No Crank w/ Intermittent Starting and possible short

[Prescott19]

My situation is similar to Vincent Vega's No Crank w/ Intermittent Starting except that I'm wondering about a possible electrical short and wondering if a short could prevent the vehicle from starting. I am not mechanically inclined. I know about checking the oil and might be able to jump start the car but I have no vehicular sophistication beyond basics.

The Volvo in question is a 2006 XC70. Recently, our mechanic replaced a brake light bulb in the driver's side lens. He said that the receptacle appeared to be "slightly melted" and might have to be replaced. Hmmm. Several days later, I noticed a message on my dash regarding light malfunction or something to that effect. At various times that day, I asked passersby to tell me whether the driver side brake light was out. Some said yes it was and others said no. One person said my center brake light (at the top of the back window) was not working. I ran several errands, turning the car off each time and it started again without a problem until the last stop.
I turned the key. The dash lit up, windows worked, etc. but the car did not start, no crank, no sound.
I thought about shifting through the gears but could not figure out how to do it.
A brand new battery was installed about two weeks before the brake bulb was replaced.
The AAA tow truck driver tried jumping starting. Nothing. He smacked the starter but no luck.
It was towed to a garage (not our usual mechanic). They put the key in and started it the next morning with no problems or issues. They did not find any deficiencies in the battery, starter or alternator. I told them about the faulty brake light bulb receptacle. I am waiting to hear from them.
I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you
Lyn Jo

[cn90]

Search forum for "Volvo PEM", which can be located anywhere:
- trunk
- near fuel filter
- on top of metal fuel tank

Junk yard or ebay is $25-$50.
New is $300, do NOT buy Dorman, buy only Volvo brand.

Want a good used unit? Search ebay for unit with Velcro on it, chances are it sat in the trunk (not exposed to the element) its entire life.

Very very very easy to replace, once the unit is detached from the mounting surface, use a small flat blade screwdriver to GENTLY pry the tab a bit (do NOT break the plastic tab), then disconnect it. Do NOT try to disconnect the electrical connector in situ.

[VincentVegaV70]

Hello friend,

A non starting car is super frustrating. I had very very similar issues to yours. Don't despiar. To be able to row your gears, you only need to put the key into the second position, the one right before you start the car, then you'll be able to move your shifter up and down through the gears.

Don't be like me, and do the hard thing first. lol. do the easy one. There is a wire that connects to your starter, it's located right behind a larger RED wire that connects to the starter, you can't miss it, but it's hard to reach, you might have to do it by touch, blindly. Check for corrosion, mine was super white, I used a small flathead and scraped away at the point, pinched the connection a little, and reinstalled. That cured the symptoms.

Here a video I found that explains and shows how its done.



Try that first, and let us know how it went.

[oragex]

See as above that tiny wire, and also look closely at the wires going to the upper radiator fan connector, one may be corroded
But you also need to figure out the current drain at the brake light. Look closely at the brake bulb socket. It's easy to remove the bulb assembly by pressing down two plastic tabs and removing the black plastic piece the keeps the bulbs. Look for corrosion on the sockets
May also look at the Rear electronic module REM for any problems with the relays

[darrylrobert]

sounds like the common PEM problem (fuel pump module) apparently they fitted it in a bad spot ontop of the fuel tank..but also check the starter wire and maybe starter relay?

[abscate]

The nocrank has to be sorted out first, it’s a simple circuit. Battery , switch, wires, relay wires, solenoid , starter

You start at the small wire in the starter and work backwards from there.

[Prescott19]

Many thanks to all for your suggestions.