Hey guys, my 244 has been a dead reliable commuter for me the past 6 months of ownership, so I'm really enjoying it. Recently, though, a problem has developed. If I park my Volvo outside and it's cool in the morning, the starter will briefly grind at the end of the starting process, no matter how quickly I let go of the key after it turns over.

This has probably happened about 4 or 5 times in the last few weeks and the only common thread I can find is that it usually occurs if it's cool out and it's the "first start" of the day. However, it did happen one warm afternoon before my commute home, so that information might just be a red herring. I was pondering whether the 10w30 synthetic blend was thick enough that it created resistance on the crank in the cold weather, but after reading a bit, I'm not so sure. Just a note - my 244 came with an Optima red battery when I bought it in March. They have plenty of cold cranking amps, but the symptoms never arose until the past few weeks.

Some threads discuss the possibility of the starter solenoid going bad and that it's best to simply replace the whole starter. Does this sound familiar to one of you or sound like a good way to deal with this problem? I'd like to address it before I cause any serious damage to the flywheel if I haven't already.

 

yeah, sounds like a tired solenoid, and/or sticky sliding pinion thing or its return spring is tired, I doubt your oil has anything to do with it.

while you might be able to sort out the starter, its probably easiest to simply put a new one on there.

 

I thought I'd come back from the dead to post the end result. I was in agreement with pierce and it looks like our suspicion was confirmed. My wife (with her tiny hands) helped me swap the starter out on Sunday. That was the culprit. I replaced it with a rebuilt-by-Bosch permanent magnet unit and it started like a charm, not to mention it was much smaller and lighter.

That said, I'd like to make a couple suggestions to those who are in the same spot I was in hopes that it'll help. One, get a good quality unit if it's a rebuilt. I got my Bosch on Amazon and it comes with a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty. If the starter is the cause of stranding, I can call and get a tow to an accredited shop. Not sure if it's a unique coverage, but still kind of nice.

Second, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, do not waste your time trying the top bolt from underneath the car, or wiggling the tranny, etc. Anyone who suggests that you should, in my humble opinion, has mush for brains. I would've gotten the job done twice as fast if I had given up on that idea soon. Instead, remove any PCV/intake hoses that are in your way and attach the top bolt from above. You can fit a stubby 19mm wrench fairly easily.

Your arm will get scraped on that hose screw (not sure what it is), but it's worth it. If the bolt is really tight, just take a hollow metal tube (I used the rod from my floor jack) and put it over the part of the open end of the wrench nearest you and enjoy the fruits of mechanical advantage! If you don't have a ratcheting stubby 19mm, it may take a while to finish getting the bolt out, but it's much easier IMO, aside from the tedium.

That is all, thanks for listening.