1999 v70 Starting, battery, limp mode speedo problems

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 24 Oct 2014, 07:25

Hi everyone I am really hoping you guys can help me with the problems i am having right now... I love my volvo but it has been giving me a lot of issues right now... my best guess right now is part or most of the problem is the abs control unit.

Here are the current issues

1. The starter. I had problems with my starter first 2 weeks ago, stupidly i bought one from the wreckers when i couldn't find a new one in town anywhere and they wanted 50 bucks for the used one. well it didn't work, (on the old starter the gear was chewed up pretty good) brought it to a starter shop and they replaced the solenoid on it and said they bench tested it and it worked well. put back in still started like crap. wrecker send second unit(in better shape) tried that still not starting right, (checked flywheel it has all teeth still though couple with very small chips off corner) gave up ordered new reman unit from amazon. starts a lot better but still not right...

2. Battery. just changed the battery 2 days ago after doing the starter to see if that was the problem as it was dying and died completely when i went to get codes read on the car. after starting the car 4 times that day I tried to leave my house and the car went into kind of limp mode, I had no overdrive acceleration was sluggish to say the least, engine started surging and the speedo quit but i could get going faster than the limp mode i experienced when my ETM went bad. parked and turned battery off and it was dead enough the car wouldnt turn over.

I have the trac and abs lights on currently, after reading a lot of threads i pulled the abs control out and cracked it open, im not a master electrician but the solder joints look fine with no noticeable cracks or burnt spots, but kinda wondering if the resin they used to seal the unit should have spilled over the board and some solder joints... also looks like it has been opened in the past as well as there was previous damage to the case and bolt holes.

recent work done:

replaced both front strut towers with used replacement assemblies(struts, springs, right down to the and including the knuckle and wheelbearings) both sides sway bar end links and abs sensor rings. after doing this not sure how but i managed to rip out the wire for the driver side abs sensor so i pulled the one off the old tower and replaced it

other than that the only other recent work was the starter. Alternator was replaced a little over a year ago with a rebuild as well

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 24 Oct 2014, 07:27

would love some ideas i really cant afford to bring it to a shop at this time and there are no good volvo mechanics i know anywhere close anyway

Herb Goltz · Post by **Herb Goltz** » 24 Oct 2014, 08:33

First thing to do is to check your charging system. Measure across the battery terminals with a voltmeter when the car is running. You should see between 13.7-14.2 VDC if the alternator is healthy. Check for voltage drops on the positive and negative cables (high resistance problems are common). See if the positive cable gets hot to the touch. Also look for voltage drops on the B+ cable. A cable problem seems more likely, given your recent alternator replacement, but I wouldn't rule anything out yet.

Take your battery to Canadian Tire and have them test it. Remember to reconnect the battery with the ignition in key position 2.

I have a theory that your starter problems and "battery" problems are related.

Get a rebuilt ABS module from Matty Moo here.

Report back with your measurements on the charging system.

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 24 Oct 2014, 11:46

Well I want to go check for voltage drops negative cable is fine, went to check from positive to the starter and found that boo not holding the starter wires on came loose... I've got a feeling that might be part of my battery problem

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 24 Oct 2014, 17:22

well i pulled the wires off the starter, cleaned everything, put it back together and resoldered the connections since i had the abs control out and open anyway and put it all back together as well. for the time being all lights are out, heres hoping that solved everything.

Post by **rspi** » 24 Oct 2014, 17:51

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 30 Oct 2014, 19:45

So battery drain, limp mode and lights are off but I am still having problems starting the car... it turns over fine just doesn't seem to want to fire for some reason cranks for a second or two rather than cranking right over like it used too

Post by **phils94850** » 31 Oct 2014, 07:17

so.. are you saying it cranks fine but doesn't start as quickly as before ? Do you have a CEL or checked the codes ?

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 02 Nov 2014, 11:45

No engine light on now, it just turns over for a second or two before firing... seems like I have to give it gas to get it to fire up sometimes

rob3307 · Post by **rob3307** » 05 Nov 2014, 12:37

Any other ideas?