1993 940 2.3L Estate - Throttle Body?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by grantosjones

As far as I can tell these are the same part - not being too knowledgeable about it though, does this include the spindle? I.E that bit in the middle I'm assuming that turns is where my vaccuum leak is?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/90-98-VOLV...id%3D100022%26

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-940-...3D270896854895

Apologies in advance if I'm being thick, but as far as I can tell that's what I need. They both look a bit grimy though, but then I've not had mine off to see how they compare tbh!

No need to apologise, we all had to start somewhere! That is indeed the right bit as far as i know for your car but i don't know which model you have or if there are any detail differences between models on the 940 so with that in mind, the rest of my answer is a bit "proceed with caution" if you see what i mean.

First comment is the more expensive one has a lot of rust on the throttle butterfly. Given its location (Ventnor on the Isle of Wight) it could simply have suffered "sea breeze effect" but it looks like someone has tried cleaning it up, not very successfully either.
Second is the cheaper of the two has what i like to call "honest dirt". It's not been cleaned, it is as it was removed with no untoward signs of excessive oil fouling or of it being cleaned while still on the car.

With that in mind i'd suggest the cheaper one would be your better bet.

However................. the fact is throttle spindles and their bushes/seals wear, plain simple fact. My worry would be that even with the better looking unit out of the two, you'd be replacing one worn spindle with another.

Have you tried ringing your local Volvo dealer to see if the throttle spindle and its bushes/seals are available as a service kit? That would be the next best thing to getting a complete new unit. Then take the service kit along to your local mechanic and get him/them to fit it. Possibly a bit dearer in terms of labour but a high chance of a much better, longer lasting result.

The flip-side of that is the cleaner/cheaper unit out of the pair you've linked to might well be perfectly usable and cheaper in terms of labour time to fit. That said if the garage you use charges for "the first hour or part thereof" then labour time may not be altered between the two jobs, or have very little in it.

Bottom line is a secondhand unit is probably the cheapest way all round of doing it but it is the biggest gamble.

A new unit would be a certain solution but is the most expensive - spotted one while looking at those you've linked to for about £298, not exactly loose change unless you're Donald Trump!

Best compromise is a service kit for the throttle spindle and seals, if you can get one of course. Or get the cheaper of those units you've linked to, buy a few basic tools and fit it yourself then take the old one to an engineering shop and get them to source/make new seals/bushes and fit them and either fit the repaired one or keep it on the shelf as a known good replacement.

[Dirty Rooster]

In the O.P's situation I would drive to the nearest scrapyard and see if they have the same engine in a similar car.
The O.P's TB is leaking but it is likely another from the scrapyard will not be leaking : it looks like a rare problem.

[volvo always]

Give lakes auto's a ring. They may well have one.

http://www.lakes4volvo.co.uk/

I'm awaiting a price on parts for my 940.

James

[grantosjones]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

However................. the fact is throttle spindles and their bushes/seals wear, plain simple fact. My worry would be that even with the better looking unit out of the two, you'd be replacing one worn spindle with another.

Have you tried ringing your local Volvo dealer to see if the throttle spindle and its bushes/seals are available as a service kit? That would be the next best thing to getting a complete new unit. Then take the service kit along to your local mechanic and get him/them to fit it. Possibly a bit dearer in terms of labour but a high chance of a much better, longer lasting result.

It was the Volvo dealership that actually diagnosed it, I'd originally took it in there because it was having trouble starting and the mechanic round the corner had been fairly stumped. The old boys there loved having it in the garage, they had it diagnosed in about 30 mins. They don't make any parts for the throttle body anymore, all they could do was give me the part code, sadly.
They recommended the same solutions: second-hand one might do it, but as you say there's a risk it's got the same problem/won't last long.

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

new unit would be a certain solution but is the most expensive - spotted one while looking at those you've linked to for about £298, not exactly loose change unless you're Donald Trump!

Haven't been able to find a new one, have you got the link? Although 300 notes is a little too much especially at this time of year!

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Best compromise is a service kit for the throttle spindle and seals, if you can get one of course. Or get the cheaper of those units you've linked to, buy a few basic tools and fit it yourself then take the old one to an engineering shop and get them to source/make new seals/bushes and fit them and either fit the repaired one or keep it on the shelf as a known good replacement.

This is pretty much what I'm planning now! Gonna try this lakes volvo place as recommended by others, see what they say. They can't want £298...surely! If they do I'll just take a punt on the cheaper ebay one. Really appreciate all the help guys, thanks!

[Laird Scooby]

First bit, i looked for the link to that new one. I found it but it wasn't what it seemed. You know how ebay shows you loads of similar items at the bottom of the listing you're looking at? In amongst all the used 940 throttle bodies was this :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-V70-...3D270896854895

I doubt it's interchangeable with the 940 unit and apologies for the confusion!

Something i did find though :

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vol...e-volvo-419568

I'm guessing you'd need two, one for each end of the throttle spindle, whether that would solve the problem completely remains to be seen but could be worth a try.

Failing that Lakes are pretty good, if memory serves they guarantee most of their bits as well.

[david philips]

if it was me i would contact p505def on here or listed on ebay as volvobreakers
very helpful, very reasonable prices.

good thing about buying a used item is car wont be of road for long and you can then have time to sort out your old throttle body as a spare.

[grantosjones]

Update (sorry for the threadomancy!):

New (used) throttle body has arrived. Bit gunky, gonna give it a clean first. Gasket and seals have arrived too - that postage from America wasn't cheap!

Been having serious problems starting the last week or so - turns over but will not start, flattened the battery on more than one occasion and its taken 15 minutes of jumpstarting to get it going. Given that practically the entire ignition system has been replaced over the course of the year, I'm now almost certain that its some kind of fuel flow problem.

Took the plugs off on Christmas eve after a very long drive and they seem to be fine. Reckon its worth getting fuel injectors cleaned as well, when I fit the new, clean, non-leaking throttle body?

Thanks in advance for any help folks.

[Laird Scooby]

It could be a number of things causing the poor cold starting - battery, starter motor, fuel pump relay, damp, cold (especially as you already have an air leak) or something you've overlooked.

Don't dismiss the ignition system just because you've recently renewed it, a new component could still be faulty!

Also what did you set the gap to on the new plugs (i'm guessing you fitted new plugs with the other new ignition parts?) and what make of plugs are they? Most plugs these days seem to be made with a gap of about 1.0mm which in general is too large for red blocks, if memory serves correctly they should be about 0.7mm. Doesn't sound like much of a difference but when you consider 25kV will jump about 1/2" (12.7mm) in free air but struggles to jump 0.7mm inside a cylinder compressed to 150psi give or take you can see the point i'm making.

Also it takes a stronger spark to ignite a weak mixture and even with cold start enrichment it's still a weak mixture when the engine is cold. If the gap is too large then it simply won't spark, especially if there's any dampness about.

I mentioned the battery earlier, it could be the battery is getting weak and even with a jump start is hogging all the available power so there's nothing left for the ignition system. Same goes for the starter motor, if it's passed its best, it could take all the power and spin the engine over quickly enough but with nothing left for the ignition. End result - non-starter!

However........................... get your new throttle body and seals fitted first and then see if the starting problem persists. If you start messing about now with a known problem already there, you could introduce new problems without realising it - been there, t-shirt etc!

[grantosjones]

Thanks dude - you've been very helpful! Didn't know that about the spark plug gaps - I haven't checked that yet tbf, just checked to see if they were clean (which they were thankfully, one less thing to worry about!).

Just spent 20 mins cranking it before it got going for the drive home from the parents. Let it warm up for a while, then when its warm it starts first time... makes getting anywhere very difficult. I'm pretty sure the battery is awfully knackered after all the cold start problems I've had this year, so when I get some money together in January that's top of the list to get replaced.

Starter motor definitely has a bit of a snarl to it sometimes - possibly missing teeth? Things replaced this year, which have temporarily fixed the problem:

Ignition coil
Fuel pump relay
Distributor cap (had a big crack in it!) and rotor arm
HT Leads

[Dirty Rooster]

Having read the OP's latest posts I'm dubious about the symptoms being down to the tiny tiny leaks around a throttle-body spindle... even though I still recommend a scrapyard replacement , but he's already got some dirty one ready to swap in.

If you are careful to disconnect the battery first, you can remove the starter motor very easily as it is exposed and a couple of bolts is all there is : just to check the teeth and that 'snarly' sound.
You do NOT need to remove any of the wire connectors, just unbolt it and have a good look/photo of the cog.