Hello i've got a Volvo, its gold and now she's working!

Post by **Annie86** » 29 Aug 2007 08:57 pm

Hello, just thought I'd introduce myself!
I'm Annie, I'm studying in Norwich and have after many months of leaving notes on cars have acquired a 340 1.7 with 80k on the clock for free and it's gold!
Its a very cool car and i love it to bits, just a bit annoying that its not running but hey, hopefully not for long...
The lady i got it from was gunna scrap it because it died on her, so glad she called me! She ran out of petrol and after that it ran for a bit, then it died again and she got some ropey mechanic to 'fix' it, he put a new dizzy and rota arm on (neglected all the holes in the vacuum pipes!) Long story short its mine now and my boyfriend (BillyFIVE off driftworks some of you may know) and i have replaced the vacuum pipe connectors, fuel pump and filter and the air filter. Still not running so we're thinking the next thing to do will be to get a replacement carb which is a solex 28-34.
Anyways, looking forward to hearing from people with a lot more experience and knowledge about Volvos so i can get mine up and running!
Will post some pics soon.
Thanks
Annie

Post by **dalahare** » 30 Aug 2007 05:39 am

Howdy and welcome, shame your car isn't running, before you throw any more parts i would do some basic tests, your car needs fuel, air, spark and compression to run, so make sure the air intake isn't blocked by anything and that the filter is good, that you are getting good strong spark at all the plugs, and then do a compression test, if all those are good, then look at the carby...

Post by **redline** » 30 Aug 2007 08:13 am

Hi and welcome to the forum

I dont want to appear as though I am teaching your bf to suck eggs but have you tried any/all of the following

I know you say its not running ,
is it starting and dying or not starting at all ?

I know this may seem obvious but
is it cranking over on the starter ok or is it totally dead ?
is it trying to fire or just turning over ?

electrical checks

is the battery good and fully charged and the terminals tight

have you checked the plugs and leads ( and that the mechanic DID change the dizzy cap AND more importantly the rotor arm )

the other thing to check is the renix ignition unit which is on the near side inner wing towards the rear of the engine bay , check all the connections are sound I am not sure how you would check if its failed apart from substituting it with another one ( they are model specific iirc )

fuel system

next you could briefly disconnect the fuel pipe after the pump and before the carb , put the loose end in a pot of some type (to catch any fuel )and briefly crank the engine with the coil lead disconnected so it wont start , that is to make sure petrol is coming through ok.

if you have changed the in line fuel filter did you know there is another filter ( black plastic ) mounted on the drivers side of the bonnet hinge panel near the radiator

carb bases on these cars are known to warp causing vacuum leaks

hope some of this helps , there will be more knowladgable ( and maybe even someone who can spell lol)people along with more help in due course

good luck

Post by **pettaw** » 30 Aug 2007 08:45 am

If its run out of petrol prior to conking out completely there's a good chance that the fuel system will either be clogged with muck or have an air/vapour lock in it. I would do the fuel test that Redline described and see if there's any fuel getting through at all.

If there's no fuel, then I would change all the fuel hoses that run from the tank to the fuel pump, there's short lengths of rubber hose that run from the tank underneath the boot (there's an access hole) and also under the bonnet. If you do a search for fuel hoses we've posted lots of descriptions on how do change them out.

If the fuelling is OK, then check the ignition side. A quick check if there's a rev counter is does the needle just wobble very slightly when you crank it over. That indicates the coil is energising. Redline has covered the rest of it.

Do those tests and come back to us with what you find.

Post by **Chris_C** » 30 Aug 2007 10:19 am

Mick's post is damn useful there guys... I suggest that we put that in the "how-to" section as long as Mick is ok with it. That covers (on quick look throuh) all engines aside from specifics like the filters.

Welcome Annie, good luck with your car, theres enough knowledge on here to get her going again. I also bought a non running 1.7, originally for parts, but since I started running it 18months ago its done just over 20,000m. Looking forward to seeing some pics!

Post by **redline** » 30 Aug 2007 11:29 am

oh shucks your making me blush

see I have learnt a few things in my 30 odd years of motoring

Post by **pettaw** » 30 Aug 2007 11:57 am

Yeah, good idea, a bit of editing and it could go up with the 'running badly' thread.

Post by **Annie86** » 30 Aug 2007 08:32 pm

Thanks guys for all your replies! All the info is great, and helps me figure out what do do next...
The car does run for a few seconds sometimes, but then dies so the starter is okay. When it turns over it is trying to fire too. The battery is dying now after many attempts of getting it going but we have been using jump leads to make sure there is enough power to start it.
The air intake is fine, nothing clogging it and has a new filter
As for the fueling - We have already done the check you suggested redline and the fuel is getting through the pipes, but not into the carb. Its bone dry!
I have heard about the warping thing from reading a few threads on here, so im thinking maybe there is a vacuum leak so the fuel isn't getting to the carb? please correct me if i'm wrong!
Any ways, thanks again guys for the help!
Any other ideas are welcome!
Oh and if anyone has a spare 28-34 knocking about please let me know!
Annie

Post by **pyro** » 30 Aug 2007 10:13 pm

this might seem daft but ive known it happen on other cars, is the breather clear for the fuel tank? with running it might cause a vacuum in the tank causing the fuel supply to stop.
im sure some one will correct me if the 360/40 has a fancy breather system!!

try running it with out the filler cap on it worked on my dads triumph bonneville!

cheers - ben

Post by **Chris_C** » 31 Aug 2007 10:48 am

Yeah, I would try Ben's trick. How far is the petrol getting... i.e. how can you tell it's getting through the pipes as you say?

Sounds exactly like what my 1.7 did when it packed up, mine was doing the same, cranking, never firing, but poured an egg cup of fuel down the carb it'd fire. I thought it was an air lock, so tried the crank mounted fuel pump by hand, nothing, so thought I'd be clever, and take the fuel lines off the pump, and pour fuel down that way. Even with a funnel, I got soaked, turned out the "new" (I'd put them on 6 months earlier) rubber fuel lines had perished, the ones between the pump and the chassis rail hoses.

If yours are cloth covered low pressure ones, it's worth changing them for injection ones anyway tbh, but it's definately a common problem worth looking at. Halfords even do the 6mm internal injection stuff with good hoses clips for something silly like £3

Post by **Annie86** » 31 Aug 2007 12:10 pm

Hi, thanks for more ideas! we can tell the petrol is getting through because when you disconnect the pipe and put it in a pot and then crank it fuel comes out, which is a good sign, just doesnt seem to be getting to the carb!
The hoses around the pump and filter seem fine, but will be replaced any way as it is cheap and easy!
Will try all the tips and techniques next time we see the volvo, prolly sometime this weekend. Have also managed to get a new carb from a breakers, so fingers crossed!
Either way i'll get some pics and put them up to show you all her beautifulness! Hehe!

Post by **pettaw** » 31 Aug 2007 06:25 pm

It sounds as though the needle valve in the carb is jammed shut not allowing fuel to come through. I would take the cover off the carb and gently make sure the needle is moving up and down as you move the floats. I wouldn't put a carb on from a breakers unless you can confirm the original carb is beyond repair.

Post by **jtbo** » 31 Aug 2007 11:47 pm

There is filter in carb too, unscrew plug where your fuel hose connects to, there you find a filter, make sure you put it right way in (it resists when put wrong way, but using force it is possible to install wrong way which someone might have done). Also clean if dirty.

Mine did that when I did install that filter wrong way so I learned my lesson about using force with small parts

Post by **Annie86** » 03 Sep 2007 10:01 pm

SHE LIVES!!!
Replaced the carb and she's running thanks to Billy!
Yeah! I'm very excited to get driving her, just need tax and insurance now...

Here's some pics as promised, but she still needs a good wash and polish!

Thanks you again for all your suggestions! Will keep updating with progress.

Billy's Chaser next to the Volvo...

Volvo radio, yeah!

And original owners manual...

Post by **trabitom99** » 03 Sep 2007 10:17 pm

A very nice little motor! You got it for free ?

Tom