Starter Relay?

Scratchy2000 · Post by **Scratchy2000** » 29 Nov 2016, 11:29

I have a Volvo 1998 V70 XC Wagon. Recently the car wouldn't start and I noticed the battery connectors were very corroded so I cleaned all the connectors. The batter itself is slightly over 12 V when running and slightly under when not. So the battery is fine. But the car still won't start up without a jump. If i drive for a few hours then usually I can get it to start for a day or two but if it's not being used for longer than that then I will have to jump it again. Infact i drove for 2 and a half hours of highway driving yesterday and had to stop at a service area. It wouldn't start on its own after that despite battery being fine. I wonder if it's the starter relay but none of the auto parts stores in my area seem to have it and when I look online I get different names for the starter relay which makes me think I might order the wrong part. Does anyone know how I can purchase the right starter relay online and/or if that might solve the problem. Thanks!

Post by **abscate** » 29 Nov 2016, 11:39

The batter itself is slightly over 12 V when running and slightly under when not. So the battery is fine

You need to be well above 12.5 Volts with the car off for this car to run. If your measurements are good, you need a new battery.

12.0 Volts at rest is a dead battery.

Post by **erikv11** » 29 Nov 2016, 11:43

I agree this is more like a battery problem, than a starter issue.

When you drive the car, check to see if the battery cable ends get hot, especially the positive cable. The cable connections get bad over time this is very common, so that under usage they heat up which makes the problem even worse (higher resistance). It's very common and it will ruin several batteries if left unfixed, so check it out if you are at all considering to replace the battery.

Post by **benpineapple** » 30 Nov 2016, 06:38

I recently had starting issues, ended up being the battery cable terminal (pos+ side) was bad, so i spliced on new terminals, no issues since.

Abscate is right, that's a dead battery.

: Screen Shot 2016-11-30 at 8.35.08 AM.png (33.46 KiB) Viewed 1136 times

source: https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/how-t ... s-bad.html

The starters themselves are bulletproof on P80s, relay failure isn't very common as far as I understand.

Herb Goltz · Post by **Herb Goltz** » 30 Nov 2016, 09:01

I agree with the other posters that your battery is suspect. I would take the battery to a parts store and have it load tested-- it MIGHT be OK, and you may have worn brushes in your alternator resulting in low output. I would also measure alternator output at the big red wire on the back of the alternator with a load on the system-- you should see 13.7-14.1 VDC. You should also measure voltage drops on the positive, negative and B+ cables.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 30 Nov 2016, 14:15

Or better yet, take the whole car.
Most parts stores have the newer charging system testers that
can be used right there in the parking lot. These units look at
everything without having to disconnect anything.