1996 Volvo 850 Stalls and Jerks Around...what to do?

Question

I (or my father, to be exact) owns a 1996 Volvo 850 Non-Turbo.

The fuel pumps died on him in January, he had them replaced and the car drove fine for a month...then the check engine light came on and the car began to act peculiar. When you accelarate, it will sort of lurch around; going from 2,500 rpm down to like 1,800, then back to 2,500. We took it to a mechanic who cleared the error codes and re-soldered the fuel pump relay. After driving it only 50 miles, the problem began again...and now, it has begun to stall out at stoplights!

Does anybody have an idea what may be wrong with it? Is it something a mechanically-inclined person can work on?

Thanks,

Joe

Answer 1

A 1996 Volvo (in fact, all 1996 cars) have a problem monitoring system called OBD-II, for Onboard Diagnostics, version 2. This can read out trouble codes with quite a bit of detail and point you in the right direction. Did the mechanic who cleared the trouble codes tell you what the code was? Is the Check Engine light on now?

If the Check Engine light is on now, you should have the codes read and find out what is causing the problem. You can buy a OBD-II code reader at Wal-Mart for $70 and every autoparts store also sells them. Knowing the code will point you at the repair.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Joe; Having been a professional mechanic at a independent Volvo only repair shop from 99 to 04, I would say you are getting some good advice. The number of dealer maintained Volvo's that I saw with original fuel filters(still undercoated) was amazing.Some of them had 150k on them. Having your codes read is very important. It can point you in the right direction,sometimes. Interpreting codes is not that easy. . Wire harness problems were a major problem for Volvo for many years(85-89),but not so much on 850. Quality of parts is a major problem today. Some parts should be dealer/oe only. Fuel pumps/relays generally fall into this category along with,in my opinion, most FI components and Ignition parts. IE,wires plugs. Re-soldering a relay is generally frowned upon if a replacement is available. Volvo's are NOT a cheep car to maintain. Anyway, you may have developed an air mass problem. The air filter housing has a thermostat in it to draw hot air off the exhaust manifold. there are two types on Volvo. You need to have that checked also. There is no silver bullet for you with the info we have to work with. Good luck.

Answer 3

Volvo 850 Fuel Pump Relay

Answer 4

If your transmission is automatic, it may be the transmission.
However, it may also be a case that your engine might suddenly supply low power and then normal again. If your car begins to stall in traffic lights, It may be a fuel pressure problem. Have your fuel pump checked again.

Answer 5

we had the same exact type of problem on one of our old vehicles, after replacing the fuel pump and alternator, they found that it was a problem with the vehicles wiring harness. needless to say, to fix the problem cost more than what the vehicle was worth, so we sold it. so as a suggestion, you might want to have someone check out the vehicle electric system. i.e. alternator, and wiring harness. hope this helps out some.

Answer 6

find a new mech...it might be a fuel injector or even the transmission take it to the dealer..theres a ton of things that can cause your car to act like that..and no sense on wasting money on every little idea..take it to the dealer and have them do a diagnosic exam..it will cost about 200 bucks..good luck..

Answer 7

If the check engine light is illuminated then find out what trouble code is at fault and repair as needed. If the CEL is not on then try a quick test by disconnecting the Air Flow Meter electrical connector and see if the idol smoothes out. If it does then the Air Flow Meter is faulty.

Answer 8

Sounds like a clogged fuel filter to me