B230FD Cranks but won’t start

[37 RUBY]

Ok so we need to think about what is controlling the timing of the spark.

It may well be sparkling but is it when it should be?

Have you tried advancing and retarding the distributor whilst cranking the engine?

Also there is a crankshaft sensor and a camshaft sensor. Do you have access to replacements or can test the resistance values of those fitted now.

I'm assuming that albeit the ecu is an early variant that it will still store fault codes. Have you interrogated this?

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by Volvo940GL

Plugs are wet off of fuel.

And so will be the combustion chambers. Blow them out with compressed air, hairdryer into them once clear, plugs into the oven for 10 minutes....turning them occasionally to ensure they are cooked through....Sorry, ignore that last bit, getting mixed up with cooking and tinkering 😁

[Laird Scooby]

If the spark plugs are wet with fuel, you need to remove and dry them. While they're out, check the gap, it should be 0.65-0.7mm or 0.025-0.028" - don't confuse Imperial feeler gauges with metric! I've seen someone do that before and instead of having a plug gap of 0.7mm, because they used Imperial feelrs set to 0.070", they had set the gap to 1.75mm and no wonder their engine didn't start!

If your distributor is mounted on the rear of the cylinder head, as far as i've always been aware you can not alter the timing, this is done my the LH-Jetronic (or later) ECU. What year is the car?

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

If your distributor is mounted on the rear of the cylinder head, as far as i've always been aware you can not alter the timing, this is done my the LH-Jetronic (or later) ECU. What year is the car?

Dave

Do these systems store fault codes ?

[37 RUBY]

Something not considered....does the car have an imobiliser fitted?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 37 RUBY

Dave

Do these systems store fault codes ?

Usually, yes, being an "F" that suggests it has a Lambda sensor so likely to be the LH2.4 Jetronic. That's why i was asking what year it was, some are accessed by a box on the suspension turret with a built in LED and probe to connect to the various systems, other later ones have a "not-quite-OBD" socket in the centre console which needs a bespoke reader, available through the forum.

However it appears our friend is in Norway so sending it to him might pose a problem in terms of time!

There was a recent thread on another car where the Lambda sensor had failed and because of other mods on the car, the default values the ECU assigned caused major over-fueling to the point where it became difficult to start, even when cold.

I don't think that's the scenario here and i'm trying to remember the FD code, seem to recall that means it's a Pulsair engine so it's possible it has an air leak from the Pulsair system but i would hope Volvo would have designed it to keep going even with that.

Something else in the back of my mind is also niggling that the B230FD has the Renix ignition but i could be wrong, they have been known to go squiffy on spark timing so despite giving a spark, it's at the wrong time to let the engine run.

[Laird Scooby]

Just did a look up on the 7/900 Data Pocket, the fuel ECU is the Bosch 0 280 000 946 which has been shown (in the USA at least) to have failure problems that match these symptoms.

I wonder if the OP has a NOID light for testing injector pulses?



As i understand the failure pattern of that particular ECU, it does one of two things, first is it supplies no pulses to the injectors and second, more likely in this cae, is it opens the injectors so there's a continuos flow of fuel into the inlet manifold which will cause the engine to flood and any attempts at starting will cause further flooding.

Reckon the NOID light test is next on the agenda!

[37 RUBY]

To the OP - Volvo940GL

There is some interesting reading from this forum here https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Ele...deTechniques24

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 37 RUBY

To the OP - Volvo940GL

There is some interesting reading from this forum here https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Ele...deTechniques24

Also here and possibly slightly more relevant as the system is LH2.4 on the B230FD - should have said before when i mentioned the ECU number!

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Eng...agnosticCodesi

[Volvo940GL]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Also here and possibly slightly more relevant as the system is LH2.4 on the B230FD - should have said before when i mentioned the ECU number!

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Eng...agnosticCodesi

When I crank the engine it sounds like it’s ignites. It’s sort of a strange blow sound and disappear. I have fault cose 2-4-1 EGR flow too low. Could that cause the engine to not start? I have no idea what to do. I have checked everything an engine needs to cause a combustion.