FINALLY got my car fixed! Just to recap, had new shocks & steering rack & pinion unit installed, after which the car suddenly started fouling plugs badly. Not sure if work done caused problem, but as the 'new' steering unit leaked fluid, who knows what these mugs are capable of. I couldn't even trust the car to run long enough to get it back to replace teh steering unit, 50km away, so I brought the car to the local mechanic, who is very good but not a Volvo expert.
He checked the car, serviced injectors & tested - the injectors then passed all tests under system pressure. Still wouldn't run right (he had the car for ages), finally took it to an expert. FYI, their summary reoport follows:-
"Checked fuel mixture, rich 10%. Checked airflow meter was set back to 0.14v (full lean). Checked sensors found TPS idle not set adjusted and this brought mixture down to 3.0%, tested O2 for cycling which was stuck on, .5v not cycling. Vehicle began to run rough and smelt of fuel, checked injectors pulse was OK at 3ms, connected fuel pressure guage fuel pressure was 6 bar. Supplied and fitted new fuel pressure regulator, started pressure down to
2.5 bar ran okay. Checked tune mixture still rich, O2 sensor not cycling, had been poisened by fuel. Replaced and set airflow meter mixture okay. Set tune and road tested okay." They replaced the Fuel Pressure Regulator & the Oxygen Sensor.Then immediately orgainised the replacement of the steering unit, and when nearly in town the brakes went - the master cylinder carked, it was subsequently discovered! What a saga! Car is now behaving very well, dumb as it is even it knows another breakdown will see it on a one way trip off the end of the jetty!
Thanks to those who offered advice, unfortuanately I am not sufficiently mechanically inclined to ahve carried out the above, even if I had the equipment. Hope the information is of some use to other owners.
Cheers, Anton