Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx - Bill Garland's Nuclear ...

Abbreviations:
or Won't Turn
AMM Air Mass Meter
ECT Engine Coolant Temperature sensor
ECU Engine Control Unit computer (either fuel injection or ignition)
FI Fuel Injection
FPR Fuel Pressure Regulator
IAC Idle Air Control solenoid valve
TB Throttle Body
TPS Throttle Position Sensor
VSS Vehicle Speed Sensor
Maintenance, Plugs, Cap, Wires:
Spark Plug Notes. See Removing Spark Plugs, Re-Threading Spark Plug Holes, and Installing Spark Plugs for more
information.
Spark Tester. [tip from Don Foster:] To test whether your plugs are receiving a spark impulse, try this. It's dumb
simple and works flawlessly. How to build:
Go to your electronic junkbox, or the local electronics workshop, or to Radio Shack. Get:
A neon bulb, NE-2
About 15' of light-gauge stranded wire (insulated, of course)
An alligator clip
A collection of heat shrink tubing
Connect a 3-4' piece of wire to one lead of the neon bulb. Insulate the solder connection
with heat shrink. Attach the alligator clip to the other end of the wire. This is your GROUND WIRE. Connect a 10-12'
piece of wire to the other lead of the neon bulb. Insulate the connection with shrink tubing. This is your ANTENNA
WIRE. I like to put a larger (diameter) piece of shrink tubing over the bottom part of the bulb, including the other shrink
tubing for mechanical strength.
How to use:
Find a convenient, out-of-the-way location for the bulb (preferably out of the light). Connect the ground clip to metal
chassis. Feed the "antenna wire" through the firewall and over the engine. Take pains tosecure it away from moving
stuff, like the fan. Wrap the "antenna" around one plug wire about 15 times, and tie the end of the wire back over
itself. DO NOT electrically connect the "antenna" to the plug wire or to anything else. It picks up the electrical pulses by
induction (hence the term "antenna").
Anytime there is a spark pulse in the wire, the neon bulb will flash -- dimly, but still flash. This does nothing to the
effectiveness of the ignition system, so can be left there for a month or a year. When the engine's running, the bulb will
flicker. When you're cranking the engine on a cold, rainy morning, you can watch to see if there's spark. If you have a
similar test light attached to the fuel pump, you can see if the pump's powered.
Cap and Rotor. B2XX engines come with rear-mounted distributors (between the valve cover and the firewall) and
block-mounted distributors as in the photo to the right. The latter are prevalent on Rex-Regina powered cars, mostly 94
or 95 vintage.
B230 Engines. [How do I remove my cap and rotor: it appears to be right next
to the firewall? [Response: Various] Carefully pull off the spark plug wires
from the cap. They will be stuck due to heat, so use a gently twisting and
pulling motion on the boots. You may need to pry up a little on the boots t