V70 '98 FWD, NA, 5 Speed -- Won't Start

Post by **phils94850** » 01 Feb 2010, 12:41

showell,

It sounds like you either have a dead spot in the starter or a bad connection somewhere.

Have someone turn the key to start while you smack the body of the starter. If it starts, then the starter has a dead spot and needs replaced..

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 01 Feb 2010, 12:55

E Showell wrote: Would not restart -- same as recently, no solenoid click, no nothing. Just would not crank. This was in the early Spring maybe 40 degrees out.

Were the lights coming on on your dash?

Post by **E Showell** » 01 Feb 2010, 13:02

In the recent episode all dash lights were coming on fine.

In the prior incident it was so long ago, I don't recall.

Post by **jblackburn** » 01 Feb 2010, 16:08

A loose ground connection could be the root of all your problems if it's something you haven't checked.

Or try what Phil suggested with the starter, hitting things always helps to take out frustration

Post by **E Showell** » 02 Feb 2010, 10:17

How would I go about systemically tracing a loose ground? Electrical stuff is about my weakest suit. Guys start talking about continuity and resistance and my eyes glaze over.

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Feb 2010, 10:33

Guys start talking about continuity and resistance and my eyes glaze over.

And that's exactly why I quit engineering and decided I wanted to be a teacher and make maps instead. Well, that and the really hard math.

Fortunately, you don't really need to worry about any of that. Just follow the negative battery cable to its ground on the chassis (usually under the battery tray), and clean up and tighten the negative terminal on the battery, and make sure its bolted securely to the chassis.

It wouldn't hurt to check out the positive ones leading to the starter either - just unplug the negative one first so you don't zap yourself, because that hurts. Battery cables can be the cause of many problems you wouldn't suspect.

Post by **confused_al** » 28 Aug 2010, 13:10

deleted

Post by **E Showell** » 05 Sep 2010, 07:22

Problem was ultimately traced to a bad negative battery cable. The ground connection to the block near the front frame cross-member was severed. I tried the budget repair of hammering on a new cable end and that just prolonged the misery. After replacing the negative battery cable with new, the problem seems to have disappeared. Additionally, noticeable driveability problems in the form of random misfires and the accompanying check engine light seem to have abated as well.

V70 '98 FWD, NA, 5 Speed -- Won't Start

Re: V70 '98 FWD, NA, 5 Speed -- Won't Start