Engine cut out, and now won't start....

[Iain]

It's not a Vauxhall engine but I thought I'd pick your brains anyway. Volvo 940, B230FT 2.3 Turbo engine.

Cut out last night driving, and was refusing to start again. Finally got it to start and would stall if I didn't hold it above idle on the throttle, but revs would drop and would die if I tried to drive off. Now it turns over and isn't going to start at all.

It is getting fuel, and spark on all 4 plugs. Just done a compression test - first time round I forgot to keep the accelerator open and cylinders were at 135, 110, 130, 140. However I ran the test again, and again, and again and have ended up with final values of 145, 137, 137, 145.

Could the difference in cylinder #2 be because the additional fuel being dumped in when I was turning it over? It has been consistently lower, rising every time I did it?!

Suggestions? :(

[Will F]

I wouldnt worry abt the compression - Looks fine tbh

[Iain]

Even with the low first figure? Cool.

Frick knows what's wrong with it then cos it's just not starting.

[Jon_nova1]

Turbos run at low compression anyway

is the turbo working?

[Iain]

It spins freely and can't feel any movement in it - although I'll admit this is the first time I've looked at one.

Just found a split in one of the induction hoses, hoped that would solve it but still just turning over and not even trying.

[draper]

have you tried bumping it ?

[Iain]

Nope, will try it later when I take it off the driveway. It's too heavy to be trying that for the sake of it lol

[draper]

you will need all your neighbours to help push lol

[comptoncj]

volvo suffer with immobiliser issues, might be worth checking ?

[Iain]

There is no immobiliser as far as I know.

Ignition timing looks ok, all 3 marks on the belt line up. Rechecked compression on the one dodgy one and it looks ok. No fault codes from the ECU.

[Iain]

Just rotated the dizzy anti clockwise (looking from the front of the car, so rotated it the opposite way the engine runs) and it's now starting and running really rough, misfiring really bad and a lack of power (so much I can't actually move the car)

[comptoncj]

you definatly sure its got fuel, we had one at work that the guage said it had a 1/4 of a tank but it was empty, the guage had stuck ??

[Iain]

Well I ran it for about 20 mins after it 'broke', and have just been revving it for 2 mins just now, the plugs are wet when I remove them and I can see fuel spray when I turn it over with no plugs in. So I am ruling out lack of fuel!

[comptoncj]

oki doki, condition of dizzy cap and rotor arm?

[Iain]

Not the greatest condition, cleaned them up when I removed them. I guess I should fit new ones now I know the problem isn't terminal...

[burgo]

seems odd for it to just die tho. plugs, leads, cap and arm gradually get worse, not just suddenly stop working