My 2001 S40 does not start. The battery, alternator, starter, starter relay, and ignition switch have all been changed. When you try to start, it sometimes makes a buzzing noise, but nothing happens. All lights come on but just won’t start. Any ideas???

 

Sounds like its time to break out the multimeter :-(

Some random thoughts - cables from battery ok? battery to ground, battery to starter? Fuses/relays ok? any immobilizer issues or warnings> - you can try resetting by locking/unlocking the car 5x with the fob. Is the PNP switch ok? (ie if the shifter thinks the car's not in park, no start...) try the old shifter row...

You may be able to find a Haynes manual PDF online or similar to find a wiring diagram. Google around for that.

 

Thank you for this. I will start checking these things out. As far as I know the relays are okay, no immobilizer warnings ( though I don’t have a stock steel so idk where that would display. I tired the shifter row and it didn’t work...I’m stumped as to what could be wrong. So many new parts and money invested just for it to not start!!!

 

So it’s none of the above. What else could it be???

 

Replacing parts at random is seldom the best way to fix a problem. Much better (and cheaper!) to do a little diagnosis first.

There are a million or so posts on this subject, but basically you need a voltmeter - or at least a simple 12 volt test light. Then you test to see if you have a solid 12 volts to the big red wire on the starter (when attempting to start the car), then you test the "signal" lead to the starter (you should also have a solid 12 volts there when trying to start the car). If either of these is missing, you start tracing back until you find where the status of a part goes from "expected" to "unexpected". If you DO have both of those voltages and you're still not getting the starter to kick in, you have a bad starter, or possibly a bad ground (you can check this by measuring the voltage from the battery's negative terminal (not the cable clamp) to the engine block / starter housing.

 

I will definitely try this out when my mechanic comes back. I wonder why he didn’t try this in the first place. $300 later...


after doing all of this, still nothing. Could it be the ignition itself??? I mean, it’s all good in first and second position, the lights and radio come on, but when turned to third, we get nothing...just a little bit of a buzz, which I assume is the fuel pump engaging. Found that no power is getting to the starter to make it want to crank over. And the starter is new. Also I’ve read a lot up on this and didn’t just replace parts to replace them. Just trying to get my car to start.

 

Check the voltage at the starter. It definitely sounds like the solenoid not getting enough juice. My 2nd guess is a relay buzzing.

 

Fuses F13 and F26 in the under-hood fusebox (driver's side) are possibilities (shame on any mechanic who missed those though). Relay R13 (same fusebox) is another good possibility. In each case, you should be able to swap another fuse / relay to see if that's the problem.

I'd love to be able to give you more info, but Volvo's idea of a service manual prevents that from happening... ;-)

 

Unfortunately all the fuses were checked and were all fine. Still won’t start. Can’t afford to have it towed to a shop to spend $190 on a diagnostic. Can’t afford to put much more money into it.😭😭😭

 

Yeah, it’s not getting enough juice, but the problem now is, how to make it get enough juice. All of the wires have been checked and are fine. It’s losing power somewhere from the ignition to the battery, to the starter.

 

Are we talking about the big red wire (the one that supplies the 50 amps to actually turn the starter), or the small "signal" wire that tells the starter to engage?

 

Im not exactly sure. My mechanic said he checked all of the wires when he changed the starter. He thinks it’s something to do with the ignition itself. As in first and second position the lights and radio come on, but in third position, there’s nothing.

 

So last resort is changing the ignition itself.

 

Not sure what "ignition" would be in this case - it would involve potentially a whole host of modules, cables, connectors and components. There's almost certainly a single, probably "simple" problem that's keeping your car from starting. From what I can read between the lines, I'm guessing your mechanic isn't really all that familiar with Volvos, and that could cost you dearly with a problem like this, if he (assuming) just starts shotgunning parts, he could make it worse.

What you need is a mechanic with a detailed wiring diagram for your vehicle, and the ability to read it and understand what he's seeing. It's really "just" a matter of checking a point in the "system", and if it's doing what it should, you start moving forward toward the starter. If it's not, start working backward toward the ignition switch. When you find a component / cable that has the right "input" but the wrong "output", you've found your problem.

 

Hello, Having the EXACT same issue on mine. Did you ever get it fixed? Would really love to hear what the problem was.
Thank you!

 

If you have a helper and voltmeter (or even a test lamp), it's not difficult to trace the problem...

Put the meter on the big red wire on the starter. Have your helper turn the key. If the voltage doesn't stay at the battery voltage, the wiring is good. If the voltage drops, just work your way backward along that line (don't recall everything that's inline with it). When you get to the point where a "device" (connector, link, fuse, etc.) has good voltage on one side and not the other, you've ID'd the problem.

Do the same test with the small red (?) wire on the starter. If the voltage to both wires is good when your helper hits the starter, you have a bad starter (or a frozen engine, but that's another different, sadder thread)...

 

Me too but it seems to just be the battery for me because when I jump the car it starts right away

 

Hi. I got starting problem with my s40 (1.8 1996) and just got it repaired, solution in the end of message.
So, my car didn't start every time I tried, first it worked by trying again. Later problem got worse, and finally I was not able to start it (buzzing noise from engine relay, and starting motors solenoid clicked only sometimes. Tried changing parts, first engine relay (in fuse box under the bonnet, driver side) and then starter motor. Problem didn't go away. Then I tried with multimeter fuse sockets, I removed engine fuse and it only showed about 8 volts (key in II position). My spare part car showed over 10v with old battery.
I changed battery minus cable from my spare part car and brushed cable places in car body and engine body before assembly. It totally worked, car starts well and no buzzing noises or anything anormal. I'm glad to have my old ride working again, and hope others will find help to their problems. At least, try checking your battery minus cable, mine had bad wiring and rust in connections