1995 850 Unusual No Start, No Crank Condition (IG SWITCH) Topic is solved

dirkmcg78 · Post by **dirkmcg78** » 25 Feb 2017, 11:47

Hey fellas, I've got a head-scratcher which I've been trying to resolve for some time, so I'm hoping you folks can send some wisdom my way to help get my tank back on the road. Anyways.

Source of problem: Car was driving normally, parked, shut off. Then would not start, crank, nothing, within 10 minutes. When turning the key, sometimes the key chime wouldn't go on, and any attempts to move from ACC to START did nothing. Intermittent electrical weirdness can appear, like the door/key chime not coming on, the dash clock shows weird characters, and the dome light won't go on. The weird little Volvo diagnostic Morse Code thingy wasn't any help, either. As far as I can tell, it hasn't got any codes, but I'll update this post if I find anything.

I've since replaced the reverse position switch (had not been illuminating reverse lights), inspected the battery terminal cables, inspected related fuses, inspected the starter (and gave it a few gentle-ish whacks from a small board), replaced camshaft position sensor, replaced distributor cap and rotor, and fully disconnected the battery for a few days (recharged and tested good), and I just get right back to the same maddening no start condition. Just a click, and everything goes back to dead.

From what I can tell, there are a few other possible gremlins, like the ignition switch, an immobilizer fault, ECU fault, or maybe a relay.

Deets: 1995 Volvo 850 GLT Sedan, 5-speed manual, naturally aspirated L5 with 186-something miles. Recently replaced all shocks, IPD front springs (rears not yet installed), front and rear IPD ARBs, fancy RockAuto drilled/slotted brakes, partially gutted interior, and many stickers which have added an estimated 20 horsepower. Even though it might seem stupid to invest in a 21-year-old Volvo tank without a turbo, it's still a Volvo tank, and it will likely outlast my hypothetical children. Yes, the acceleration is glacial, the interior is killing me butt-first, it's got dents and peeling clearcoat, but this barge is fun. I'm really not looking to spend much more time or money on this car, and at the same time, I don't want to give up on this beast of a machine. It's the Lolvo and I want to see it back on the roads: the Scourge of South Charlotte.

Anybody who can help me out with this will earn a crisp high five and several beers if you're in the Charlotte region. Cheers!

Post by **matthew1** » 25 Feb 2017, 11:55

How old is the battery? Has it ever been fully drained?

If I had a dollar for every failed battery that tested good... I'd have about $100.

And if it's not that, you want to look at battery terminals, battery cables, ground to block, etc.

dirkmcg78 · Post by **dirkmcg78** » 25 Feb 2017, 12:44

Hey Matthew, thanks for the reply. The battery is about a year old, and the terminal ends and grounding points appear to be in decent shape. I plan on doing a large teardown in the next couple days, and I'll post a quick video on the symptoms I'm experiencing.

Post by **abscate** » 25 Feb 2017, 13:59

You sure want to look at that ignition switch. That's common to everything you note

The electrical part of the switch is easy to replace... 15 minute job

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 25 Feb 2017, 14:34

Have you noticed if rain makes this any worse? There was someone on here a year ago who had weird, intermittent electrical issues after it rained. And it was because the cowl drains were clogged and whenever it rained, water would get into his fuse panel... Might be worth checking out. Especially since it'd be a pretty cheap fix. Good luck figuring it out.

brick_and_motor · Post by **brick_and_motor** » 25 Feb 2017, 14:59

Ditto abscate. Also, a bad ground somewhere in the electrical tree can cause these faults. But my money is on the key switch/lock cylinder.

Post by **abscate** » 26 Feb 2017, 05:56

You don't need to fuss with the lock cylinder. The electrical part of the switch is on the left side and just pops off the column after removing two Torx screws. It's a real common high miles/time failure point. Mine went at 10 years/125k

Post by **abscate** » 26 Feb 2017, 08:54

Just did this root analysis thread for ya, in case time >> money

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80191

Post by **benpineapple** » 27 Feb 2017, 08:04

+1 abscate, definitely sounds like a ignition switch issue.

however, i don't think you should entirely overlook the batter or grounds. i had some odd no-crank issues this past summer that presented like they were ignition switch issues. i pulled a many grounds under the hood as possible, cleaned/sanded all contacts, and i cleaned up the battery terminal contacts, and replaced the terminals on the wires. that solved my no-crank issue.

dirkmcg78 · Post by **dirkmcg78** » 27 Feb 2017, 18:04

Hey folks, thanks for the replies and information! I'm gonna do some wrenching on Wednesday and see what's what. I'll post an update when I can.

Hat tip to abscate: those photos are very useful, and the ignition switch is the first thing I'll inspect. Really hoping I can just tinker with it and use just the right profanity to get it working again. Next up is the grounding points.