around this having trawled google..

Will my model display DTC codes on the dash if I use the correct procedure? I'm not sure if this applies to this particular age / type of car. Also, am I correct in thinking that I can use a generic OBDII fault code reader to interrogate the ECU, but that this will only give me basic codes and that I'll need a Volvo-specific reader to get more specific codes..?

Any help would me much appreciated - thanks

You will probably find the throttle butterfly spindle has seized , you can take it apart and free and lubricate it . you should be able to press it open by hand and it should spring back ...

You need to fit a new alternator belt and the other one whilst you are at it .. tightening it will probably cause it to snap as it will be worn excessively with the slipping ..

[mopedmick]

Maybe other things but is highly likely to be related to fuel pressure, I have worked for mitsubishi on this GDI system but fuel system parts such as high pressure pumps are rarer than hen's teeth......

[theboymike]

Originally Posted by Clan

You will probably find the throttle butterfly spindle has seized , you can take it apart and free and lubricate it . you should be able to press it open by hand and it should spring back ...

You need to fit a new alternator belt and the other one whilst you are at it .. tightening it will probably cause it to snap as it will be worn excessively with the slipping ..

Thanks - I'll certainly check it and it would be wonderful if it's this simple, however I'm a but dubious given how it was fine one minute and not the next..

Ta for the thought on the belt too - tension seems good so I'm guessing it's slipping because it's worn and as you suggest needs to be replaced

Originally Posted by mopedmick

Maybe other things but is highly likely to be related to fuel pressure, I have worked for mitsubishi on this GDI system but fuel system parts such as high pressure pumps are rarer than hen's teeth......

Thanks - is there any way I can test this? I'm guessing it'd throw up a fault code if the fuel pressure is outside its acceptable working range.

Do you mean that the parts are rare on the used market or even if sourced new? A lack of aftermarket suppliers perhaps? I bet they're not cheap


In other news I've just remembered that the exhaust has been rattling for years and the last time I was under the car it all looked pretty ropy (original system after 78k miles) so I guess it could also be a blocked exhaust.

I think the next step (after checking the TB) is to try and pull some fault codes from the car - I'll have a look on the forum for the procedure / maybe start another thread on the subject

[theboymike]

A small "progress" update, FWIW..

I tried starting the car from cold again earlier and it started fine but had a bit of a rough idle and again wouldn't rev to more than about 2k rpm. Keeping a light throttle and the revs below 2k resulted in varying engine speed / surging within a range of about 200rpm.

I've removed the MAF and ducting to get to the throttle body and sure enough as predicted by clan the butterfly is very stiff - it can be moved by hand but is too tight for the return spring to do its job and the butterfly just stays where it's put.

I've sprayed a load of brake cleaner in there (the closest I can get to carb cleaner); it's shifting the carbon on the surface of the body but not doing a lot to the free up the butterfly. Looks like I'm going to have to remove and strip it; however it looks like quite a lot needs to be removed and I'm currently stuck trying to remove the engine cover for better access, due to the one stripped bolt keeping it in place

Not sure where to go from here as I lack any decent facilities - my first thought was to drill the head off the offending bolt but I've got no power supply to hand and don't have a battery drill

[mrfixer]

Most likely is the magnets came off the spindle in the throttle body. My son had a gdi Volvo and this happened to his. It needs a new one or you could strip it out and check it clean all the old glue/resin off both magnet and spindle and marry them together with a powerful adhesive/resin but it needs to be strong. Be very careful of the magnets they are very strong if you let go of them and they hit the spindle they could shatter. Hope this helps 👍