# 1990 Volvo 740 won't start when warm

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-volvo-740-wont-start-when-warm/23997>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** starters, volvo, engines, 740\
**Created:** [December 28, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-volvo-740-wont-start-when-warm/23997 "2008-12-28T17:34:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xlschn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e5b9ba/32.png) [@xlschn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/xlschn)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-volvo-740-wont-start-when-warm/23997/1 "2008-12-28T17:34:55Z")

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This problem is intermittent, never happens when the car is “cold” - it starts right up every morning. When there is a problem this is what happens: I turn the key, you get all the normal lights and sounds: it’ll crank but it won’t “catch” the combustion and resulting roar and running of the engine doesn’t occur. If I give it gas, that doesn’t make a difference. But sometimes, what has worked, is when I turn the key and if it doesn’t immediately catch, I let it go back, then turn the key again, maybe do this 4 or 5 times and each time it begins to catch a little more then finally the engine turns over (I don’t know if that is the right term) and everything is fine. If I try this trick (just turning key briefly, not holding it there) and it doesn’t start to work - if it doesn’t sound like it might almost make it on the first one or two tries - then it never reaches the point where it does “turn over.”  
  
 By the way, I think by now you will understand that I am not a car person, but I do appreciate basic scientific principles, so if anyone can provide insight as to what might be happening, I would be quite thankful.  
  
 Also, my mechanic is a Volvo master mechanic.

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**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-volvo-740-wont-start-when-warm/23997/2 "2008-12-28T18:04:39Z")

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hard to give advice to a Volvo Master Mechanic,espically when he has car in hand,has the mechanic sucessfully determined if this is a fuel or spark situation?

I wonder if the fuel pressure is being maintained while the car sits,or on the other end are we dealing with fuel fouled spark plugs?

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**Author:** ![xlschn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e5b9ba/32.png) [@xlschn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/xlschn)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-volvo-740-wont-start-when-warm/23997/3 "2009-01-17T14:12:20Z")

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yes, he changed all the spark plugs