1998 Volvo S70 Base No Click, No Crank

grajohnson · Post by **grajohnson** » 16 Jan 2018, 12:14

Hey all,

No crank situation here. I initially suspected the starter solenoid as I could hear noise coming from the starter when I turned the key but there was no click so I decided to try replacing the starter with an aftermarket one (I have bench tested it and it does work, the old starter also passed my bench test). As I was working, I noticed that the block ground cable had completely melted away from the fastener that secures it to the block. I went ahead and cleaned up the cable, replaced the fastener with a spare I had on hand, and reconnected the ground cable to the block. After I buttoned everything back up, I tried to start the engine. Silence. No sound from the starter whatsoever, though I do here a noise coming from what I believe is the fuel pump.

I have performed tests on the battery, all readings look normal. I have performed tests on the ignition wire that connects to the solenoid and consistently get a reading of 12V when the key is fully turned--does this rule out the neutral safety switch and the starter relay? I also read 12V from the positive terminal of the starter.

I have performed a block ground test, but as I am a novice, I would like to verify that I did it correctly using a multimeter. Could someone explain how to properly perform this type of test?
Are there any other tests I should perform? I've scoured the forums, and I just can't think of anything else that could be causing this.

Thanks for your help!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 16 Jan 2018, 13:14

I suspect you fried the negative cable and how it has a high resistance.

Take some good jumper cables, connect only the black jumper cable from the negative battery terminal to the block. Do not connect the red cable. Then try starting it.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 17 Jan 2018, 13:17

The test you made showing battery voltage at the starter wire with the key in position III does indicate that the PNP is OK. I have run across some rebuilt starters that have more than one spade terminal on the solenoid and that one works and the other doesn't. I have no idea why unless the second terminal is supposed to indicate engagement or something.

...Lee

Post by **scot850** » 17 Jan 2018, 13:54

I had a replacement (non-Bosch) starter and it had an extra terminal. Couldn't see when I fitted the uni-directional battery cable to it that it shorted to it. As soon as I tried to connect the battery I nearly got fried and the car tried to start as it by-passed the ignition!

Took a while to figure it out until I removed it again and found the issue. Cut the terminal off and covered the remainder and it was good for a couple of months and then it failed on the new owner! Warranty was good though!

Also think the immobiliser is not causing this if you hear something happening when you turn the key, although you could have damaged it too with the meltdown.

Check all the other ground cables on the engine. There can be 2 or 3 smaller ones at the back of the engine. There is one at the RH rear corner of the cylinder head to the RH inner fender area, some cars have a 2nd one in the middle of the engine from the cylinder head to the firewall directly behind it, and a 3rd running to the LH fender hidden between the airbox and the LH strut tower.

You also have the battery ground cable that connects to the LH frame rail behind the LH headlight and the other end if I recall connects to the engine block front near the battery.

Was the car running prior to this issue happening or did you have other problems?

Neil.

grajohnson · Post by **grajohnson** » 17 Jan 2018, 14:58

Rick--Thanks for the tip. I did what you said but unfortunately it didn't work.

Lee--I only have one terminal and one spade connector on the new starter, so that can't be it. Thanks for the advice though.

Neil--I'll double check all the grounds. The car was running fine until about a week ago when the weather dropped below zero degrees. It started up fine once (a little whining but that's to be expected when it's so cold) so I drove it to the gym. When I finished my workout it wouldn't start--I figured the battery just needed to be jumped. I had a friend help me jump the car, drove it around a bit to let the alternator recharge the battery, then parked it at my apartment. I was able to start it again the next day, so I drove it to a friend's. It wouldn't start when I went to leave so we jumped it, I drove it back home, and I haven't been able to get it to start since... even with a jump.

I know that sounds like a battery issue, but the battery was replaced last winter and even after charging the battery, I get no response from the starter which to me would indicate a different problem.

Post by **scot850** » 17 Jan 2018, 15:26

I would remove the battery and have it load tested. I suspect the jump starts may have damaged it so it may read 12V but cannot supply the current needed to start a cold Volvo. You need about 10V to start when the temperature is warm, but a lot of short runs in winter using heaters, fans on full blast, lights and the like can drain a battery faster than it can re-charge. My wife had a 1999 Audi that would do that until we eventually figured out the issue.

When you jump started your car, did you connect only to the battery? If so you could well have fried some of the electrical circuits. If you jump a car, the car you are trying to start should have the +ve to the red connection on the battery and the -ve to an engine ground only, never to the battery -ve connection. Pre-mass electronics you could do just the battery connections but no longer. Might explain the melted wiring! You may have fuses blown too.

Neil.

grajohnson · Post by **grajohnson** » 17 Jan 2018, 15:57

Well I feel foolish--I was indeed connecting negative to negative when jump starting. Crap, where did I learn that?! Here's hoping I haven't damaged any electrical components. I've checked the main fuse box and the fuses are intact. I haven't looked at all the fuses in the supplementary box but I don't believe there is anything in there that would affect the starter, right?

I used the same battery to conduct my bench tests with the starters. Would that rule out the battery? It's probably still worth it to take it in.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 17 Jan 2018, 16:47

Rick--Thanks for the tip. I did what you said but unfortunately it didn't work.

Do it again this time use both the positive and negative jumper leads to bypass both battery cables.

The positive side carries as much current as the negative side, if there has been enough current on the negative side to melt, there is a good chance the positive side was damaged also.

Post by **scot850** » 17 Jan 2018, 16:53

No it does not rule the battery out unfortunately as the starters are not loaded down by the rest of the engine so will spin even with a bad battery.

You learned about boosting the way I did and is probably still being passed down by us older generation who have not caught up with technology! Who ever reads the handbooks anyway?! Tried reading the one for my wifes Kia, and it is about 1.5" thick!! I nearly shot myself with the repetition and boredom it instills. All the legalese takes pages and pages and pages.....!

I only found out about this by accident. Can't recall if someone told me or I actually found out on a more modern car when the battery was in the trunk. That made me read the other handbooks prior to boosting the cars.

Neil.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 17 Jan 2018, 17:16

You learned about boosting the way I did and is probably still being passed down by us older generation who have not caught up with technology!

It has always been connect the first car. Then on the second car connect the positive cable then the negative cable to the block.

The last step is a safety precaution. It is done to keep the spark away from the battery so that it cannot ignite hydrogen gas venting from the battery. When done, your suppose to disconnect from the block first for the same reason.