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V70 no crank

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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jcp123
Posts: 4
Joined: 9 November 2013
Year and Model: 2000 V70
Location: 75701

V70 no crank

Post by jcp123 »

Hey all. I recently inherited a problem: my mother-in-law's V70 will not crank via key. Simple as that.

History: car was purchased in New York State, AKA the road salt capital of the world. Hmm, we know how much wiring likes road salt. It was parked at a restaurant and shut off. It had started fine and ran OK, if not perfectly, up to that point. Upon return from the meal, the car would not crank. Battery was new, and with key on, the radio, locks, blower motor, etc. worked fine. I swapped the starter relay out with a known good relay; no change. I then ran a jumper wire from battery hot to the solenoid signal wire. Car cranked healthily but with key in "run" position would then not fire. I hate being a parts changer, but as this model is no stranger to failed PNP switches, I replaced it. Again, no change. No shocker here, there are no OBDII codes. Her mechanic is trying to con her into a timing belt change :clap:

My gut says this is a bad ignition switch, but I cannot rule out that there is a possible security system problem. Do Volvos crank when there is a security problem? It also seems to have an aftermarket keyless entry, always something which will raise an eyebrow or two. The remote, however, does not work, so I don't know if it has any security or remote-start tie-ins. What suggestions do you have for further testing? I have jumper wires, a test light, an UltraGauge, and a fairly cheap multimeter with which I can check stuff, but no advanced scopes.

If I weren't married to her daughter...
Last edited by jcp123 on 18 Feb 2015, 02:58, edited 2 times in total.

kahl
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Post by kahl »

Hi, I have the same situation with my nephews 94 850 that is kicking my ass. The security relay is 210/211. It is in the cabin below the fuse box. To bypass jump 50E to 50F. The other item is the "J" breaker in the triangle box on the strut tower. Could you point me out where the starter relay is located?

I have read somewhere that there are two wires on or near the driver side strut tower that can be used for a remote start button. Can anyone shed light if these two wires go direct to starter solenoid bypassing relays etc?
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jcp123
Posts: 4
Joined: 9 November 2013
Year and Model: 2000 V70
Location: 75701

Post by jcp123 »

Not sure about the 850s - although I am not terribly familiar with Volvos at all, I gather the locking and alarm circuitry is vastly different from S/V70s.

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Post by abscate »

It also seems to have an aftermarket keyless entry, always something which will raise an eyebrow or two. The remote, however, does not work, so I don't know if it has any sec
Bingo. I would get that stripped off, as troubleshooting some else butchery is difficult.

You have confirmed starter battery cables are all good, and that engine runs well.
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draser
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Post by draser »

Sounds like you're on the right path. I'd focus on the starter relay circuit, since you can't crank w/key but cranks fine jumped. I believe you suspected that and replaced PNP. Ignition switch test is easy having the multi meter however wiring diagram needed for that and further testing. You may run into mods of the circuit from that alarm, like said. Alarms usually cut fuel supply.
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rspi
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Post by rspi »

jcp123 wrote:Hey all. I recently inherited a problem: my mother-in-law's V70 will not crank via key. Simple as that.
What year car is it?

Does it have the basic 5 while cranking? Air / Fuel / Compression / Timing / Spark?

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misha
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Post by misha »

If the car suddenly refused to crank,but was driven few moments earlier,and when key is in position II you have the lights on the dash ON...i vote for bad ignition switch.

Did you checked the fuses?
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jjnuttall
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Post by jjnuttall »

misha wrote:If the car suddenly refused to crank,but was driven few moments earlier,and when key is in position II you have the lights on the dash ON...i vote for bad ignition switch.

Did you checked the fuses?

It could also be a bad ground circuit from the alarm control module that's preventing the starter relay from engaging
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jcp123
Posts: 4
Joined: 9 November 2013
Year and Model: 2000 V70
Location: 75701

Post by jcp123 »

Now this is good stuff! I had the whole wiring manual printed and in a binder, but that went missing. I think I can make do.

Yes, I was meticulous about checking the fuses, I did not want to miss something simple.

I think if I can get the wiring PDF loaded, I'll test light check at the switch. If there's power there I will attack the aftermarket mystery keyless entry/security(?)/remote start(?). I'm tempted to strip that out anyway, many devices of its ilk cause too many problems. The one thing I am unsure about is how the Volvo security stuff segways into everything else. What say you all?

I do wish I had a relay jumper I could use to check powers at the starter relay; any idea where I could snag one on the cheap?

jcp123
Posts: 4
Joined: 9 November 2013
Year and Model: 2000 V70
Location: 75701

Post by jcp123 »

rspi wrote:
jcp123 wrote:Hey all. I recently inherited a problem: my mother-in-law's V70 will not crank via key. Simple as that.
What year car is it?

Does it have the basic 5 while cranking? Air / Fuel / Compression / Timing / Spark?

It's a 2000. I did learn that my mother in law's "mechanic" actually had it running, so the basics are in place. I put mechanic in quotes, as he still insists the timing belt is broken.

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