Hello My name's Andrew I recently purchased a 1984 volvo 240 GL automatic with 205000 miles on it. I'm glad too see this list is active. I also own a
1980 Oldmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham and the list alt.autos.gm.olds-cutlass sucks.So far I've replaced the spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the distributor rotor, and I've removed and cleaned the throtle body (Man, it was filthy)
Now I've got a question for you all. When the engine is warm and in park the idle speed fluctuates slightly (Just barely noticeable on the tachometer. When I put it in drive and put my foot on the brake the idle speed starts to fluctuate more and more going higher and lower each time until it dies. Or if I'm driving around and I stop at a light the engine dies. I've found that if I'm about to stop and I put the car in nuetral just before I come to a stop the engine will keep running. It also seems to misfire at all speeds about once every 4 or 5 seconds. I hooked up a timing light to all the spark plug wires and watched the strobe. The flashing was constant on all 4 cylinders except for the fluctuating idle speed i.e. it didn't go flash flash flash pause flash flash flash but it did get slower and faster. This leads me to believe that it is not a spark problem The worst part is it doesn't do it all the time. Just most of the time. I'm currently taking a class in auto mechanics and the instructor said it could be a leaking O ring on one of the injectors. Any help to this problem would be greatly apreciated. Also I've got the haynes book for my car and it seems there is no onboard diagnostic system is this the case or am I just reading it wrong.