Solved [seized AC compressor]- Car Stranded - Won't start, no click, lights on, no push start - 99 s70 base manual trans Topic is solved

Post by **smacknab** » 18 Oct 2019, 05:32

[*]Hi everyone,

Yesterday morning I got a needed car-win when my car cleanly passed inspection, but by 11pm the car was dead on the side of a Boston side street about 15 miles from my house, where it still is.

It is a 99 s70 base with manual transmission

About 10pm last night the car stalled (I think my fault) when pulling it out of a parallel parking spot then suddenly the engine would turn at all. A really nice guy came with a jumper box to offer me a jump, but that didn't work. We tried push starting it on a side street and that also did nothing (to be fair it was my first time trying it).

All the lights, radio, horn etc work with the key in, and they dim when trying to turn the key to start. However the car makes no noise that can be heard from the drivers seat. I checked what I think are all the proper fuses and nothing was clearly burnt.

Any suggestions?

Worth noting:
Two days ago I replaced the fuel filter and o2 sensor, and drove the car about 200 miles. During that drive a small intermittent noise which was diagnosed as the alternator clutch (volvo Indy shop) and I have outlined in this forum, became very loud consistent squeal that was especially loud at start up. I picked up a used alternator yesterday afternoon to swap in, which is now sitting in my back seat haha.
Also, this problem sort of happened a couple days ago, car stalled while turning it around in my driveway, initially it seems like nothing happened when I turned the key, then tried again and it started. Not sure if they're 100% related.

Post by **850 LPT** » 18 Oct 2019, 06:39

Well this is a real drag, that's for sure.

I am not sure if this can be properly diagnosed on the side of the road. It might make sense to get it towed to your indie's shop. Does the engine crank at all? If not you may have a bad starter. If it does crank you can troubleshoot further:

A no start condition like this could be caused by many things. Bad fuel pump or fuel pump relay comes to mind. A bad cam sensor can cause this too.
As a first step you could check for fuel pressure at the fuel rail, it should be around 43 psi. You can remove the cap on the Schrader valve and use a cheap tire pressure gauge. Turn the key so the fuel pump primes the fuel rail. If you have fuel pressure, go on to see if you have spark. If not, then your fuel pump or relay is the problem.

I am not sure the alternator is at fault here because the car would still start with a jump.

Good luck,

Dirk

Post by **Chuck W** » 18 Oct 2019, 06:58

Had it been hard/slow to start previously?

It could be a bad starter/solenoid. We had the main power wire between the solenoid/starter motor go bad and eventually split on my old '96NA. It's kind of a short wire that's hard to see in the car. The car would crank slowly, especially more so when cold, but we had chalked it up to the old battery. It was actually that cable slowly corroding and finally splitting from the solenoid.

We had full lights and power, but nada when the key was turned to start (and had just driven the car an hour, stopped to get a drink and came out to a car that wouldn't start).

We were able to push start it with help from a couple bystanders. It's possible, with your admitted inexperience at push starting the car, perhaps another attempt might be warranted. *Usually* a couple people can get the car rolling fast enough, but if one has to jump in and do the "key in run-clutch in-in gear-clutch out-hope the car fires-clutch in" shuffle it can be a little difficult for someone new to it.

Not sure how many your "we" was, but maybe take a couple friends back and try again?

Herb Goltz · Post by **Herb Goltz** » 18 Oct 2019, 07:34

I have had two no start other electrics working, both of which involved a breakage of the wire between the solenoid and the starter body. Check for 12V on the green thin wire while attempting to crank. If you have voltage, suspect the starter. In one case I was able to jumper the broken braided wire and start the car at the roadside. Good luck!

Post by **smacknab** » 18 Oct 2019, 09:44

So I have low voltage but I tried again with a jumper box with no luck. I checked the connections on the starter and it seems ok, they're getting the same voltage as the battery reads. I don't have a second set of hands at the moment but I tried by laying the multimeter probes on/wedging them against the green jumper side of the solenoid/starter and the negative terminal. Looks like I'm only getting about 2/3 volts, but it's super hard for me to see.

I tried checking the Schrader valve, I get about 20 psi after trying to turn it a few times, not sure if I'm supposed to test it while turning it?

Here's a video of trying to start it. The voltage drops by about 20% not sure if that's a determining factor. If anyone has the time, can you hear the sound when trying to turn the ignition? Does it sound normal?

Post by **Chuck W** » 18 Oct 2019, 10:34

My bet is that you have a dead starter.

Post by **abscate** » 18 Oct 2019, 13:31

Get a full charge into the battery. 1999 cars run ME7 or Denso engine management, neither one likes low battery voltage since both ignition and fuel management are all electronic.

Read up on the 'remote starter bypass' so you can assess if your getting good crank signal to your starter.

WARNING _ with a standard transmission, you can drive over yourself using the remote bypass.

Post by **smacknab** » 18 Oct 2019, 14:26

Replaced the starter and still no dice. I'll try to get the battery charged and try again

Post by **misha** » 18 Oct 2019, 16:37

11.9v is TOTALLY discharged battery and multimeter reads only 11.2v

12.6v fully charged(100%)
12.2v 50% of charge.

Battery is DEAD.

Post by **smacknab** » 18 Oct 2019, 16:43

Just replaced the battery and still having the same problem. I noticed that after trying to start it that I can hear an electrical noise coming from this piece. When I touch it I feel it vibrating, when I unplug it it stops and starts again. After about 1 minute it stopped vibrating and I heard a click.. so maybe it's stuck open or closed? Or a relay?