xc70 No Start

duh+ · Post by **duh+** » 05 Dec 2021, 06:15

Hi Gang, thanks for reading/helping. '02 xc70 won't start, no spark.

a little history: car was parked pretty much the whole summer (2021, a wet, moldy one here in PA), I'd start it up every week or so and it ran fine. Then one day I had to jump it (dead battery), let it run for about 30 minutes and a few days later had to jump it again (dead battery). a few days later, I go to jump it and it just cranks and cranks, no start. and that's where I'm at.

i'm not too concerned about the battery drain (yet) unless it's somehow related to the no spark issue.

stuff I've tried: spark check (pulled ig coil with plug, grounded plug and cranked), starting fluid directly into intake, replaced cam pos sensor, crank pos sensor (electrical connector and bracket, good times (thanks ALF1 for the thorough procedural on that), Visual inspection of all wiring. timing belt looks good. bought an iCar soft v2 obd thing (limited/useless). still nothin'.

LOTS of acorns and rodent debris under the hood (nothing in the air filter housing). I'm considering these fuzzy bastards prime suspects, but I don't have any proof yet.

anybody got a hunch on this? much appreciated+
-d

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 05 Dec 2021, 08:30

duh+ wrote: ↑05 Dec 2021, 06:15
LOTS of acorns and rodent debris under the hood (nothing in the air filter housing). I'm considering these fuzzy bastards prime suspects, but I don't have any proof yet.

anybody got a hunch on this? much appreciated+
-d

The coils have a common voltage source. Check to see if you are getting power to the coils with the key in POSII. Should be the Green-White wire common to all five coils.

duh+ · Post by **duh+** » 06 Dec 2021, 08:21

Hey thanks very much for the reply Rick, i got 13.5 V on the green and white wire (jumping off my '98 Cherokee). is that good news?

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 06 Dec 2021, 16:05

duh+ wrote: ↑06 Dec 2021, 08:21 Hey thanks very much for the reply Rick, i got 13.5 V on the green and white wire (jumping off my '98 Cherokee). is that good news?

13.5V at the coils is good news. You had to jumping off a '98 Cherokee to get the 13.5 V is not. Sounds like you need to need to put the battery on a smart charger for a week or so. Electronically controlled car are touchy about the voltages and battery capacity.

Get the battery health back up. 30 minutes does not cut it by a long shot.
When you put the battery back in:

1. Connect the Positive cable.
2. Turn key to POS II ( Run ).
3. Connect Negative battery cable.

This will force the control modules to reinitialize.

duh+ · Post by **duh+** » 08 Dec 2021, 05:16

gotcha, i don't have access to a smart charger, i do have it on a 2amp trickle charge using a real basic charger. thanks again, I'll post results++

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 08 Dec 2021, 09:16

duh+ wrote: ↑08 Dec 2021, 05:16 gotcha, i don't have access to a smart charger

They are low cost now days. You could pick one up for the cost of a dinner.

duh+ · Post by **duh+** » 08 Dec 2021, 13:02

well, i usually eat roadkill with ketchup packets i steal from the gas station, the taste is so-so but the price is hard to beat. I did try the battery charged on my dumb charger, with no change in the situation (installed according to your instructions). You think charging with a smart charger is still the way to go?
also wondering if I should back up and double confirm that I do not have spark. My current test method is: pull a coil, pull a plug (plug doesn't look too bad), install plug in coil, wrap copper ground wire around threads on spark plug and wrap other end around clean aluminum on engine. crank engine and look for spark at plug. does that sound like a reliable testing method? since i now know I do have voltage at the coil, seems like a faulty testing method becomes more of a possibility.

duh+ · Post by **duh+** » 08 Dec 2021, 13:09

i should ad: the front seats are currently not in the vehicle (pulled them to dry out from a water leak), so the harnesses at the seats are disconnected and have been for a few weeks. I'm pretty sure I was able to start the car with the seats out, but it's been awhile. not sure if/how this might affect the control module.