stalls, then whines

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starchild - 06 Sep 2006 18:46 GMT

Hi, all! My Volvo is an '88 4 door; just bought it a couple of weeks
ago. It has stalled twice, then restarts immediately (though the 2nd
time took longer to restart than the first). Once it's ready to go
(it's happened twice in underground parking garages; coincidence?), it
gives a high pitched whine for a few seconds.

Fuel pump?

Thanks!!

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James Sweet - 06 Sep 2006 23:06 GMT

> Hi, all! My Volvo is an '88 4 door; just bought it a couple of weeks
> ago. It has stalled twice, then restarts immediately (though the 2nd
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Thanks!!

Possibly, what model is this?

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starchild - 07 Sep 2006 01:13 GMT

> > Hi, all! My Volvo is an '88 4 door; just bought it a couple of weeks
> > ago. It has stalled twice, then restarts immediately (though the 2nd
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Possibly, what model is this?

Thank you! It's a 240 DL. Is this a major problem?

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James Sweet - 07 Sep 2006 03:24 GMT

>>>Hi, all! My Volvo is an '88 4 door; just bought it a couple of weeks
>>>ago. It has stalled twice, then restarts immediately (though the 2nd
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Thank you! It's a 240 DL. Is this a major problem?

Not necessarily, if you can tell where the whine is coming from that
would be helpful. How much fuel was in the tank when the problem occurred?

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starchild - 11 Sep 2006 19:28 GMT

> Not necessarily, if you can tell where the whine is coming from that
> would be helpful. How much fuel was in the tank when the problem occurred?

The whine seems to be coming from beneath the car, near the center...?
It happened again this morning (started pretty quick). Half a tank of
gas. It might have been low the previous two occurences. I'm getting
worried.

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James Sweet - 11 Sep 2006 19:29 GMT

>>Not necessarily, if you can tell where the whine is coming from that
>>would be helpful. How much fuel was in the tank when the problem occurred?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> gas. It might have been low the previous two occurences. I'm getting
> worried.

The whine is the main fuel pump, it may be that it's failing, it could
also be the prepump in the tank is bad, that's what I'd check first.

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starchild - 14 Sep 2006 23:12 GMT

> The whine is the main fuel pump, it may be that it's failing, it could
> also be the prepump in the tank is bad, that's what I'd check first.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! My boyfriend was finally in the car when it
stalled yet again the other day (it's increasing in frequency). He
said it's "definitely" the fuel pump. I guess this is something that
worsens w/ time, so, better take her in asap. No road trips in the
meantime, right? Thanks for the info! :)

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Gary Heston - 15 Sep 2006 02:11 GMT

>> The whine is the main fuel pump, it may be that it's failing, it could
>> also be the prepump in the tank is bad, that's what I'd check first.

>Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! My boyfriend was finally in the car when it
>stalled yet again the other day (it's increasing in frequency). He
>said it's "definitely" the fuel pump. I guess this is something that
>worsens w/ time, so, better take her in asap. No road trips in the
>meantime, right? Thanks for the info! :)

You might want to check all the electrical connections first. I had
a problem with my 145 a few years ago which appeared to be the fuel
pump, but turned out to be a corroded fuse. You may simply need to
clean a connector. On the 240s, another frequent problem is the fuel
pump relay.

Gary

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Gary Heston gheston@hiwaay.net http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

Astronomers have developed a definition of "planet" which excludes Pluto.
I'm developing a definition of "scientist" which excludes astronomers.

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starchild - 15 Sep 2006 20:13 GMT

> You might want to check all the electrical connections first. I had
> a problem with my 145 a few years ago which appeared to be the fuel
> pump, but turned out to be a corroded fuse. You may simply need to
> clean a connector. On the 240s, another frequent problem is the fuel
> pump relay.

Thank you. I think it definitely has electrical issues. Only one
headlight works (it's not a bulb problem) and neither tail brake lights
(the one in the window works OK)! It's terrifying to drive at night!
I don't think we should take it on an 8 hour road trip. What do you
think? It stalled on a busy freeway again this morning. Fortunately
it started back up in less than a minute, but stressful nonetheless.

Thanks for all your insight!!!!!

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Gary Heston - 16 Sep 2006 00:52 GMT

[ ... ]

>> You might want to check all the electrical connections first. I had
>> a problem with my 145 a few years ago which appeared to be the fuel
>> pump, but turned out to be a corroded fuse. You may simply need to
>> clean a connector. On the 240s, another frequent problem is the fuel
>> pump relay.

>Thank you. I think it definitely has electrical issues. Only one
>headlight works (it's not a bulb problem) and neither tail brake lights
>(the one in the window works OK)! It's terrifying to drive at night!

You may need to replace the engine wiring harness; the mid-80s 240s
used insulation that has crumbled over the years. That's likely to
be causing problems in your '88. Replacement harnesses can be found
for about $325 or so and can be swapped in a few hours by someone
with a little experience working on cars.

>I don't think we should take it on an 8 hour road trip. What do you
>think? It stalled on a busy freeway again this morning. Fortunately
>it started back up in less than a minute, but stressful nonetheless.

I agree that any long trips aren't a good idea until some of the
maintenance work is caught up.

>Thanks for all your insight!!!!!

That's what all of us are out here for.

Gary

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