I'm having a problem trying to fixure out why my '96 850 turbo automatic is doing the same thing! But even when jumped it still is not turning over. I just got a new battery, so thats not it. The car did sit for about a year, so do you guys have any suggestions to what i should do next?!?

 

when you turn the key to pos 2 are your hazards flashing? Check the voltage at the battery. Check your relay, also if possible see if your getting 12V at the starter when cranking.

 

Could it possibly have anything to do with park/neutral switch? Mine was a bad ground (braided) wire to the starter.

 

Yes, new batteries can be bad, but not several one after another. It's not the battery. I'll be honest, I've never actually seen a specific Alternator shop in my life. Also, it's not the alternator, this would not cause my issues. The Alternator is charging the battery correctly, this problem isn't about batteries dying, its about the car not starting (not due to dead batteries).

Starter relay -- Are you referring to the starter solenoid? Or is there a remote relay that I'm not aware of. There is voltage on the trigger wire, when the key is turned to Start.

Whether or not there is a fusible link near my starter has nothing to do with the issue. If it was blown, it would never start using the key. It does start, but only when jumped.

For my issue, no. This car is a 5 speed, and therefor, no neutral safety switch. The clutch pedal switch is working fine and correctly. -- For the guy with the automatic, it could definitely be his problem.

 

What do you mean by jumped do you mean the solenoid? I believe there is a starter relay you have to take the fuse panel cover off and It will be one of the relays behind the fuses, if not it might be your Ignition switch

 

By jumped i mean jump started. And alright, I was confusing relay with solenoid (not the on-board starter solenoid, I mean't something like what Ford has, the solenoid on the side of the engine bay). They relay should be fine, and the ignition switch is fine.

Like I said before, If there is another car's battery hooked up to this car's battery via jumper cables, everything works perfectly as it should from the factory. It doesn't make sense to me either, but clearly, all switches, relays, solenoids, etc are in working order, otherwise when I turn the key, nothing would happen. Whether or not something isn't strong enough to do it's job correctly, needing the extra current kick from the other battery (perhaps the starter solenoid), I don't know.

 

There is an Alarm relay on my schematic I downloaded from web, but your issue seems to be you need more power to engage starter circuit. I believe you have a component or connector in the circuit that has a high resistance and when sufficient power is supplied it jumps or arcs around the high resistance contact point to complete the circuit. Seems logical but pinpointing the exact location may be difficult. I would clean wire ends and connector terminals at starter and battery first. Then alarm relay connections or just replace it. There is a connector between the alarm relay and starter, sorry dont know where, that could also be a problem. I have heard of starters having a bad spot on them where when in that spot they would not start but a simple bang on it caused enough vibration to cause it to start. This spot could also be arced around with the extra battery power. One mans opinion. Hope it helps.

 

I also believe that any (undesigned for) arcing between contact points will create high resistance or burn spots on the points making it larger and harder to arc therefore requiring even larger amounts of power until part fails completely but....

 

Thanks guys for all this info. But the problem with my 850 started when it cut out after driving about a mile (after starting at first crank with no problem). After that cut out and tow to the shop, it never started again. And the shop has had it now for 2 months.

 

Eh, most helpful post yet. Finally not just another 'it's probably your ignition switch' answer, since no one apparently reads the original problem, or reads through the thread to know that it's not the problem. -- It's sad I hadn't even thought of high resistance in the connectors. I'll have to look into it. If it all looks good, I'm just going to replace the starter again and be done with it. Hopefully that will take care of it.

And yes, this is very true.

 

ok heres your problem bad starter

 

Youv'e Never SEEN a alternator shop? where are you Pakistan ? oh wait ,they have one ! so if its only turning over and starting when you add another battery with yours ( jump ) then there is only 5 problems 1. bad ground 2. bad starter solinoid on or near the starter 3. crappy wire from the battery to the positive or ground 4. bad starter 5. your mechanic was high on some kind of unknown drug and jammed the starter into place locking the bendix gear . those are your choicesand the only choices pick one and fix it already . i know even in BORA BORA they know what the word jumped means

 

The ignition switch has contact points also, but because it seems to be working in other ways its probably good, but... Lulumike, you need to provide more info other then driven a mile then stops and doesn't start. What has been checked? Does the starter engage and crank engine? Is there spark at plugs? Any codes? My brother in-law's car stopped and wouldn't start because the clip came off his fuel filter and car got no gas. You might review other threads or start your own with your specifics otherwise I can't come up with specific replies, good or bad.

 

I've narrowed it down to high resistance in the connectors, or a bad solenoid. If you happened to read the post just above the one that you posted, you'd have known I was pretty much done with it. Instead, you focused on the fact I hadn't seen an Alternator shop around where I live. Which has absolutely nothing to do with my problem, and the fact that you even brought up that it could be an alternator problem in the first place, makes you more of an idiot than me. So, go jump back on your high horse, and not bother 'helping' people, if all you're going to do is be sarcastic and not helpful whatsoever.

 

turboh, just an idea. in case the braided ground wire to the solenoid is bad try connecting one cable of jumper cables between battery ground and braided wire connector on solenoid. Verify your braided wire is ground first. Oh, some people have "jump" started car by connecting battery direct to solenoid. I always considered this as "shorting or jumping the solenoid" but...

PS by direct to solenoid I meant to supply power to the starter bypassing solenoid, usually the larger wires to the back of the starter/solenoid.

 

Danton, I had given that info way back and is probably gone by now. But the mechanic had put in a new fuel pump, new thermostat, thermostat sensor, and was gravitating towards the computer, which was the last I heard from him. I see the car everyday as I pass by his shop still with a no. 29 cap on the top (I presume that's the sequence in which they'll take care of it?) but I'm sure it's lower priority by now. It's only because I have another to use that I haven't bugged him except every two weeks or so. Lulumike

 

everyone here has givin you advice over and over telling you what needs to be done . and i can fix my car and your car and almost everyone on this forum 's car ! if your so SMART what high resistance in what cable and where on the car ? or are you just guessing again ? alot of people TOLD YOU to check your wires , did you ? no . people told you to check or change your SOLENOID did you ? No again . your the one who's trying to pinch a penny by not having it fixed by a GOOD mechanic , and i'm here because of my OUTSTANDING mechanical ability to fix a gas engine ,something you can't do ! Now change your battery wires and change your solenoid and be done ! the CPU has NOTHING to do with your problem . i guess your mechanic hasn't fixed a SIMPLE problem ,i'm SURE you payed him HUNDREDS for a simple fix ! yes i am sarcastic but i get the job done ! and being your car doe's turnover while being jumped i would say bad battery wires . Then when you fix it you can tell me thank you . and by the way I CAN FIX ANY car not just volvos . have you even bothered to clean your battery terminals ?

 

Dear Hookuspookus and Turboholic, I appreciate both your comments regarding my Volvo's problems and will take them to the mechanic. But no need to disparage each other: you're both obviously good with cars. I'm sorry I started all this but my intent was just to find out what may have gone wrong with my Volvo that my mechanic can't figure out. I think heading towards the computer is also going on the wrong track and I'll not allow him to put in a new one. Thanks to both. Lulumike

 

Lulumike,
Don't worry, this had nothing to do with you at all. Hookuspookus is just a dick.

 

What in the hell are you going on about? You are clearly here because you have 'outstanding mechanical ability' and not because you're good with words. It took me a couple tries over this post to even figure out what the hell you were trying to say. What's with the space between all punctuation and words?

But enough getting on you about your horrible typing skills. Apparently you think I'm some kind of shade tree backyard mechanic who has no idea what I'm doing. You must think this because I came on a forum to ask a question, about a car I haven't worked on. The fact of the matter is this, I'm an ASE Master Certified Tech, and you sir, are simply put, a dick. My motto, is work smarter, not harder. This doesn't make me lazy, or stupid, but instead makes me money. I came on here, hoping that someone else possibly had this problem with the same car, and could quickly and easily tell me exactly what they had done to remedy the situation.

Instead what I got was a bunch of people who most likely didn't read anything I was writing, and were spouting off random fixes. Some people did read it, and gave some good feedback. I'm not putting down anyone that helped me, but most of it was rubbish. The fact that I kept posting doesn't mean i'm making stuff up, or guessing, but giving more information, etc. You know, what a frigging forum is for. It's too bad we don't all have mechanics like you living next door that can fix any problem, any time, in only a few short minutes.

As stated in my original post, I don't live where the car is. I have very little time to look at, diagnose, or work on it. I work a full time job, own a house, am getting married, and have a lot of stuff going on, so coming on the forum to ask a simple question was my quickest way to do a quick diagnosis.

Finally, don't talk down to me, or anyone else on this forum. You might think you know everything about any car, but that doesn't mean that others don't know anything. The point of a forum (clearly you missed this) is for people to help and talk to other people who have similar interests and/or problems. You seem to think its your place to be a big man and talk down to people and attempt to make them feel stupid, because you're probably some douche who sits around unemployed on his computer all day. You are not the end-all, be-all of the car world, so get the hell off your high horse, and check yourself.