1996 850 Turbo - No start, doesn't crank/turn over.

bugs11 · Post by **bugs11** » 11 Feb 2016, 16:38

Car won't start and I'm at work. Turn the ignition key and nothing. The dashboard lights up, radio works, etc... but the car does not turn over. The battery is good and charged up. A jump start didn't do anything. The car has a history of slow or difficult cranking when you first go to start it, but then it would crank normally and start right up. On start up it acted like the battery wasn't charged, but then would turn over fine and start right up.

Any ideas? Tap on the starter? Can I hot wire the starter just to get it home and in the garage where it's warmer than parking lot at work. It's 22 outside right now.

Post by **abscate** » 11 Feb 2016, 16:48

Search for PnP switch - try to row the shifter about 10x back from P to L to see if you can get an iffy switch to work for a bit.

Remove and clean battery cable including the ground cable and its attachment point to the frame.

But.....

Hard start was a warning that your starter was failing, and now it might be tired of warning you.

bugs11 · Post by **bugs11** » 11 Feb 2016, 20:03

Robert DIY to the rescue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiPAPu-K8OI

I'll check the starter tomorrow. Forecast is high of 20 around noon, falling to 13 and blustery in the afternoon and snow on Saturday; just lovely.

The way I understand it from the Robert DIY video, if I have voltage from battery to starter and I have voltage to the little green wire on the starter when someone tries the ignition then that means the starter is bad. I'm hoping that's it, a bad starter.

BTW - I tried working the shifter back and forth. I did a little searching and found the PNP tip when I was at work waiting for my wife to come pick me up.

bugs11 · Post by **bugs11** » 11 Feb 2016, 20:49

Found this video also, goes more in depth on testing if a starter is good or bad in a no crank situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwdBEENa7Is

Post by **JimBee** » 11 Feb 2016, 21:23

I guess the green wire activates the solenoid. If the battery is assumed to be okay and voltage is getting to the main terminal on the starter, but there's no voltage, or weak voltage, at the green wire when the key switch is turned, would that imply either the key switch or the pnp is bad?

If either of those is bad, can the starter be activated by a jumper from battery to green wire?

But if the pnp isn't closing, then is this right? Hot wiring the starter might turn the engine but still not allow it to start because voltage isn't getting to ignition?

Post by **JimBee** » 11 Feb 2016, 21:30

OP's car has an automatic trans, but just to round out this thread a bit, my 93 850 has a manual trans. I (almost) always start it in neutral, but sometimes it doesn't crank when I turn the key. Jiggling the shifter side to side fixes it. I'm not sure where that switch is, but on rare occasion when I turn the key and the shifter is in 1st or reverse, the car lurches, so the switch doesn't work as intended all the time.

Post by **abscate** » 12 Feb 2016, 07:33

Jim ..you can jump the green wire with 12 v to check the starter, correct.

How old is the ignition switch, electrical part? They do go on these cars, lotsa threads on these

bugs11 · Post by **bugs11** » 12 Feb 2016, 09:09

If the issue is the starter, then I'm looking at the Bosch SR0483X for a replacement. Any objections?

Soon as I get some meetings out of the way, I'm going to recruit one of my co-workers into braving the cold to try and get some voltage readings on the starter.

Post by **benpineapple** » 12 Feb 2016, 10:15

My V70 came with a Bosch (assuming factory, OEM). Either way, Bosch will be the best starter to replace, if that's what the problem is. Did you try the ole tap test?

bugs11 · Post by **bugs11** » 12 Feb 2016, 10:58

Boys, I'll be working from home the rest of the day. Checked the battery voltage, sitting and starting, and it was fine.

Had a coworker turn her over while I tapped on the starter with a long heavy screwdriver. She turned right over and started right up. I'm driving her home and will be ordering a new starter.

Should I go ahead and replace the positive battery cable while I'm at it? Anything else?