I have a 1994 850 wagon non-turbo. Recently when I start it, almost always when it’s cold, it will take from 2 to 7 tries to start it. On the times that it fails to start you can hear like a spinning/whirring sound. A friend who’s a mechanic but doesn’t work on Volvos said that sounds like the starter is malfunctioning and the doohickey isn’t coming out far enough to engage the flywheel and start the car and that’s whats making the spinning sound.

there are a couple of interesting things though. If I push the “Winter Start” button which I imagine is just a choke, and then turn the key to the on position, wait a beat, and then turn the final step to ignition it usually starts (by the way when I say cold I mean hasn’t been running, I’m in Portland and we are in the 50s right now). Also, if it struggles to start, once it does finally fire up, if I run it for as little as 10 minutes it will fire up first try 99.9% of the time and even if it t fails that .1 %, then it starts the second. I know the starter is deep in there and the OE spec version is pretty spendy, I just want to know if the symptoms I’ve described above might indicate something else I’m missing? Battery is good, even when it’s struggling to turn over all the lights are on, radio playing, etc.

open to any and all suggestions.

sorry for the length, I like to give details

 

I would start with making sure battery connections and the grounds are clean and you actually have a good battery. Some 850 positive battery cables have problems - the connection between the positive terminal and the cable develops a resistance - I would check for a voltage drop there next. An easy diagnosis for that is the positive cable end gets very hot after the car is started and the alternator tries to recharge the battery through that connection. Hot enough to scald/burn your finger when touched, or check with a non-contact thermometer. The solution is a new positive cable or a rigged cable end.

You don't have a "Winter Start" button. You do have a Winter mode for the transmission. If you push that W button - winter mode will start the transmission in 3rd gear (versus 1st), trying to prevent wheelspin when first accelerating in "winter" (snow) conditions.

 

The owners Manual says the up arrow on the instrument panel is for “winter starting” mode. Which is what it calls it when it starts in 3rd gear, either way it helps start my car when It’s giving me the spinning sound problem.
so I need a non contact thermometer to check the battery terminal? Any home test methods that don’t involve burning skin? 😂

 

Yes winter mode is to help the car start moving, and has nothing to do with starting the engine - it simply puts the car into 3rd gear instead of first.

After the car has been running for a few minutes, carefully touch the positive terminal to see if it's hot. - or for a real test you can use your $8 volt ohmeter to check for a Voltage drop - between the positive terminal and the alternator B+ post (alternator B+ goes to the starter then to the battery)

Your starter bendix could certainly be sticking after xx years - you could always try to lubricate where it slides on the shaft - that would require removal.

 

That gives me a starting place. The part that I’m struggling with understanding is if the starting problem is related to the battery terminal getting hot, then why does it do it the worst when it’s cold? Or is the heat of the terminal just a symptom of a problem that always exists and causes problems?

 

Yes

The poor/high resistance connection can be there all the time but it does not heat up until current tries to flow past it when starting and the alternator is trying to recharge the battery.

 

keep in mind the starter works harder in the winter so it will draw more current which makes more heat. the heat is a function of the resistance, which could be corrosion at the terminal or inside the cable itself. If the big cable has bubbly insulation or feels swollen, its a sign of corrosion and should be replaced.

 

Not really.

You need to be able to comprehend the engine is turning *or* the engine is not turning. The starter on a Volvo has a solenoid on it, and so that solenoid throws the gear onto the flywheel and then after that, it turns the starter on. A starter has a moving gear and that gear also is operating through a one-way clutch. The clutch prevents overspeeding the starter when the engine starts. SO: If you hear a whir and the engine is not turning, then all the problems are related just to that little assembly inside the starter, how it moves, maybe the clutch slipped. it's a reasonably common problem on older cars (not volvos) but any car on earth. That's a lot of if's.

I would say that everything else in the universe is not the problem, but be sure to look at the if's.

 

time for the mallet test? (ie hit the starter with a hammer to see if that helps the solenoid move the gear?) Its also good for frustrated owners. :-)