I have a 2001 V70 with 200,000 km. It still runs well generally, but has some quirks. This one is driving me a bit nuts. Some days it just won't start. No clicky-clicky or anything. If I try to boost it, very carefully red-to-red, and then try to hook up my black-to-black using the appropriate points under the hood, it sparks like crazy. I don't even get my other car turned on. I get some crazy sparks coming off my jumpers. Obviously, I disconnect at that point. Then, to my dismay, my V70 starts. It protests a bit, but starts up fine. I take it out for a drive and park it, and it starts up fine from there. It's not a boost ... it's a defbrillation. Should I dump my booster cables and get an AED?

Has anyone had this type of experience? What's happening? What should I check / fix? Help please.

 

Should also mention ... I'm in Calgary, Canada. It's winter and we've had some severe cold. But the cold is not necessarily a predictor of it not starting. It has done this probably 3 times on me. Once I had it parked in the garage -- so nice and warm. Once outside with the block heater plugged in. Once outside in mild cold without being plugged in. This is over the last 4-6 months.

Also - another time recently when it wouldn't start I did boost it successfully and normally (no sparks). It was driven for about 30 minutes so should have had enough charge to start, but it wouldn't (about a week ago now). That led to today's restart attempt with the sparks and all. Then it started. Maybe this has just taken on a Frankenstein persona. Thoughts / suggestions?

 

I think the sparks are trying to tell you something... you need new battery cables. During a cold start, the battery passes hundreds of amps - enough to melt metal where there's any resistance due to corrosion and the sparks are certainly capable of starting a fire.

 

New battery cables: thanks that’s a good idea.

 

I got it figured out. I had three people recommend looking at the battery cables (thanks for that). My father-in-law suggested starting with cleaning the posts and cables. So - I headed down to Canadian Tire in the V70 (which was running flawlessly at the time). Popped in, bought the brush, came out and went to drive home. DEAD CAR. Turned the key, and nothing. DEAD, DEAD, DEAD. So, thought I'd take the opportunity to check out the battery and clean the terminal, etc. I popped open the trunk and the battery compartment, and then I saw that my red battery wire wasn't even actually connected to the battery. It had come loose over time and was just propped on top of it. I imagine that sometimes it is close enough to start the car, and (after hitting a bump somewhere), then it isn't. I pushed it down, and the car was instantly back to life. Back at home I took things apart and snugged everything down properly. It's been flawless since. Fingers crossed for another 100k.