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My 240 keeps shutting off when coming to a stop

Elvolvito

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2020
Location
Florida
Hello, I just recently purchased a 1988 Volvo 240 DL about 2 days ago & it just started shutting off at random when coming to a stop. It?ll usually happen when I least expect it & it?ll Christmas tree on the dash as well. I?m able to start it up normally right after it happens so it?s not too much of an issue, however it worries me because I use this car as a daily driver to work & such. I was wondering what this issue could be & how I could fix it? I?m not very mechanically inclined & I?m pretty nervous to work on it myself as I don?t want to **** up anything. What are some things I could ask a mechanic to check out for me? Here?s some more information to help you guys figure it out:

It recently had the AC recharged and serviced, the oil changed, trans fluid topped up, a new battery, and a few other odds and ends.

I also drove it back home 100 miles away from where the seller lived & it didn?t give me any issues on that initial long drive.
 
It could be a failing ignition switch which is where I think apachechef is going. However, if your failure only occurs when coming to a stop it is not really random. A faulty ignition switch will commonly cause a problem whenever something jars the switch causing a momentary contact failure. You can sometimes test this by shaking the key a little bit (switch in run position; but, engine off) and see if the dash lights flicker.

Is it an automatic or standard transmission? If it is a standard transmission, as you are coming to a stop and press in the clutch, feed a little throttle to the engine to see if this keeps it running. If this prevents the problem you may have a problem with the ECU transitioning from run to idle control. This can be a poorly adjusted throttle switch, a sticky idle air control valve, a missing brake light signal or shift position signal. Automatic transmission cars can suffer from the same problem; but, harder to diagnose because you don't have a clutch to do the test.
 
It could be a failing ignition switch which is where I think apachechef is going. However, if your failure only occurs when coming to a stop it is not really random. A faulty ignition switch will commonly cause a problem whenever something jars the switch causing a momentary contact failure. You can sometimes test this by shaking the key a little bit (switch in run position; but, engine off) and see if the dash lights flicker.

Is it an automatic or standard transmission? If it is a standard transmission, as you are coming to a stop and press in the clutch, feed a little throttle to the engine to see if this keeps it running. If this prevents the problem you may have a problem with the ECU transitioning from run to idle control. This can be a poorly adjusted throttle switch, a sticky idle air control valve, a missing brake light signal or shift position signal. Automatic transmission cars can suffer from the same problem; but, harder to diagnose because you don't have a clutch to do the test.


I just came across some guys YouTube video explaining how his 240 had the same exact issue as mine & what was causing it was dirty ground connections. I doubt it?s ignition related as I tried the whole key test & it didn?t do anything. I forgot to add this, but the issue seemed to start occurring when it moderately rained yesterday. I guess some water got into the connections & started messing with the car?s response. I?m going to go to AutoZone on Thursday & purchase some wire brushes as well as some electrical cleaner & some battery sealant.
 
I have an issue with the AMM/MAF connector on my 89 780, sometimes it starts running crappy and on occasion will shut off coming to a stop. If I unplug and plug it back in a couple times it will fix it. The last time I cleaned the contacts on the AMM with some electrical connector cleaner, a blue paper shop towel and a pick and it seems to do better. Got some brown gunk out of it.
 
I'd also check ground connections for corrosion, especially the ones in the engine bay if you say you have issues with the left turn signal.

I've had the engine shut off whenever I turned on the high beams due to corroded ground point on the left inner fender on my 97 940, didn't matter if I was driving or standing.
Cleaned all grounds and the problem went away.
 
I'd also check ground connections for corrosion, especially the ones in the engine bay if you say you have issues with the left turn signal.

I've had the engine shut off whenever I turned on the high beams due to corroded ground point on the left inner fender on my 97 940, didn't matter if I was driving or standing.
Cleaned all grounds and the problem went away.

I actually spent the whole day today cleaning out all the grounds in the engine bay, not only that, but I noticed that one of the battery terminals was completely cracked in half. Had to make a quick run to autozone to buy new ones & installed them. Drove the car around today for a while & the issue has not occurred so far.
 
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