Life after sudden death for my '79 242 ... Thanks for the suggestions!!

Goes to show that you gotta pay attention. Thanks all for suggestions regarding my '79 242's sudden death problem. I was convinced that Brick o or Volvowrench had the right idea..but Mike F came the closest..

I was on my way to NAPA for a replacement fuel filter i had ordered. Started right up perfectly and 150 yards down the road I go. LEFT hand turn.. one hiccup and dies. Huh???? Originally it was a right hand turn going uphill. I was definitely going down the wrong road with the solution to my problem. all because I failed to notice something right in front of my face.The solution had to do with something that I didn't notice the first time around.

I was sure that since the motor cranked away like there was no tomorrow, and everything else "seemed" right, it must be fuel related but now while i turned that igniton key and heard the motor crank and crank I noticed something..... NO idiot lights. I'm sure I didn't notice this the first time around. I still didnt' get it. I reached under the gash and grabbed the ignition switch..gave it a good shake. Certainly there was a connection problem here somewhere. No good. Opened the hood. Wiggled a wire here and there. Now I was doing what they call in my businesss "magical thinking". If you do "this".. something TOTALLY unrelated to the problem it just might work.. you might come up with a solution. I really didn't know where to wiggle.. but, well.. you get the idea. I didn't have a clue.

Back to reality. I took another look at the fuses. LOOKED fine. With ignition on, tried the turn signal (emergency flashers blink away just fine). No turn signal. Check the fuses find #13 controls idiot lites and the turn signal..Finally... I pull the fuse, and the metal crumbles in my hand.

Sheeks, it LOOKED fine, it even seemed to hold together when I twisted it up an down a couple of times on the first pass.

So, there you go. Lesson #1. Just 'cause it LOOKS fine, don't mean it's fine. Beauty is only skin deep.. ugly goes right to the bone. That turned out to be one ugly fuse.

Thanks for all your suggestions, and time! It is much appreciated!

Larry

Now i was armed with my search through scores of similar problems through the years.

Cutting out going up a hill with the tank low is a classic Volvo problem. It is usually the fuel filter and/or the tank pump. The fact that it wouldn't recover or restart almost immediately does suggest something electrical is also happening (OR you were out of gas). For your fuse box, get some Oxgard Electrical Grease from IPD or get it from an electrical supply store (It's used in home wiring) and clean up the fuse box and add a bit of grease to the tips of all the fuses, it will put an end to all the corrosion problems. To keep the colors straight, do all the white fuses, then put them back in and do all the red, etc.

Personally I don't think it's a good idea to roll the fuses in their holder. The metal in the fuse is very soft and it can break easily if twisted.

The fuel relay that Mike F mentioned is also a classic Volvo problem. Many people keep an extra one in the glove box.

Brick_0