My son's v70 said low coolant the other day. He pulled over and shut it down. The hose on the radiator had come off (Easy Fix) but when we tried to restart the car it wouldn't start. The lights come on but when you turn the key it gives one click and the fan belt moves alittle and then quits. The battery was low when I took it in so I let it charge for an hour but I get the same click and small movement of the belt. I replaced the starter, same click and small move. What am I missing? Maybe the Neutral Safety Switch?

 

If a battery has developed a bad cell no amount of charging will correct the issue. Get the battery tested to verify, but the symptom you describe is not unusual for a bad battery.

 

When the warning for low coolant appeared was the engine running above normal temperature and up into the red?

 

Well, my teenage son was driving and I got the I duno answer when I asked

 

Wondering if motor has cooked and seized?
Remove plugs and see if she turns over on starter then.
May not be battery or starter motor at all.

 

so just remove the plugs and turn it over?

 

Yes.
Without the plugs, in the compressions in the cylinders are gone so without resistance the pistons and engine can turn freely, unless seized.

 

If you have a compression tester you could test each cylinder whilst they are out.
Worthwhile information to have alsogiven the opportunity.
Of course the motor will need to be proven as not seized to do that test.

 

Ok,I will try that tomorrow once i get the battery back. I will post the results

 

I wouldn't give a plugged nickel for that engine's chances right now. Logically, it's pretty unlikely that the hose coming off caused any problems OTHER than overheating the engine. And a lot of teenage boys aren't savvy enough to think through the consequences of an idiot light or message lighting up on the dash. And then there's the fact that V70 temperature gauges seem to stay dead center no matter HOW hot the engine gets (I've seen mine get pretty darn hot based on my Dice/Vida device when my fan was out, and the gauge never moved a hair past normal).

There's no reason to pull the plugs out unless you want to test the compression - the engine should spin fine with or without compression since you know for a fact the starter is OK. If it won't spin properly with the plugs in, it won't spin properly with 'em out either.

It sounds like a good lesson for your son, but only if it leaves him without wheels for a painful period of time. It's a life lesson, and if he has to get involved with the fix, he's much more likely to learn something from it. Toss him the keys to another car and the lesson is "ignoring dash lights is a minor inconvenience". Get him up to his greasy elbows in the fix (whether physically by helping swap the engine, or financially by mowing yards or flipping burgers until he can afford to fix or replace the car), and he'll be a LOT more careful going forward. I've been working with high school kids for over 25 years, and they tend to only learn macro lessons, not micro lessons...

 

Ok, any other thoughts. removed the plugs and the engine didn't turn over. Same thing one click and nothing. I took off the passenger side wheel and got a wrench on the Fly wheel and was able to turn it over. If it was seized would it still turn?

 

With the plugs out (zero compression) you should be able to easily turn the engine over with a ratchet on the flywheel bolt or other "moving part" of the engine (including some of the belt pulley bolts). If you're really having to reef on the ratchet or breaker bar to get the engine to turn over, it's WAY too tight. I don't have a torque value for the force required, but it really won't be much on a healthy engine without plugs installed.

 

If it turns over its not seized but if very difficult to move it then it must be very close to being.
Otherwise, given that the battery has been checked/charged and confirmed as all okay and the starter motors, (both you have tried work? ) it can only be battery leads,bad grounding or starter wiring stopping it from turning over.

 

I could turn it with the plugs in with one hand on an 12 inch adjustable wrench so I am assuming that it is not seized. Would bad wiring give it the clicking. There is a high pitched wining sound that comes from the start with then car is turned on. The click seems to come from the starter as well. Is there any way to lub the pistons to make it turn freely.

 

How would I check
- battery leads
- bad grounding
- starter wiring


Could it be the infamous park neutral lock switch that I have read about?

 

see this attached link re starter motors and solenoids.

It is general info, not Volvo specific but explains how it should operate and the main causes of problems.

How Engine Starters Work - 2CarPros

Your comments above leave me thinking you may be lucky and the motor has not become seized.
One hand turnover would not be possible if it was seized.

Oil in each cylinder (a teaspoon or so) is often done to regain compression where the bores lose oil lubrication and piston rings unseal resulting in compression loss.
Commonly called 'lawnmower syndrome'. I dont think this applies for your case.
Your problem is one of the starter not turning the motor over.
If the starter spins then it narrows down to sufficient power amps, correctly functioning solenoid or freely operational bendix spring/shaft engaging the flywheel.

 

I found a good video on voltage drop testing and I am going to go get a tester. I am thinking that this may be the cause since he has had electrical issues before. I am going to clean up all of the contacts and see what happens. Thanks for all of your help