Our '93 960 recently stopped working unexpectedly. No crank, not even a click. Battery is fully charged. My internet search and a conversation with my Volvo mechanic led me to check a few things to rule out solenoid, starter. There was no voltage at the small wire attached to the solenoid with key in cranking position. Other issues preceding this incident led me to begin suspecting the pnp switch. For as long as we've owned the car we've had the flashing "E-S-W" issue, the flashing arrow on the instrument panel, and in November I took a short road trip during which at one point the car felt like it was taking off in 3rd gear. Back to the present. In addition to the sudden onset "no crank" situation, it is also exhibiting the problem shifting out of park without pushing the override button. Okay. So I just replaced the pnp switch, turned the key and it started to crank over. I assumed it was good to go, put everything away, etc, got in to take it for a spin to make sure everything was hunky dory, and.......nothing. Back to no crank. I'm hoping one or two of you have some experience that might lend some direction at this point.

 

I don't have a wiring diagram for a 1993. Here's the starter circuit for a 1994 960. No relay in the system. The only thing that interrupts power from the key to the starter solenoid is the Neutral starting switch/gear position sensor on the side of the transmission..(3/40 in the diagram) You can check if there is power at the pink wire terminal 3 at the NSS connection when trying to start the car. Those switches were finicky to get adjusted correctly - I always used the special tool to get it exact.

 

Thanks for the diagram. I'm pretty sure the '93 doesn't have a relay either.
I'm wondering how particular the setting of the switch is. I did set it by putting the car in reverse with the key on and turning it until the reverse lights come on, but maybe there's more to it?

 

Thanks to you, I was able to determine there is power at the pink wire. In the process, I noticed the #4 female terminal had come unconnected from the male counterpart. Once plugged back in, the car cranks just fine. One of the things I left out of my original post is that the boots or whatever you call them for the terminals on the female side of that 8-pin plug were all disintegrated. as a result each of those 8 wires/terminals had to be connected one by one. Short of replacing the female half of that 8-pin plug, are there any other feasible ways to stabilize the connections inside the existing housing? Otherwise, it seems like I need to wrap it up with Gorilla tape or something so they don't shake loose over time. Thanks again for your valuable input. Saved my day!

 

This guy has all sorts of wiring products to fix disintegrated harnesses

https://www.prancingmoose.com/blackvinyl.html

 

Thanks again! I found the terminals that would work on that page. Not that it's a deal-breaker, but it would cost over $50 just to get the terminals/wires needed to begin the job. For now, I'm hoping to figure out a decent short term solution to keep everything in place for awhile.

 

If I may chime in, I bought and installed the wiring harness from that guy to replace all of the wiring with cracked insulation and brittle plastic terminals going to the coil packs on top of the engine, for my 94 960 sedan. I could have sourced and purchased the terminals and wiring and shielding and done it all myself from scratch. But the quality and fit of his wiring harness was excellent, well worth the price, and in my case saved a lot of time which counts for something. Also he was great to deal with in terms of personalized service during the buying experience. I don't know the guy at all. I just want to put in a plug for him and to say that for me - and I'm pretty frugal - I would even pay a bit extra to support businesses like his who are specialty Volvo parts suppliers for the older models in particular. In fact I need some spare wiring terminals. I'm going to have another look at his site. Thanks Hoonk for the link.

My $0.02

 

Much appreciated. I have to say it does look like an amazing resource, and definitely getting added to my bookmarked sites. But I couldn't find an 8-pole female connector/harness. All I could fine is the housing sold separately and any number of different gauged female terminals with leads to choose size and color from, each sold individually.

 

So the car cranks and runs now, but some of the symptoms I mentioned are still happening. The flashing arrow on the instrument cluster and the flashing E-S-W mode buttons. Also, it still sometimes feels like it's taking off in 3rd gear. Is there any way the PNP switch adjustment could be related to those symptoms? I assume no, that the only function of the PNP switch is to act as a neutral safety. Is that correct?

 

NSS tells control units what gear you are in also, as well as turning on the reverse lights and allowing the starter to work.

What codes are stored in the Tcu? this is for engine - someone has a table for all the positions.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/EngineOBDCodes.html

How about info here


https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/read-codes-volvo-850/

 

According to: https://www.volvotips.com/service-ma...ir-manual.html

the only code I got was a 2-3-2, which doesn't seem like anything related to the transmission or its electronics.

 

232 in plug A1 is a speedometer signal problem - related to the trans? I think so. Try reading and clearing all the codes first, then see what comes back. I trust you are checking the codes at terminal A1 also. (not just A2 for ignition/fuel)