2000 V40 1.9 Turbo, Diffuculty Starting

[Guest Mark DiRollo]

I bought this pristine 2000 V40 back in December of '07 (around 6 months ago) from a doctor who kept it VERY well maintained by his local Volvo Dealer. It is an American spec car with a 1.9 Turbo gasoline engine with only 51K on the odometer.

Around April I began to experience difficulty getting the car to start - specifically, the engine would need to be cranked for quite a bit before it would ignite. At first this problem would only manifest itself periodically - particularly when restarting the car on days when I would be driving around town running errands (warm engine). I spoke to my mechanic back then about this problem and he basically dismissed it since the ''check engine'' light was NOT on.

However, as of a week ago (it's now late June of '08), the problem has gotten noticeably worse, with even more cranking of the engine being required before it will start. Also, there is now a HEAVY gasoline odor and the check engine light has come on (a good thing, for diagnostic purposes...or so I thought).

After waiting a week for an appt at my local Volvo dealer (I didn't drive the car in the interim) the dealer adises me now that the ONLY code that they are able to pull from the ECU is one that states "misfire within the first 100 rpm''s). They tried changing the plugs...but to no avail.

They seem to be stumped and are holding my car for further evaluation (and, of course, we consumers must pay by the hour for this trial-and-error game).

I would be extremely grateful to hear from anyone that has any experience, advice or insights to share.

Thanks,

Mark DiRollo