I have a 1988 Volvo 740GLE wagon that has developed a intermittent starting problem when hot. After the car has been driven for an extensive time in warm weather it refuses to crank. Unfortunately the few occasions it has picked to act up have been exceptionally bad. At this point I have to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Once the problem occurs and the car is left alone to cool for 15-20 minutes it will immediately crank and start. Unfortunately the problem is so intermittent I can't reproduce the problem to diagnose the cause. I have checked the starter wiring and connections as well as the multi pin connector on the front left fender. All the wiring looks good. The last time it occurred I worked the shifter back and forth to try and eliminate the neutral safety switch as the cause. My best guess is the starter/solenoid. Before I replace the starter I wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas or suggestions. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

Does it crank but fails to start, or not turn over at all? If the latter, then it's pretty certainly the starter... You may also want to check the condition of the battery at the time of no start.

 

It won't crank at all. The battery is only about 6 months old and has a good charge. When you turn the key to the start position you can tell that there is no current draw.

 

Could also be the ignition switch. Does it help if you jiggle it? But still, I'd put my money on the starter.

 

Typically, a bad solenoid will just "click" when you try to engage the starter. Sometimes, after 2-5 clicks, it will kick in. Also, a bad solenoid doesn't seem to be affected by heat or cold.

Also, a starter that has worn shims/bearings will have a hard time turning over a hot engine. It can sometimes act like your battery is nearly dead. It's deceptive because when the car is cold - the time you'd think it'd be harder to start - a worn starter will often act fine. But starting hot is a different matter.

In addition, sometimes a starter can just do some wonky, random things. This isn't likely, but it is possible.

If, when you try to start the car, you get absolutely nothing - no lights dimming, no sounds, no nothing, you've got some sort of connection problem. It's very possible that the problem is in the ignition switch.

 

You can check the starter solenoid with alligator leads. When the key won't start it, run a lead from the positive terminal of the battery to the solenoid. That will bypass the key switch and anything else that's in the starting circuit to make the solenoid do its thing. To find the contact, look at the starter and you'll see a big wire (it goes right to the battery and alt) and a small wire. That small wire is the one you want to power. That should help you find the problem.