1995 850 starting (electrical?) issue

[Lost Dog]

Ok, an update on this. I realized I was doing to voltage drop test incorrectly. I cleaned up the terminals and checked the wire then managed to jump the car to get it running. I turned everything I could on (lights, heat, defroster, etc) then checked the b+ voltage drop at both the starter and alternator. The drop was only ~0.05V for the starter and ~0.1V for the alternator. The wires never got warm to the touch.

I then tried starting with a good battery from another car and the result was the same... not able to start. Even the added boost from a portable jump start station would not get it started. Only several tries with a jump from a running car can get the 850 started.

I'm at a loss here. The battery seems OK, the starter tested fine at the auto parts store and the running voltage from the alternator is about 13.8 - 14.1 volts.

More suggestions?

Thanks!!!!

[Pauloil]

"I also did a test to see if there was a minor draw somewhere in the system and the at rest pull was ~30 mA (drops to 20 mA when the radio fuse is pulled) so I don't seem to have a short somewhere. Oddly however if the battery is left in the car and attached it will be dead in a few hours. Strange."

a pull of 30mA is not normal. should be 10-12 at most. is the glovebox light on? bad pad?

did you run the volt drop test at 2000rpm?
if the starter is ok, i'd throw in a new cable from batt to starter.

p.s. the B+ terminal is at the fuse box.

[Lost Dog]

"I also did a test to see if there was a minor draw somewhere in the system and the at rest pull was ~30 mA (drops to 20 mA when the radio fuse is pulled) so I don't seem to have a short somewhere. Oddly however if the battery is left in the car and attached it will be dead in a few hours. Strange."

a pull of 30mA is not normal. should be 10-12 at most. is the glovebox light on? bad pad?

did you run the volt drop test at 2000rpm?
if the starter is ok, i'd throw in a new cable from batt to starter.

p.s. the B+ terminal is at the fuse box.

I did not do the test at 2000rpm. I'll give that a try. Hmm... I thought B+ was the line to the starter. I'll pull off the fusebox top and see what I find.

I did figure out the 30mA draw! It was the glove box!!! That's fixed so now the battery does not drain too fast. It's now ~10mA.

[BEJinFbk]

You've got two posts for the same issue...
But - after reading through this one:
Have you checked your Ground Cables?
If the positives are good, the battery and starter
are good, that would be something to consider.

[Lost Dog]

You've got two posts for the same issue...
But - after reading through this one:
Have you checked your Ground Cables?
If the positives are good, the battery and starter
are good, that would be something to consider.

Yeah, I realized after the fact the two posts were a bad idea. After feeling how hot the key was and not being able to find a post discussing a "hot key" I took that as a separate subject. Based on that other thread it seems very likely the ignition switch is bad. I'll drop by IPD tomorrow and snag one. I'll update that other thread for conclusion sake then stay with this one.

The positives seem good so I'll move on to the grounds and do the voltage drop with them.

Thanks!

[diveshack]

My 1995 Volvo 850 turbo wagon would not start. Determined the starter needed to be changed. Swapped out starter only to have it click when key turned. Performed drop-down test on cables with meter, All good at battery; about 10.5 volts at celenoid.

I am at a loss. Help!

[jreed]

Diveshack-- From your description it sounds like you have ID'd the problem: there is a big voltage drop between the battery and the starter solenoid. If you haven't done it already, I would check the positive battery terminal as well as the starter terminal connections to make sure they are totally clean and tight. In my case (on a '97 855 GLT at ~149k miles), the positive battery terminal had high resistance. Once I replaced it with a new one from the parts store, all was good again.

[Pauloil]

I went through an alternator or two before replacing my pos. cable on the 850, and now have full voltage again. when I put new cable in with zip ties, I took the fan out for better access

http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/113

[sven]

Also check the ground circuit. I had this same thing happen on a 98 S70 and my 97 850. Both have new battery + cables from FCP. But the grounds were dirty. Check the - post, the chassis ground (under the battery) and the big ground on the bottom of the engine. You have to remove the fan to access the engine ground. I used a dremel with a wire brush attachment and cleaned the terminals. Now I have no starting issues now and I can tell the headlights and dash lights are brighter at night. I hope that helps.