Clicking sound heard and felt from the solenoid, so presuming it has failed.

Watched a video on replacing it and seems I can do it.

Do I need to get a Volvo part, or will AutoZone brand do?

Thank you. Tom

 

Not much to a starter but you probably want to inspect the power cable and consider replacing that as part of the job if it feels swollen or crunchy in spots (look for bubbles and swelling in the insulation for signs of corrosion within the cable). As to brands, If you have time to shop, check out some of the Volvo and euro friendly online parts stores like FCP Euro, IPD USA etc. to see who's brands they offer as OEM or after market.

 

Thank you, mt, for the parts sources. Was to both and decided to go local - O'Reilly, because of turning back in the core for a refund, not as easily done with an online order. As often happens at age 75, I think of things later. I didn't consider the battery because I just had it tested. So I put our charger on it awhile - the starter worked. So there may now be a power drain, because I had it running a day earlier. Not sure yet if I'll keep the starter And install it or return it. Thank for your corrosion tip - nice thing about a California inland vehicle, corrosion is minimal. Tom

 

If you have a multi-meter you can measure the current draw with all things off. it should be small like 20mA. (dunno the exact spec for your model). If its significantly higher than that you can start pulling fuses and see what circuits impact the result and go from there. It can be something as simple as a glove box light staying on...

 

There's a definite power drain, mt, and it happened at first, over night. Yesterday I had the battery fully charged - as indicated on the charger meter, connected to the engine ground and positive post available in the engine compartment. It started nicely. Today, totally dead. Tomorrow, I'll uncover the battery in the trunk, disconnect the positive, charge the battery and see if it holds.

At age 75, I was hoping to phase out of vehicle mechanics, after doing so all my life. For the past 20 years, I benefitted from the Mercury Villager owners group, to service our two vans. Now down to one, a year ago, I relinquished that to a trusted mechanic. 10 years ago, I learned from the Toyota RV owners group and still service our Sunrader. But now with this Volvo, with no trusted local Volvo mechanic, I'm back mechanicing. Electrical issues have never been easy for me to solve. Tom

 

Also on most cars with a rear battery, there are jumper posts under the hood so you can connect the charger up front without getting into the trunk. If you want to test for a current drain then that's where you'd want to disconnect the cable at the battery to insert you meter - unless you own a fancy induction meter :-) To measure current via a traditional meter, the meter goes in series, ie + battery post to red lead on meter, black lead on meter to the cable. to measure volts, you are in parallel, ie red lead to +, black lead to - terminals (no need to pull cables off.

Note a battery will be about 12.6V at 80% charge so you may want to test voltage before and after doing the chart up.

 

Mt, thanks for your advice. The Interstate battery was bad.

I didn't suspect this, for it was only two years old and a parts store tested it to be good and also the alternator working. After watching YouTube videos on testing the battery, this old man learned new things. The best clue was the volts dropping below 8 when starting, indicating a weak battery. When running after it started after I charged the battery, testing at 14.23, an ideal, indicating the alternator was working at a regulated charging rate. Undisputed evidence - the battery after being fully charged, lost power overnight.

Another YouTube video showed how to test for drain. I pulled the trunk light fuse after putting in the new battery, and was dismayed at first seeing the high drain number - 3 something. Fortunately my wife had come out by this time and noted the interior courtesy lights had come on, unnoticed by me in my trunk viewing position. Waiting for them to dim to off, the number dropped to a .1, what I understand to be an acceptable measure of drain.

My wife's s60, purchased this past December from our Grand Daughter, at a rewarding price because of the attached sentiments, is again "charming". Me, I'm now experiencing no drain! I hope for that to continue when I check the battery in the morning and give it a start.