2015.5 V60 T5 - new battery ~ 1 month ago (replaced by dealer to correct start/stop non function) - 3 hour drive on Saturday without incident

Sunday AM - no start, just "click" AAA responded - battery seemed OK - tried "jumping" - nothing but another "click"

??? - bad battery? starter motor? shift lever/brake pedal sensors? ???

Currently awaiting dealer diagnosis (still under "Certified" warranty)

 

Interesting - dealer reports dead starter motor - not a common fault (happened to me once before - in 1954 - Sunbeam Talbot 90 but that car was supplied with a crank!)

 

Mulling it over - I'm wondering if the Start/Stop function might be the culprit.

I bought the car with about 45K miles on the clock. While the first thing I do on start-up is turn that function off, the previous owner might have used it.

My thought: Suppose a "normal" expected life for a starter motor is 500,000 miles - The Start/Stop function could increase the number of actuations by, for example 10X (In the first two miles after leaving home, I encounter 3 stop signs and 3 traffic lights) While the "on the road" actuations are brief in a warmed up car, they still occur with the same initial high current flow in a stopped DC motor. This would suggest a predicted life of 50,000 miles. Perhaps dealers should start stocking the part (mine didn't)

Thoughts?

 

Any update? My car is doing the same thing now. Changed the starter out last night with brand new Volvo part and still the same. I suspect it's something to do with the Start/Stop system. I bench tested the old starter and it does work. I also used a volt meter while trying to start the car and i don't see 12v at the starter motor. It peaks for one second at about 1v.

 

Sounds to me liked something is "locked" - that is the kind of measurement you might expect if the motor was mechanically prevented from turning.

 

Just received a call from the Volvo dealer - car is repaired. It appears that the cause of the problem was starter motor failure and the resultant or concomitant failure of a fusible link in the power cable.

They acknowledged and "have filed" this letter, given to them on Monday:


17 December 2018

To whom it may concern:

The following is an account of events, my understanding of events and actions and my current assessment of the situation regarding attempts to repair my 2015 Volvo V60.

On Saturday, December 1 I drove the car up to a destination in Pennsylvania and back, approximately 1.5 hours each way and stopped for refueling at the end of my return trip. The car functioned normally with no indication of any problems.

On Sunday, December 2 the car would not start. It was not a case of labored or slow starting, pushing the starter simply resulted in a “click”. AAA responded to a call and met with no success.

On Monday, December 3 the car was towed to Bill Kidd’s Volvo service prior to their opening. Later that day I was informed that the starter motor had failed and needed to be replaced

A replacement starter motor was received late on Wednesday, December 5.

On Friday, December 7 I was informed that replacing the starter motor had not resolved the problem and it appeared that a malfunction in an oil cooler led to mixing of coolant with the lubricating oil resulting in difficulty in turning over the engine. Replacement parts have been ordered.

Over the next several days of the following week I was repeatedly assured that, despite the contamination of the lubricant with coolant, no apparent damage had been done to the engine and “everything would be “set right”. The replacement parts shipment was received but one part was missing.

On Friday, December 14 I was informed that the car was not yet repaired and an additional part, a cable/fuse assembly was required.

This is my assessment of the current situation:

It would appear that, at the current time, the root cause of the malfunction is still unknown. Furthermore, although there is no evidence of catastrophic failure, the contamination of the lubricant with the antifreeze/water coolant mix, generally considered a “bad thing” may certainly have led to some compromise of the lubricated surfaces in the motor, main and rod bearings, camshaft bearings, cylinder walls and, in particular an especially vulnerable component of this engine, the turbocharger bearings. Given this, the future reliability of the engine, in terms both of potential accelerated wear and untimely failure is an unknown. This risk will extend beyond the current warranty. Accelerated wear is a financial risk but the possibility of an unexpected catastrophic failure, particularly at highway speeds, represents not only a significant inconvenience but, depending on the circumstances, a substantial personal risk.

For this reason, it is my belief that the only satisfactory remedy under warranty for this failure is the installation of a new engine. (An alternative but, unlikely, scenario would be the replacement of this car on very, very favorable terms)

I am available to discuss this matter at your convenience.

Very truly yours


They continue to insist that there is no (evident) damage to the engine and consider the repair complete. They do not dispute the potential consequences/hazards noted in the letter but are unwilling to address them. This tells me all I need to know about Volvo. The car is my 5th - and last - Volvo.

 

Like the problem reported below, a replacement cable restored the start function but, without a sensible reason for the failure, I now, unfortunately, have a car whose reliability is in question - a pity because I've owned it for less than a year and really enjoy the car.