Running problem over 50mph

[Nine40]

Hi
Volvo 940 2.0 automatic. 1994

Car runs and starts with no problems however when you reach 50mph the car splutters and struggles and will not accelerate. If you take your foot off an then back on it will slowly speed up and run ok..ive been told that the fuel regulator sensor is at fault?.. its had new maf fitted and turbo aling with some pipes and a sevice..
the car is for sale and im looking at buying it but id need it as daily runner and want your advice as to wether its a good buy? Its one owner full complete history, perfect inside and out apart from passenger wing lacquer peel, it currently has 168000 miles no rust at all!!.. and turbo alloys fitted. is it worth me buying? Currently on offer for £750...
thanks

[Laird Scooby]

Several thoughts come to mind. Here's the list :

Gearbox ATF - dirty, old, incorrect level, wrong ATF

Knock sensor

Air leaks

Lambda sensor

Overboosting

Plugs and/or HT leads/dizzy cap/rotor arm

Fuel filter

Possibly FPR

Fuel pump

Blocked cat or other exhaust component

Blocked air filter

Mistimed cam and/or loose cam belt

Those are just a few possibilities. There could be others but what happens if you manually over-ride the gearbox so the car remains in 2nd or 3rd and you try to accelerate past 50mph? Is there any difference going uphill or downhill to on the flat?

[TonyS9]

Buying a car with an engine fault and a paint defect - simple low ball offer, £300 IMO, the condition of the car is not exceptional, these cars last and the spec is quite low.

It will be fixable, and probably cheaply. Clearly the owner could not be bothered so he will have to pay for that.

[Nine40]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Several thoughts come to mind. Here's the list :

Gearbox ATF - dirty, old, incorrect level, wrong ATF

Knock sensor

Air leaks

Lambda sensor

Overboosting

Plugs and/or HT leads/dizzy cap/rotor arm

Fuel filter

Possibly FPR

Fuel pump

Blocked cat or other exhaust component

Blocked air filter

Mistimed cam and/or loose cam belt

Those are just a few possibilities. There could be others but what happens if you manually over-ride the gearbox so the car remains in 2nd or 3rd and you try to accelerate past 50mph? Is there any difference going uphill or downhill to on the flat?

How do you manually over ride? Thanks

[Laird Scooby]

Instead of leaving it in "D", move the lever back to "2" or "3" - you may need to press the interlock button to do it - that's the one you have to press to release the lever from "P".

Obviously keep an eye on the rev counter while holding it in a lower gear, if it approaches the red line, shift the lever to the next highest range.

[griston64]

Most of my running issues were down to HT leads. I changed/cleaned everything on my 940 but the leads ( which had disintegrated ) solved it.

Not saying it's the answer and I wanted to do all the other stuff anyway as my car had been sitting in a garage for 6 years but in future I would change leads first

[360beast]

That's for sale for more than I paid for my 1997 2.3 lpt auto which had 167k miles when I bought it and full volvo service history it has the top spec for everything! So with the running issues I wouldn't even entertain that price.

[Stephen Edwin]

In general if the body is truly sound then the mechanics can be fixed.

As above, the seller has not fixed it. Or has perhaps tried and failed to fix it?

I have in the past bought a 740 that needed fixing. I got the price down, and the cost of fixing was a large part of my total purchase price. The car served me well.

The cars are good and reliable. Many problems are very cheap to fix.

BUT. Some problems have been known to persuade owners to scrap their cars. Probably a mistake in my opinion but there it is. AND You need the car as a daily driver. There are many threads in the 240 and 740 et al forums where faults have taken a long time to diagnose and/or to obtain parts. And quite a few instances of wrong diagnoses leading to unnecessary expense. That's OK if one is careful before spending, and if one is not reliant on the car.


*****


"Don'y buy a secondhand car you are buying someone else's problems. Yes dear. I should have listened to your first husband."



.