1986 Volvo 340 DL cutting out at low revs

[5150]

Hi everyone,

Bit of a backstory to this one: I drove my car from London to Denmark this weekend. Quite the trek!

It was fine all the way to somewhere in Belgium, at which point the engine started cutting out at low revs. Pulling up to a junction, clutch in, ready to engage first and pull away and then… it died.

It started again without any issues, but this problem persisted the rest of the way – unless I kept the revs up.

We both made it in one piece, with zero issues cruising at 100-110kph. But now I’m a bit baffled. And knackered.

The issue started about an hour after filling up with some Super 98 fuel. Could it have been a bad batch, or not suitable for the engine? The next couple of tanks were bog-standard E10 stuff and it *might* be improving. But I didn’t want to keep testing it to see, for fear of being stranded at 3am on an Autobahn somewhere.

I’ve found a few threads on here about low-rev issues, but nothing that exactly corresponded to my problem. Does anyone have any ideas?

I’m not massively mechanically minded, but I’ve a feeling I might change that as I drive the car more again after its lay-up!

Thanks in advance! And apologies for making my first proper post in years a plea for info…

[SteveP]

That's a pretty impressive trek for a car that's been laid up for so long, glad it made it

Do you have an inline fuel filter? My suspicion would be that the long run has drawn some debris up from the tank. Worth checking the internal tank condition (there's a plate in the boot you can take the fuel sender out on a 340) and see if there's any debris in the carb. Debris could be blocking the jets inside and causing the stalling.

Another common thing with 1.4's is that the carb likes to come loose, check this by seeing if the air filter assembly wiggles on its own without the rest of the engine moving.

[5150]

Sorry for the belated update!

It was the filter. I had a new inline one fitted, and all is well in the world. The idle speed was a bit low, too, so that’s also sorted.

Since that trip the 340 is now registered here in DK, the rust spots in the sills have been repaired, and (after much searching) I now have a pair of LHD headlamps.

Next steps:

• See what I can do to upgrade the brakes (they’re not brilliant)
• Try to repair the lumbar support system in both front seats (the knobs broke off somewhere inside the fabric)
• Shore-up the rear parcel shelf (it’s sagging and needs some support)
• Clean the whole thing, inside and out, including the engine bay

But at least it’s running well! So far…