Hi there.l have a 1986 Volvo sedan that I've been having trouble starting.My sister (who used to own the car) says it is because it is so cold and the car sits outside at my apartment complex, but it seems to me there has to be another problem or a simple solution we're overlooking.

Usually l need to turn the car on and sit for a few minutes to warm it up, or else it cuts out when l try to drive it.Lately, though it is been cutting out while l just sit in the parking space trying to warm it up.Then it wo not start back up again.Sometimes l can get it to start, sometimes l can not.Once it does start up and stay on, l can drive it--for instance, l do not have to worry about driving half way to the store and having the car die on the road.

It is not a lack of gas or the battery.What could it be?Any suggestions as to what l could do to get it to start, or should l take it to a mechanic at this point?

Thanks!
l should add that before my sister sold me the car a few months ago, she had it thoroughly checked out by a Volvo mechanic.There shouldn't, she insists, be anything wrong with the car.

Also, sometimes when it is trying to start it rumbles and shakes pretty badly before it cuts out.Yikes?

try asking this question on brickboard.com/RWD

Hello, there could be several things going on. l do not know where u live, but l am assuming that it is a cold-weather climate from what u described. The first, & most cost-effective thing that l would do is to install a new battery designed for cold climates (something with 600+ cold cranking amps, also called CCA). The second thing that l would do is to have a new fuel filter installed (also reasonably inexpensive). Make sure that ur gas tank is near empty before u have this done (otherwise the tank will have to be drained, & would just be a waste of money). After doing those two things, run a can of straight Berryman is B-12 Chemtool into a full fuel tank (make sure it is full!). Doing those things should fix the problem.

by ur descriptions l suspect a possible mass air flow sensor problem
a lot of money can be spent in a short time guessing. so ur best bet is to take it to a shop u trust [preferably one with volvo experience]
other possibilities include an out of range temperature sensor,
the one for the coolant is midway down the cylinder head below the intake manifold. the one for air temperature is located in the air mass sensor & can not be serviced separately
note unplugging the mass air flow sensor forces the computer into a limp home mode. if the car starts easier with this unplugged it is a pretty safe bet that it has failed, whenever one of these is replaced the thermostat located inside the air filter box should also be replaced
[this opens & closes the door that allows preheated air into the intake system]

take it in for regular service and they will look at your car and see what is wrong. it might be bad spark plugs

l would not discount the fuel as being a problem. These had an in-tank pre-pump that would always cause problems. The pre-pump basically feeds the main fuel pump. These would always become weak or quit all together. Without the pre-pump, the main would become starved & act like it was running out of gas. After a few minutes or longer (after the tank built slight pressure) it would run fine. the symptoms were usually worse when cold as the vapor pressure of gas is lower when it is cold. When warm outside, the fuel typically creates enough pressure to keep the main pump fed.

Air mass meter needs duty cycle adjustment.This is done by turning the slotted screw on the air mass meter clockwise and multimeter that reads duty cycle.A failing air mass meter will not adjust to specification nor a faulty or failing oxygen sensor will give accurate readings.Verify proper operation of these two sensors by the Volvo shop.If shop is able to proper function of the sensors and adjusts the air mass meter to specification then see if this solves your problem.