850 won't start

seanm3113 · Post by **seanm3113** » 26 Dec 2009, 08:25

Hey Guys:
I've a few times this week where my 850 won't start. I get lights and all, but nothing else. I then jiggle the shifter while in park and it starts right up.

Today, since I have a big trip on Monday. I went to check the fluids. Went to start the car and had the same problem. I put the key in position II and did the shiftlock over ride and moved the shifter from P to L about 20 times.

Now the car won't start.

Any help would be a blessing as I have about 1 1/2 days to get this going.

Thanks Sean

seanm3113 · Post by **seanm3113** » 26 Dec 2009, 09:19

I decided to try again. I jiggled the shifter in park, eventually it started right up and was followed by a high pitched squeal, that eventually went away. Turned it off, and it wouldn't start again.

hmm. I tried to start it in Neutral, but same problem.

Starter?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 26 Dec 2009, 11:49

The squeal has me baffled but the no crank at all without messing with the shifter sounds like a bad PNP switch to me, particularly if it just got colder.

...Lee

seanm3113 · Post by **seanm3113** » 26 Dec 2009, 12:00

This issue seems to have start since the cold hit us.

The squeal could be just a belt squeal. The squeal just started today.

I will look into the PnP fixes posted here. I imagine it is not an easy one.

zagollis · Post by **zagollis** » 26 Dec 2009, 13:02

I've been dealing with the same issue for a month without finding the real cause of the problem.
We bought this vehicle just a few months ago and love it.
Here in Denver we are having very cold weather and my 850 Turbo, 95 starts randomly and it does not depend much on the weather because it wont start on temps in the 40's but it will with below freezing temps.
What I've done following somebody's advice is to replace the Fuel Pump Relay and it made it start right away but then I've been going back and forth between the new and the old one. I thought that keeping one in the house, warm, was taking care of the issue but some mornings that is not a fix, further more, this morning after I cranked it 10 or 15 times I noticed a hum coming from the engine that I could not determine where it comes from and also a smell like fuel but it was not he normal smell of a flooded car and I don't know if this is a clue to poor fuel mix which leads me to a whole new world of possibilities. This is my wife's car and she loves it sot I really could use some help.

seanm3113 · Post by **seanm3113** » 26 Dec 2009, 13:45

I am going to go with the PNP switch, as I recall some driving at 65-70 mph and having higher than usual rpm's: like it wasn't shifting to the higher gear. One of the main symptom for the pnp switch issue is the "stuck in 3rd gear".

I will try to tackle this removal/clean/allignment tomorrow.