Hello all!

I really need help on this one. My car just wont start after my starter died. Its been very cold by Austin,TX standards(less then 38 degrees F the whole last month of december.

My old starter on my 95 turbo just died, I bought and replaced the starter and followed the instruction for starter replacement video by RSPI.

My car still will not turn over!!!
New battery and alternator(replaced less than 2 yrs)
My wire looks good on both end no corrosion or frayed ends.

I am not sure on how the starter needs to be re-wired though. I put the small green wire in its slot and the bigger wire first and then the small white wire next.

I really need advice because I dont want to get rid of My turbo. any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Do you have a volt meter? There are a couple of basic checks that you need to do. The starter is an unusually simple device, so that should not have to b e anything mysterious about it.

Couple of quick concerns:

Is the car in park (ha ha)? My Dad would think of that.

Did you buy the starter rebuilt at a discount auto parts store? (ha ha ha ooooooh nooooo). Sometimes they don't work.

 

Car parked in garage. I did used a Volt Meter and got proper voltage I believe. (12.5 v)

I bought my new starter from Rockauto.com online. Yes, I got an aftermarket rebuild.

I have had issues of not starting up for quite some time, I guess the old age and this winter killed my old original starter. I followed RSPI video for starter replacement very well. All the bolts are tighten down good and the new starter fit in well without any issue.

After work today, I am going to check if my starter and battery again. I will keep this posted w/ more.

I greatly appreciate all the help and kindness this Forum has shown. Thank you all!

Any advice on my new

 

did you check the ground strap? The starter has a solenoid - which will click with the key to engage the starter gear, you should hear something when turning the key. The motor requires much more current so if you have a bad ground strap connection you won't get full juice to spin the motor. So if you have voltage to the solenoid when you turn the key on, then next is to listen for the click. If nothing, it could be the PNP switch - Turn the key to unlock the shifter then running the shifter from Park to 1st to Park quickly about 10-20 times, then put back in Park and try starting to see if anything changed.

 

Thank you for the information!
I will definitely give your fix a try once I get home from work. I am crossing my finger and hopes this work. I do hear the fuel pump priming and all the lights on dash console turns on and radio turns on.
I will also recheck the wiring to starter solenoid and make sure its connected. I am still not sure on how to rewire the starter correctly. when I remove the old starter, I did not note the connection but I feel I placed the wire back correctly.

 

On a side note; Can my no start be an issue with relays and fuses associated w/ starter? If so, which relay/fuses should I check?

I also notice that I found NO EGR valve at all when I lift the fan and shroud. I have been getting 2-3-1 on A2 on OBD-I and p0171 error code in OBD-II/CEL for a long time. Not sure if previous owner did an EGR delete or its just missing? I guess Vin # can cofirm if I have an EGR.

 

Code 2-3-1 or 5-1-2 means that engine is running rich. This may be caused by high fuel pressure, leaking injector(s), faulty MAF signal or faulty HO2S sensor.

Read more: http: // Volvo 850 OBD diagnostics with fault error codes

If this is for your 95, have you tried clearing the codes to see if it immediately resets?

 

I did the pnp switch of running down the gears 20 times to no start still. I charge my battery to 12.6 v. I still do not why this new starter is still not working? Perhaps this a faulty one by shear bad luck. The starter is not a rebuilt but brand new from rock auto.com

 

The codes keep coming up after I clear them. I did replace my maf sensors, my vacuum tubes, did pcv system replacement.

On the starter, is it possible that my gear does not align with the starter wheel on the engine. The new starter fits perfectly well.
Should I get my old starter rebuild while its out?

 

Can you please clarify 'Wont Start'?
1. Turns over but will not fire?
or
2. Starter does not do anything when you turn the key?

Is it possible that this whole time it was the ignition switch and not the starter?

When you connected the terminals on the back of the starter, there are several that connect to the battery (big one) terminal and the smaller one is a spade. The spade is the one that tells the starter to do its job.

 

I replaced the new starter and took both my old and new starter to advance auto parts to check both starters. Both check out good!

I was frustrated at this point. I decided to chance it and put back the old starter and decide to give it a go. No go...

At this time, I began research on the intraweb at possible no start reasons.

I came across these links called the "lawn mower symptom"(by the Great RSPI):
Volvo 850, S70, V70 Lawnmower Syndrome Theory - Video

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...hp?f=1&t=18175


Basic Idea behind the "lawnmower syndrome" applies to a situation where a perfectly functioning engine will suddenly refuse to start and has no compression on any cylinders. (to quote the Matthews volvo site link)

But before putting any oil into the spark plugs,
I decided to gung ho the the thing and just keep turning the ignition and pressing the gas till the car turn over and started to run!!
I had to do like 4 times of turning the keys for 20-30 secs until the engine turns over.
Trust me its alot of smoke, gas smell and a high pitch squealing sound in the the engine. I thought I am going to shred my engine to pieces!!!

Now my Car starts up very well like it never had any issues of not turning on!

 

yep, piston rings need oil to completely seal and raise to full compression. if you crank an engine too much the gas mixture can wash the oil off the sides of the cylinders and lower the compression leading to a no start. It can help to crank the engine with the gas pedal all the way down (ie create a lean start) and crank for 30-60 seconds per cycle to give the lube system a chance to pressurize and oil the cylinder walls.

As to your engine codes - you may have a bad oxygen sensor but I'm not sure if it comes into play on cold starts... maybe worth looking at.

 

It's hard to follow as the "lawnmower syndrome" still has the engine turning over or cranking it just will not have the compression to fire.

Still unsure if the replacement starter was cranking the engine without it starting. When you had them tested and decided to put the old one back in did you notice a connection you failed to make before so now it cranked over ??

 

Thank you all for the help and info. I still do not know exactly how my car did not start but if there was no oil in the piston rings, then that could be the main cause of my no start.

I am just glad my car turns and and drives.

On another bad note, last night when I filled my gas tank up, I notice that that it leak a LARGE puddle of gasoline under the fuel tank!!!!
Thankfully, The fuel tank stays full and only small amount leak out from the top I guess.

Now like puzzle, I think my po0171/a2 2-3-1 error coes are related to my fuel tank leak. I came across this post for evap leaks/Fuel Tank
https://volvo850wagon.wordpress.com/...eak-fuel-tank/

I guess I know my next fix project is going to be.

 

Thats the vent hose on top of your tank. A very common issue. The hose needs to be replaced.