The battery on my Volvo died the other day, due to the dome light being on and the cold weather here in upstate NY. I hooked up some jumper cables (and, yes, they were connected correctly) and turned the key on the Volvo. Immediately the cables started smoking. I jumped out of the car and removed them. Visually there appeared to be no damage to either vehicle. The vehicle I used to jump it is fine. My 960, however, will not start. I hear some relays pick when I turn the key but that is about it. The shifter is also locked and the dash lights/gauges do not work. The dome lights do work, however. The battery meters out at 12.8 vdc (after trickle charging it), all of the relays/fuses check out and I can start the vehicle by jumping 12 volts from the battery directly to the starter. I have tried to start it in neutral, also by moving the shift selector (using the override) 20-30 times and then trying to start it- all with the same result. From what I can gather from other posts it seems to be either the PNP switch or the ignition switch (with the exception of all of the dash lights/gauges being out). I was wondering if someone could give me some help in order to narrow the issue down further. I'd also like to make sure that I haven't overlooked the obvious- like a overload relay, or security system issue that could be causing these symptoms. Thanks!

 

I am leaning towards ignition switch.....

Haynes manual:

Dead battery
Battery terminals loose or corroded
Battery ground to body defective
Engine ground strap loose or broken
Automatic trans selector in wrong position, or inhibitor switch defective
Ignition/starter switch defective
Major mechanical failure (seizure)....WHAT? a seizure!!

 

You may have jumped it wrong. A lot of people put both cable ends on both batteries and that is WRONG.

If the alarm is an issue it can be cleared up by locking and unlocking the drivers door with the key.