87 240 DL Wagon intermittent not start - help!

I am a long time SAAB owner, don't hold that against me!

A friend of mine has an 86 Volvo 240 DL Wagon she has owned since new. It has been well taken care of. It has about 180k miles on it.

Lately, it sometimes doesn't start. It cranks, but does not "kick".

This happens about once every 2-3 weeks. It does not seem to coincide with warm or cold, wet or dry. Recently it happened after sitting 10 minutes at the supermarket. Several times it has happened after the car has been sitting in the parking lot at work after a workday.

She returns 30-45 minutes later and it starts just fine.

Her long time trusted mechanic has moved to somewhere in Georgia. We all know that intermittent problems are very difficult to diagnose, especially ones which only show up once every 2-3 weeks.

Any suggestions? Is there a common problem which might be the cause of this? Maybe a fuel pump relay or??

Is there another news group or mail list where I might post this? Or a FAQ?

The owner is a woman who is not a mechanic by any stretch of imagination. If it were my car, I would certainly perform some tests or wiggle some wires in an attempt to find the cause, but she might not be capable of this.

Thanks for listening. I will watch for your answers but feel free to e-mail me directly.

Charles.

Reply to
Charles Stoyer
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Does the problems occur when the tank is near empty? Then it might be a worn fuel pump or perhaps a clogged fuel filter in the tank.

Niels

Reply to
Niels Bengaard

Reply to
Dusters

It also happens with both full gas tank and nearly empty.

Reply to
charles stoyer

Most likely is the fuel pump relay. It's white with 6 pins attached to the inside of the firewall above where the passenger's feet rest, above that felt panel. Look at the fuse for the fuel injection up near the battery that often gets corroded. Also the fuses in the main panel by the driver's door also give trouble.

Reply to
Mike F

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