My friend has a '95 740 with some odd 250K miles on it. Her car stopped starting, and the last time she drove it he mentioned she smelled a burning smell before she turned it off. Then he came back 5 days later and tried to start it and it won't turn over. She says that someone tried to jump it and it didn't work. The lights and other electrical equipment seem to function well, so it seems that its not the battery. Correct me if im wrong but also if it were the battery wouldn't I most likely hear a popping sound when I turn the key with the starter gear engaging the fly wheel? The connector that goes to the battery also has some extension on the original connector that seems kinda bad. I took both connectors apart and checked/ cleaned corrosion. I also took my voltmeter and read a reading of 11.8 accross everything which seems to point the connection for now at least is good (right?).

Assuming my diagnosis of the battery was correct, that would point to the starter or starter selenoid. I was surprised to did the location of the starter seems to be in a cramped location on the driver side of the engine. I don't have a jack or anything as im in college, I only hav my craftsman mechanics tool set. How could I check the starter and starter selenoid for being bad? Im not really sure where to find the starter selenoid either.

Is there something else it could be that im not thinking of? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

~Scott

Sorry for the bad spellig and grahmmar. Im currently writing this from my cell.

 

I believe that the starter solenoid is on top the starter. It wouldn't be too hard to make sure you have juice down there. It would be weird for it to just quit anyway. 11.8 volts is low. Did you check your actually battery voltage? It should be around 12.5. In cold weather the amount of power available in a battery is reduced. Low voltage and cold temperatures can make a battery pretty much useless. I would expect a clicking noise like you said. If it's a stick, I'd just push start it. You could also try energizing the starter solenoid manually to see if it clicks with some test leads. It really shouldn't be too hard to reach the leads from the top. I've done it before to do a compression test on my car, so you should not have too much trouble. You may have to remove an intake hose or something to get a little better access.
Good luck.

 

Check both ends of the hot battery cable to make sure it's clean, intact and secure.
You can test the starter by jumping with a screwdriver between the batt lead and the small solenoid terminal.

Check to see if it will start in neutral or close to it(wiggling shifter) if Auto trans, clutch switch if manual trans. At that age the brushes could be worn down too far; if so brushes are available from a name brand auto parts store for less than $20. You just need a soldering iron, solder, and minor tools to do that job.

The solenoid is also available separately. Make sure everything is clean and tight, even the ground cable. The old GM starter fix is worth a try, aka firm tap the starter. If tapping works, then the brushes are too short or oiled.
Starter removal is only 2 bolts and wire/cable connections.
Ed

 

Hmmm...I thought 92 was the last year for the 740. If it is a 95, it is most likely from a parallel universe where Volvo never switched to wwd cars! It won't start because of a phase-shift anomaly!

 

Yeah, I thought they switched to different models after 93. I thought they stopped making the dependable volvo engine I love in '93 (I have a 93 940), but her engine looks the same (just has distributer in different place). So I don't know. She says it's '95, but I'll check the cars tag tomorrow I suppose.

Thanks for everyone's responses! I have a few questions now (mostly for ed). Energizing the solenoid manually is something that I was trying to figure out how to do.

Just for clarification, it is an automatic transmission.

What do you mean by "hot battery cable"? The actual cables that are connecting to the battery? I removed both connections and checked for corrosion. I didn't really have sand paper, but everything looked fairly clean.

You mentioned testing the starter by jumping with a screwdriver between the battery lead and the small solenoid terminal. This is what I was looking for how to do. How do I identify the solenoid from the rest of the starter, and how do I know where to place the screwdriver?

I'm not sure what you mean by brushes being worn down. I'm assuming this is part of a starter? Could you be more specific so I can identify what you're talking about?

Thanks for this! I didn't even think about the fact that I can't start my car unless it's in park with the break down, and consider that possibly the kill switch that checks for this could have gone bad. I'll try putting it in neutral and trying it and jiggling it around to see if that does anything.

 

The starter has the batt lead and one smaller lead with a spade connector this is the one that activates the solenoid when it's energized. The lumpy thing on the side of the larger cylindrical thing is the solenoid. It's essentially a large switch that receives a signal from the key switch to energize the starter motor.

The heavy gage, hot, positive battery lead then supplies the voltage and carries the amperage to turn the starter and consequentially, the engine. Positive is typically referred to as 'hot'.

A quick touch will tell you if the starter works, if it does, then you may start the engine if the key is on. The neutral safety switch is bypassed if the starter is jumped.

The carbon brushes are internal and supply current to the starter armature to make the motor turn.
Ed

 

Thanks for the response ed. Much appreciated! So I figured out what you were describing to me (thanks again!), and I was able to find the large gauge wire going to the starter, and then peel back the rubber, and then ground it (kinda welded my screw driver a bit, haha), and the starter started up. The thing was, the starter was just turning. I could hear the electric motor turning, but it wasn't turning over the engine. I don't think it was engaging the flywheel at all. Should it have been if I was shorting it?

Then I went and tried to start the engine. I tried putting it in neutral, and the whole bit, and I couldn't get it to do anything, including powering the starter. So I tried energizing the starter motor while someone turned the key, and still no luck.

I'm not sure what this means, or where to go from here. I'm actually a bit confused. Any direction or help would be great! If I replaced the starter at this point, would it even do anything?

 

You jumped between the two large terminals on the solenoid and bypassed the solenoid itself.
Jump between the batt terminal and the SMALL wire with the spade connector at its end.

When the solenoid is engaged, it pulls a yoke that engages the pinion gear of the starter into the flywheel of the engine. At the end of its stroke the contact is made that energizes the rotation of the motor. First engage then spin is the order of operation.

So, the solenoid has three terminals on it:
1. battery in
2. battery out to motor
3. small wire to activate solenoid and starter.

We all have to start somewhere. This is as good a place as any.
Ed

 

So jumping it between the small wire and the big terminal worked, and I was able to get the car started that way. What would that point to as an issue? What needs to be replaced?

 

Not enough current is making it through the solenoid to engage the starter. A weak charging system can cause this...bad alternator, regulator or battery. It's always best to check that stuff before you replace what it probably needs...a starter. Yes, you can replace only the solenoid but it's just as much as the starter to replace. But, to swap in a new starter without testing the charging system is silly as low current will mimic the symptoms of a bad solenoid.

 

This was a double post on accident...

 

I don't understand how it would be a bad alternator or battery if jumping the starter works. It would seem to me that by using a screw driver to connect 2 terminals together on the starter solenoid and then the car successfully starts, that the starter is able to get enough current.

I got the car started this way, and I showed her how to do it so that she could go home for thanksgiving tomorrow. She told her Dad who's 5 hours away, who spoke with advanced auto parts, and they told him that the starter solenoid needs to be replaced. I wanted to know if you guys thought this was correct before they ran off and wasted money/time on a new solenoid when that's not the issue.

I'm a bit stumped really. I'm also not 100% sure how the solenoid works, so maybe it is the solenoid. I'd like your guys opinion on this though.

 

Time to buy a new tool. A test light is a cheap and valuable tool. All it does is show you when power is present. It has a wire with an alligator clip on one end and a poker on the other with a light bulb in the middle.
The starter cranked and started the engine. The Battery works and the starter works.

The test light will show you if you're getting voltage to the small wire of the solenoid when the key is turned.
Test for voltage at the solenoid and the small wire that goes to it when the key is turned. If you do get voltage at the spade connector, then the solenoid probably is faulty. If no light then check the neutral safety switch and its wires. Then you'll be working toward the ignition switch. I thought there was a relay between, but I can't remember or find one in my book.

We're just watching the wheels go round.
Ed

 

I have a multimeter. That should work right? Should be able to ground it, and then check for voltage on the small clip (spade connector as you called it). How much voltage?

Where would I find the neutral safety switch and it's wires and how would I check them?

What about ignition switch?

 

Uhh...yeah, I'd say the starter does work since the car started. And, yes, there's obviously enough power in the battery as it started the car. There is no relay involved. I'll also say my guess is (and that's all it is over the internet) that it is indeed the solenoid. I'm merely trying to point out there is a big difference in current when energizing the solenoid directly from a battery cable versus the triggering amps delivered from a 14 gauge wire traveling from the ignition switch. A marginal battery will sometimes not have enough guts to energize a less than perfect solenoid. A quick test of the charging circuit is simply prudent and professional. Anyone here ever bought a battery only to find out a wekk later the alternator was bad?
A new solenoid will cost $50-100 bucks. A complete starter can be had for $100-150 bucks. Labor to swap out the starter? .60 hours. Labor to swap out a solenoid and reinstall w/ your old starter? .65 hours. That's because they pull the starter to swap the solenoid. Most any shop will charge you an hour, at least for the estimate. We would. If it comes in at actual book time, your bill is lower than you expect...if the tech runs into bad cable ends, broken wires or bad connectors, it gets fixed without the estimate rising. Replacing only the solenoid may make economic sense to a small extent, but it's not something I'd do on my wife's car or a customer's car. Murphy's Law says next month the starter will take a dump and the customer will come in screaming that it's our fault.
If you have a multimeter, that's better than a test light. You can check alternator output by going from the large output cable to ground. Should be somewhere around 13.8V. Check the voltage across battery terminals with engine off...should be at least 12V. Check across them with engine running...should be around 13.2 but old Volvos often have a certain amount of charging issues so 12.7 or more is common. Less than that and the alternator has a tough time overcoming the resistance of a 12V battery. 12V at the solenoid energizer wire is good. Read this...
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showth...neutral+safety

 

Maybe I'm not understanding all of this right, but doesn't that mean that the solenoid works? This is what I thought I read, and I could be wrong, but He jumped the solenoid wire from the hot batter lead, energizing the solenoid and making the starter function normally. If this is true, the problem is not the starter, but the circuitry to starter solenoid.

I just looked at a wiring diagram for my car (1989 740). It's likely that there is no change in the starter circuit. It shows for an automatic transmission that there is only one starter inhibitor between the key switch and the solenoid. Here's the circuit: Battery hot lead > red wire > power distribution rail > red wire > ignition switch > pink wire > starter inhibitor switch > Blue - Green > starter solenoid > ground. I'm not sure that the switch would be on the brake pedal or on the shift lever for the park position, but I think I remember it being on the shift lever. Now they could have changed it in later years too, so keep that in mind.

Definitely check the spade connector on the starter solenoid and make sure that it is making a good clean connection. It should read about battery voltage when the key is turned to the start position. If not, then keep tracing back. I don't really know where the starter lock out switch is, so I'd look around the shifter lever and transmission for it. Someone on this forum should know (my car is a manual and has no starter inhibitor). New ignition switches are available through IPD, but I would think that it is more likely the starter inhibitor switch.

That's just what I got from what I read, but I could be missing something. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info! I certainly wasn't getting battery voltage across the small spade connection. It was reading ~.3 V as soon as the key was turned, and then would back off to about ~.18 V initially. After trying it several times I was getting a final voltage ~.12 V, so certainly not battery voltage. It was dark, so I didn't even think about trying to trace it back. The wire immediately goes into a wire housing bundle, that I'm not sure how easy will be to follow. Where should I check voltages next to identify the issue?

Thanks again! Really appreciate it guys!

 

Neutral safety switch is inside, under the shifter cover for the automatic, at the front.
Jump the inhibitor switch and try starting. Test the continuity of the switch in P and N to see if it's any good. You should get 12v at the solenoid pull wire.
A test light is simply used to check for voltage and easily used one-handed. It won't even glow with less than 3 volts. A handy tool when checking lights too.
Cars with manuals should have a switch similar to a brake light switch under the clutch pedal.
Ed

 

That's what I would think. They may have changed it on later models, but on my 89 that car starts right up in gear, with the clutch out. The wiring diagram (for 1989) shows only a switch added with an auto. I wouldn't be surprised if there is one on later models than mine. When my big brother was about 6 or 7, my mom send him to the car with the keys to roll up the windows before it rained. He turned the key all the way and ran into our pickup truck. It was my brother's introduction to driving a car. Not that any of this is important.