1995 850 GLT intermittantcrank problem, RESOLVED new starter

[holler1]

If you look at the wiring harness as it goes by the left (driver's side) shock tower you will find a connector with a Green/Red wire sticking out of the harness with nothing attached to it. That is the service starter connection. If you run + battery voltage to that connector it will crank the starter.
...Lee

I had the same intermittent no-crank problem for a while. What I did three or four years ago was to connect a permanent bypass wire from the service connector Lee describes to the starter solenoid terminal. This bypasses the PNP switch. I did not need to connect a wire from the battery to the service connector. This fixed the problem and my car (98 V70 AWD) has started reliably every time with the key ever since. My guess is the PNP switch is the cause, but it hasn't caused any other problems. It's easy to try this and it might work for you.

[alexwastaken]

I didn't want to be one of those guys that didn't post a follow up to his own problem so here goes.
The car failed to start a few days later. I went looking for that green/red wire that was mentioned above. The only one I saw was actually on the passenger side near the front of the car. It had an end on it, and was plugged into a piece of plastic going nowhere. Figured that was it. I tried trick someone suggested and got nothing. So I gave the started a few taps with a screwdriver and after the second attempt the car fired right up. Needed a new starter. After driving it for the next couple of days while waiting for the new part to arrive, I could tell that that it was on it's last leg from the weak crank. Took about 45 minutes to install a new one, and now I'm back up and running. Thanks for the help.

[abscate]

Alex, 10,000 trouble free frequent Volvo miles have been deposited in your account for followup , Thanks!

[jjnuttall]

There is a way to isolate the problem - if and when it reoccurs.

If you look at the wiring harness as it goes by the left (driver's side) shock tower you will find a connector with a Green/Red wire sticking out of the harness with nothing attached to it. That is the service starter connection. If you run + battery voltage to that connector it will crank the starter.

If the car will not crank when using the service starter connector then the problem lies either in the PNP switch or the starter itself. If the car does crank there, but not with the key, than the problem is with the anti theft relay or the ignition switch.

This test will at least let you know where to focus your attention.


Lee,
On a '99 V70T5 is this the red/green I found inside the Main Fuse box with male spade fitting surrounded by a white female plastic connector?
Thanks,
John
Raleigh. NC

...Lee