Went to start the non-turbo 5-speed. At first crank, it fired what seemed like one cylinder, then just kept turning over without firing. On re-crank, it just turns over (continuing no fire). I'm pretty sure it's a no spark due to total lack of firing (sound), no previous symptoms, and the smell of fuel.

I found other threads about the crank sensor. Would failure be sudden & complete like this? Can I use crank sensor from '99 or '00? This '99 has electronic throttle (not cable).

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Sudden. Happened to my daughter a few days ago. Check the part numbers on the parts sites. It seemed that I could use the part from '93 to '98 (all I checked) from the 850's through the 960's and S90.

Same thing happened to my Jeep. All the sudden. Ran all day, then tried to start it to go home at the end of the day and nothing. The good thing about the Volvo is that it did give me a ecu code. The Jeep didn't.

My stealer charges $285 for the part. I got it from a yard for $5 (with an oil dip stick). Most (non-Volvo) yards sell them for $25. Try to get one from a car that you knew was running (accident) or had motor or tranny damage, like a broken timing belt.

 

Thanks rpsi.

I hooked up my reader (w/ Volvo specific features) but got an unable to talk to computer message. My other reader just gave 1003 and 600 codes which are not crank or camshaft sensor codes.

Which leads me to a question I failed to ask in my OP. How are symptoms different for crank vs. camshaft sensors? I have both - working used ones I can swap in, so I'm not really stuck, but I'd like to know.

 

I'm not sure what those codes are. Have you searched them? My guess would be the ignition coil but I don't really know. The reason I went for the cam sensor was it was sudden, I got the code and when I tried to reconnect it, it fell apart in my hand.

 

Not sure if this will help, but I have a 95 850 non turbo.I had the same problem. I researched it and found it was one of three possible problems; 1. crankshaft position sensor 2. camshaft position sensor or 3. the main relay. There are ways to check each of them by checking voltage but I can't explain it. You can find it on here though. I was able to check the main relay by opening the case and visually looking at it when the key is turned. The main relay is located in the front of the car by the cooling fan, it is greenish in color on my 850. I guessed on what to do next, I changed the crankshaft position sensor and that worked. The three parts send a signal to the coil to fire and if they stop working then the coil does not spark. Hope this helps.

 

Camshaft position sensor was the culprit! It does help to know what prevents spark and have spare parts to swap in. It took about an hour because the connector is buried under the intake manifold. After fiddling for a while I removed the throttle body/electronic throttle for the best access. I simply used liquid gasket instead of using the old gasket.
After complete reassembly (and repairing a broken vacuum line), I coaxed it to life again. It took some cranking at WOT because previous cranking left it flooded. I first ran on one cylinder, then onto two....finally all five.
So now it runs and idles like it should!
Thanks for the help!

 

Hurrah! Glad to hear you're back on the road. Where did you get the part from?

 

Thanks! I got the part from a '99 that I'm doing a head gasket on.

I've got a personal warehouse of Volvo parts. I recently picked up a '00 XC w/ a S60 turbo motor in it for parts. The motor will go into a very nice '00 XC with a bad head.