1996 Volvo 850 will not start in cold

Morton31 · Post by **Morton31** » 30 Jan 2010, 16:31

I have a volvo 850 1996 that WILL NOT, I repeat WILL NOT start in cold weather. We're going on two days now....now my brand new battery is dead....the car won't turn over and I'm ready to push it over the closest cliff....I won't though I do love her. Can someone help????

Post by **charlyW** » 30 Jan 2010, 16:36

Make sure the earth straps are secured to the body, its not uncommon for them to work loose especially in rough terrain also it may be work doing a load test on the battery: Turn something on like the lights then get a voltage reading on the battery. See if the alternator is charging correctly should be anywhere above 12v at minimum 11.6

Post by **jblackburn** » 30 Jan 2010, 18:54

Is it getting a spark? Pull a random plug out, leave it on top of the engine, and crank a few times.

The Idle Air Control valve can sometimes cause cold starting problems that are not apparent in warmer weather.

Post by **Pauloil** » 30 Jan 2010, 21:24

first charge up new batt.
look at the info here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... t+#p112428

you could have a short somewhere, bad iac in need of cleaning, glovebox light on, bad cables

search voltage drop to check cables properly under load at 2000rpm

dtropnevad05 · Post by **dtropnevad05** » 30 Jan 2010, 22:00

I to have a similar problem with a 2001 S-80 2.9. In extreme cold temps like we are having in Ohio 10* to 15* at night the car turns over very slowly in the morning. The dealer put in a brand new battery two weeks ago and it still does the same thing. The oil is new and is 5W30, however I have just found out that the siren does not work and is most likely from the internal battery leaking on the circuit board shorting it out. Do you think this could be the issue. Could the siren be pulling enough of a draw to cause this? I have a used siren coming and will check it out then install it if it is good. Maybe this could be the problem the OP is having. Does your siren work on your 850 (if it has one)?

Don

Post by **jblackburn** » 30 Jan 2010, 23:49

Regarding your guys' battery draw issues:

Read through this (yes, I know it's for a 240, but Bill and Paul go into discussing the proper method for a parasitic draw test among other things).

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 7&p=116348

If you suspect your alarm system of causing your battery to die, do a draw test, and pull the fuse for the alarm system.

Slow cranking (in your case) can also be caused by old battery cables that can't transmit the full power.

Post by **IVIUSTANG** » 31 Jan 2010, 12:34

My old cars starter motor was also capable of draining a battery in 5 seconds in cold weather. It drew 600 amps, yike!

- Jesse

VdubTheran · Post by **VdubTheran** » 08 Jan 2019, 09:41

I'm having a similar problem with my 96 Volvo sports wagon Turbo. And I've read a lot of the forums on the cold start subject matter and I really don't know what I need to replace. I'm trying to find out what I can do to fix the car in the cheapest method possible. my issues are at 32 degrees the car will start after cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking and cranking. At 52 degrees i only need to crank about 3 times. I keep the car hooked up to a donor car while cranking to keep the rpms up and the batt charged. I crank the starter for 30 seconds plus each time. Im also having issues accelerating, it boggs down when i push down on the accelerator. I replaced all vacuum lines for the turbo. Ive had issues with the front fuel pump relay, but ive secured the pins on it. The fuel pump was replaced. This is drivin me nuts, and im ready to replace the car. I just need help finding out what to do.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 08 Jan 2019, 09:51

You need to get your codes read. Then post them here, and we'll see what we see.

Problems starting in cold weather can be anything from a bad engine temp sensor ("ECT") to engine grounds and coil/spark issues, and whatever's in between (MAF, O2 sensors, SAS, etc).

Check first:
- Codes.
- Fuel? (Do you hear the pump prime, is there fuel at the rail - check using the Schrader valve)
- Spark? Pull fuel pump relay, pull a spark plug and crank while watching.
- Compression? I'm guessing you have that, since you'll get it started eventually.
- Air? Bad MAFs can sometimes prevent starting, and will definitely result in bogging down, but it does sound like a vacuum leak somewhere. Recheck the ones you replaced, all fittings and IC piping as well.

Eventually, of course, you have all of them, since you're getting it started after a while, but one or more of them must be missing to start with, however, so check when it's cold. Unplug your MAF and try starting without it (do not disconnect/connect with engine running).

It's not a definitive answer at all, but at least a list to check and clear. The ECT is a bit hard to diagnose, but it's a likely culprit or accessory, at least.

- S

Post by **abscate** » 08 Jan 2019, 10:24

Volvo says you can crank up to 10 seconds to get the car to start - and that is probably twice as long as I would crank before shutting down, finding the fault, and fixing it.

You likely have multipe faults. Start with replacing wear parts like sparks plugs, coil, wires, distributor cap, rotor. If you don't want to spend that money, take pictures of each and post here and we will try to guide you to corners you can cut.