'98 V70 FWD Stick, Non-Turbo -- Starter Woes?

Post by **E Showell** » 27 Aug 2010, 13:38

192 K mi. "98 V70 stick, FWD, non-turbo. From time to time I turn the key and all my idiot lights light up, but absolutely nothing happens as far as the starter is concerned. No click, whir, buzz. Nothing . . . I mean absolute silence, like the golden kind.

Starter on the way out, or could it be cause by a bad solenoid, bad wiring?

I don't know the first thing about electronics or electronic troubleshooting, although I've done plenty of brake work, an axle replacement, an ignition tune-up and some other minor stuff.

Also and possibly related -- CEL light on and I'm getting random misfires especially when I apply power from lower speeds. Ignition components except coil are new OEM as of last Oct. Additionally, my odometer tells me I'm getting phenomenal gas mileage. With six gallons gone I've gone 233 mi. of in town stop and go driving -- so could the gas gauge be going as well? Some sort of ubiquitous electrical gremlin?

Help!

jlrsn · Post by **jlrsn** » 27 Aug 2010, 14:43

If you do need a new starter there are a few "new" starters for Volvo V70 on eBay for $69.95 plus $15.00 shipping such as:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VOLVO-ST ... 255cfa3b49
Good luck,
Jim

Post by **E Showell** » 27 Aug 2010, 15:24

Yeah -- I think they are Taiwanese, guaranteed for a year. No thanks. My OEM starter (if it is indeed bad) last for 12 years.

Post by **jblackburn** » 27 Aug 2010, 15:37

If the starter then works again without smacking it...I wonder if all your issues could trace back to a loose connection or bad/corroded battery cables. That would be where I'd start.

Don't ever go with the cheapo starters. I put one in a car, only to find out as soon as I got it in it wouldn't crank. It worked on a bench, though.

Post by **E Showell** » 27 Aug 2010, 17:30

The battery cables at the battery are, by all outward appearances quite good. The negative ground to the body is likewise fine. I repaired the negative ground to the block by installing a new cable end. I have yet to get underneath the car to look at cable connections to the starter principally because I do not have a lift and secondly, because I have no idea what I am looking at/for.

Post by **confused_al** » 27 Aug 2010, 18:10

E Showell wrote:Yeah -- I think they are Taiwanese, guaranteed for a year. No thanks. My OEM starter (if it is indeed bad) last for 12 years.

You can get a reman Bosch one from FCP for very reasonable price.

Post by **E Showell** » 28 Aug 2010, 11:29

So the car failed to start for me again today. This is becoming quite the regular thing. I will remove the skid pan and roll around on the ground in the next few days. Not having done starter work before, what exactly am I looking for that would suggest a problem with the cables apart from frayed/severed cables, corroded connections, etc.? Anything special I should keep my eyes out for?

The car does not die when running after a successful start -- which suggests to my layman's way of thinking that it is probably not an alternator issue.

I am assuming that if I have to replace the starter that it is a fairly straightforward job. Any tips?

Also, how can I determine whether the problem is the starter itself or just a bad solenoid?

Post by **confused_al** » 28 Aug 2010, 11:47

This is your old issue, right? Have you done anything to it?
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=26725
If you take out the fan surround, you are right there.

Post by **E Showell** » 28 Aug 2010, 12:11

Well, Al, I thought I had. Foolish me. I was tracing the negative battery cable recently and found it to be completely severed at the connection to the engine block, although the ground at the body was clean and tight. I felt like the starting problem disappeared after doing the ground repair so assumed it was a bad ground giving me the problem. Apparently not.

Post by **confused_al** » 28 Aug 2010, 12:49

Does your battery get fully charged? Whats the voltage on that?
BTW, the time you could not start the car, did you try to jump it?