My son's 1990 240 DL will not start. It was working fin up until he parked at work yesterday. Upon returning to the car, he put the key in and tried to start the car but nothing happened... no sound from the starter at all, as if the battery is dead or disconnected.

However, the battery seems okay because all the lights and bells operate as expected and the contacts are clean. The big fuse in the engine bay (think it is for the fuel pump) is good. He tried getting a jump start but that did not change anything.

Ant idea what would cause such behavior? I am hoping to get some ideas before I go over there to take a look.

Thanks!

 

well you could begin by checking the battery post connections. also you could try banging on the starter that may free it up. otherwise you may be looking at a new starter. are all the lights on the dash on when you turn the key?

 

All the lights on the dash are on. No issues there. The battery post connections look good. Are starters easy to replace?

 

The bells and lights really don't mean much as a bad or low battery will still active items that draw very little current.
To silvermine's point, if it doesn't start with a jump, check the terminals first to ensure they're clean. Remember, even a dead battery can be a challenge to jump and start. Remember to always have the jumping cars engine off to not fry the alternator diode.
Again, I also agree with trying to jump the starter motor contacts to see if the Bendix is bad.
9 times out of 10, the battery is bad, terminals dirty, or the positive cable is bad.
Starter would be the 1 out of 10.

 

Thanks to you both. I have not jumped the starter in a car for some time. What is involved in doing so for a Volvo 240?

 

when you turn the key to start and nothing happens, do the lights dim ?

if not, its quite possible your park/neutral safety switch is fubar. try putting it in neutral instead of park and see if it will turn over...

 

The lights do not dim. I replaced the NSS about a year ago but it could have gone bad again. They do not seem to last that long. I assume it is not advisable to bypass the NSS, correct?

Thanks!

 

I've had several 250K+ volvos which have never had a problem with the original park-neutral safety switch.

our 240 has about 500,000 miles, and that switch is still fine (we've owned that car since new in 1987).

 

Thanks Pierce. It might have been the installation (self-installed) so it could be me. I will pull it out and check the adjustment.

 

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Whenever I connect or disconnect anything from the starter, I always disconnect the battery first- just putting that out there.

 

There's many switches you can make or buy such as this one from Harbor Freight.
Just hook the jumper between the 12v hot terminal from the battery to the secondary pole on the solenoid, to activate the Bendix.
Pretty easy. I've used screwdrivers for years too, although sparks can fly.

12 Volt Remote Starter Switch