1991 Volvo 780 cranks... but doesn't start

Hey guys! So I thought I was out of the Volvo game because I sold my 780 to a friend last Monday... Well come Wednesday he said the car started for like 30 seconds and then died... he got it to start a few more times and it shortly died again after starting...

So I got it towed to my house yesterday and I looked at a lot of stuff

>I didn't see any huge vacuum leaks like a torn intake boot
>the crankshaft position sensor is brand new as of like 2 months ago
>coolant temperature sensor and knock sensor are brand new as of like 4 years ago
>all tune up items are pretty new too. new sparkplugs, wires, cap rotor, fuel filter.
>brand new intank fuel pump, and main fuel pump
>I checked the timing and its exactly where it should be
>i checked the 2 ground straps that go from the valve cover to the firewall
>I checked the 3 grounds that are behind the driver side headlight
>Its got gas obviously. a little less than half a tank

I already tried spraying starter fluid in the intake and I didn't hear a single pop...

I have a friend coming over tomorrow and hes gonna crank the car over while I ground
the coil pack wire on the valve cover to check for spark...


If I'm getting a nice strong spark from my ignition what do you recommend I do next?

I told my friend if I can't get it started by Monday I'll give him his money back...

Help me guys! I wanna get rid of this Italian piece of crap and get a real Volvo like a 740

Also I tested for codes and I got 1-1-1 on ports 2 and 6 :/

Also I tested for codes and I got 1-1-1 on ports 2 and 6 :/

is this a 4banger or a V6?
does the engine have fuel pressure? Do you hear the pump(s) building pressure when you switch on the ignition?
Even if both pumps are brand new they still need to be powered up.
Better check the fuel pump relay, try bridging it to check if you can get the pumps to build fuel pressure.
Also make sure the ignition switch is actually switch on the pumps.

Sorry it’s the 4 cylinder turbo. I haven’t checked the fuel pressure but it has a brand new fuel pump relay and I can hear the pump turning on with the ignition. I’ve even tried starting the car by removing the relay and bypassing it with a paper clip

Did you check the radio suppression relay?

You can do a spark test by yourself. King lead to strut tower and lean out the door and look. Click my signature.

Gotta clear flood first. Disable the injectors and crank. Then Try Starting fluid. I fixed a truck yesterday that would run ok on brake cleaner pulsed into the throttle, so I focused on the fuel system and got it fixed.

Powerstage is a common point of failure for no spark. Also check wiring condition at the rez pack and injector relay. It should run on starting fluid if you have spark and cam timing is ok.

DaBossk said:

Sorry it?s the 4 cylinder turbo. I haven?t checked the fuel pressure but it has a brand new fuel pump relay and I can hear the pump turning on with the ignition. I?ve even tried starting the car by removing the relay and bypassing it with a paper clip

Click to expand...

You can't do that. The relay powers more than just the fuel pump. Jumpering the 2 pins will run the pumps, yet, the car will not start if you do that.

I’m getting no spark from the coil!!!!!!!

That's why it's also called the EFI relay. Powers up the computers AND the fuel pump; two separate circuits in the same relay. Refer to a wiring diagram.

DaBossk said:

I’m getting no spark from the coil!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Take a test light to coil negative to ground. Blink while cranking?

Go to the blue yellow wire at the MAF and take test light between it and ground. Illuminate with key on?

Next I would backprobe the powerstage input wire and look for a signal there. A meter may read something in DC and A.C. voltage. An LED test lamp would 've great. It would show if the 5v square wave signal is there or not. Or a scope.

EZK thread:

http://www.forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=322395


The 5v square wave signal from the EZK box to the powerstage. It would tell you if your crank sensor and EZK are alive.

Wow it would have saved me a lot of heartache if I would've tested the spark right away. After I saw it wasn't getting spark from the coil pack I basically took a big guess that it was the ignition amplifer found one at a junkyard for $20 and the car fired right up!!!


Thank you so much for the help everyone

Good guess. Very common point of failure and it's the same amount of work to swap it as it is to test it so....