Hi there,

My mates and I co-own a Volvo 360 with the 2 Litre redblock engine. We're having a really hard time trying to get it to actually run. It's immensely frustrating. It does start sometimes, other times it doesn't. If it does start it usually won't stay running. While we initially thought it was a vacuum problem, we now believe it's something to do with the Renix ignition system. We've checked the crank angle sensor and it seems to be fine. I'm curious as to how integral the Renix system is to the fuel injection if at all etc. and whether it is worthwhile/possible to go with a conventional electronic distributor for reliability's sake. If the Renix system can be sorted and repaired then we're more than happy to keep it.

Thanks.

Nick

deffo must check the spark. Its unlikely to be the renix!

Hi,

I've more experience with B230F in Volvo 740's, but the B200F is very similar.
What you should check:
- is the fuel pump running, when starting. There is a control relay that may be worn.
You can bridge that, to be shure, there is fuel pressure
- the sensor for the ignition and the injection system on the gear housing may look
valid, but often is not. Take out one spark plug, hold plug to ground and start. Check
for sparks for every round of crankshaft. If the sensor is bad, you get a spark every now
and then, but that's not ok, obviously.

Regards
Ralf

The renix is very reliable, the fuel system needs its output to determine the engine is running and supply fuel.

You at least need to run spark checkers

What is a 'vacuum problem'?

An air leak is the mostly likely cause, but the AFM and fuel pressure regulator are also possible.

Hi there,

Thanks for the replies. From what we can tell the fuel pump is running well, and we are getting the correct readings from the crank-angle sensor. We initially thought it was a vacuum leak however all hoses to the brake booster, PCV valve etc. are fine so it can't be that. We're also getting readings before the distributor, but no spark, so I suspect that there's a problem with the lead between the distributor and the coil. I am really unfamiliar with this system, my Jaguar due to its age has a very simple points type distributor, so easy to figure out indeed and my Toyota has a conventional electronic distributor. The Renix system seems to be clever in the way it works but is definitely outside of the realms I normally work within.

We would love to get it going, so we can fix some other things and get using it, however at this time we're at a complete loss.

The renix is very simple. It needs a signal from the crank sensor and power, then it produces output to the coil primary. It is similar to a set of points but with complex map for timing (based on rpm and load from the vacuum sensor).

Crank it with the king lead close to a ground point. If it sparks the problem is in the distributor.

The coil can get dirty, especially around the back, also the contacts can get corroded. So take the coil out from the renix unit and test its resistance. There are other posts on here with a full break down for testing the renix, sensor and coil.

Thanks a lot. We will check the coil and the contacts. Hopefully this will solve our problem!