No start After Fill up!

[MinelliA91]

Hi my name is Anthony. I recently put my 2001 Volvo xc70 back onto the road after having it off since December. I have filled up about 4 times since Doing so, getting about 450 miles out of a tank. After every time i fill the car it is hesitant to start up. It will crank over and die suddenly. it will do this a couple times and will only remain running when i give it some gas to bump the rpm up and hold it there for a short while. If i only rev up a little and let off it dies again. Any suggestions on what this may be? it only happens when i fill up the tank at any gas station. after it start up initially it will start again no problem every day until i fill up again. Thanks in advance.

[sjonnie]

Is the Check Engine Light (CEL) on? Most likely culprit is a problem with the evaporative emissions system.

[Astro14]

wait...wait...450 miles on a tank???

The tank on this only holds 17 gallons...I only get 23 MPG with this car...which means I would flame out at 400 miles...so, you have to be on fumes to get to 450!

What's the gas gauge say?? Try filling it up at 300....or even 250...

[billr99]

wait...wait...450 miles on a tank???

The tank on this only holds 17 gallons...I only get 23 MPG with this car...which means I would flame out at 400 miles...so, you have to be on fumes to get to 450!

What's the gas gauge say?? Try filling it up at 300....or even 250...

According to my '02 owners manual the tank capacity is 18.5 US gal. Assuming a dead empty tank, 450 miles in range would see about 24.3 mpg which isn't half bad. I agree that it looks like he may be taking it down where the pump needs to re-prime itself. Also what about the possibility of the pump being worn to the point where low fuel level results in low fuel pressure because of the pump wear?

Cheers,

Bill

[JRL]

You may have burned up your fuel pump
It's a very bad idea to let the tank (any tank) get so low all the time)
You may have picked up the crud at the bottom of the tank and finally clogged up the fuel filter in an 11 year old car.

When you get it running again, get out of this VERY bad habit, fiil the tank when it hits 1/4 of a tank (and replace the fuel filter (I'll bet it's never been replaced).

I was told when I was 14 years old to never let a car's fuel to get below 1/4 tank so it stuck with me

[billr99]

You may have burned up your fuel pump
It's a very bad idea to let the tank (any tank) get so low all the time)
You may have picked up the crud at the bottom of the tank and finally clogged up the fuel filter in an 11 year old car

In most cases, modern electric pumps use fuel as a lubricant for the moving parts of the pump. As JRL suggests, you routinely run the tank all the way down you are starving the pump of proper lube.

Cheers,

Bill

[Astro14]

JRL and Bill are right, and I should have brought this up in my first post: I never intentionally take a modern FI car (which has the pump in the tank) below 1/4 tank since the pump is both lubricated and cooled by the fuel. Run it down to the fuel low light, particularly in hot weather, and you risk overheating/wearing out the pump...

As a data point: My 4 Runner is using the original pump. So are both my Volvos...and, in fact, I have never replaced a fuel pump in an FI car...some of which ran to 200K+ miles...

In the OP's case - I recommend you start filling it at 200 - 300 miles - 1/2 to 1.4 tank, and see if you've got the same problem...but you may have fried the pump already...

[MinelliA91]

I don't let the tank run dry all of the time... actually never i usually fill about 3/4 empty. on my gauge that is around 330-340 miles. i also did not mention i removed the drive shaft converting it to a front wheel drive and i do calculate my gas mileage after every fill and average about 24.5 mpg. I do strictly 50 miles a day highway. =) To my computer i have approx 100 miles left and that why i said about 450. But again i do not let it run dry ever. and yes the fuel filter has been replaced in a full tune up at 200K. It is possibly that it may be the fuel pump, but to my knowledge these Volvos are throttle by wire and i feel its a relearning process of where base idle needs to be after sitting for so long. what do you guys think? Thanks again.

[billr99]

I don't let the tank run dry all of the time... actually never i usually fill about 3/4 empty. on my gauge that is around 330-340 miles. i also did not mention i removed the drive shaft converting it to a front wheel drive and i do calculate my gas mileage after every fill and average about 24.5 mpg. I do strictly 50 miles a day highway. =) To my computer i have approx 100 miles left and that why i said about 450. But again i do not let it run dry ever. and yes the fuel filter has been replaced in a full tune up at 200K. It is possibly that it may be the fuel pump, but to my knowledge these Volvos are throttle by wire and i feel its a relearning process of where base idle needs to be after sitting for so long. what do you guys think? Thanks again.

Not sure it would help your problem but there is a base idle (or throttle position) calibration procedure in VIDA so that possibility does exist.

Cheers,

Bill

[Astro14]

I don't really buy the "relearning" theory...it needs to relearn if a part has been changed, filling the tank or sitting makes no difference - what parameter would it have to re-learn from sitting?

Now, if you let the car sit for a few months, particularly with ethanol in the fuel (and all fuel has ethanol in it now..), you'll get far more gunk in the fuel system, I've seen the crud that forms in my Stihl chainsaw from sitting with 10 % ethanol fuel (and yes, I added Sta-bil...but it made no difference). I recommend that you continue you to drive this, but with each fill-up, add a quality fuel injector cleaner like Techron and only use Top-Tier gas (google it...).

Your car is suffering from fuel degradation...

I would change the filter again, the part is cheap, it takes about 5 minutes, including putting the car on ramps...