Hi old chaps,

I have a few questions about my 1999 S70 (Bessie is her name since she's kind of like an old cow at this point, 221k miles).

1. The car starts and immediately stalls. I heard this is an immobilizer/antenna issue but I don't know which it would be. Would replacing the antenna require some sort of programming? What about the immobilizer?

2. I think I have a coolant leak somewhere because my reservoir tank keeps emptying. Could this be one of the hoses?

3. My radiator splash guard just fell off. Do I necessarily NEED to replace it? For being a big piece of plastic it's kind of expensive. The radiator cap wasn't damaged in the process.

4. When I left for ten days, my battery died and the car wouldn't start. Three unsuccessful jumps led to me eventually saying screw it and plugging the negative end directly onto the dead battery negative clamp instead of onto the frame to ground it. It was my last resort before towing. This is the only thing that would give the battery a charge. Is it that my battery sucks or that my jumper cables suck?

5. The battery's negative clamp has a screw that's corroded so badly that no matter what I do I can't actually remove it. Any tips on how to remove this screw without damaging the clamp?

Thank you everyone.. I'm glad this is my first car because I've learned how to fix things on my own instead of always taking it to a mechanic because they're expensive!!

 

2) Cooling is a closed system. Do you see a leaking hose? If not, look at the oil and see if the oil is milky. If it is, the head gasket is bad or head or block is cracked. That is bad. If not, check for coolant inside the car. The heater core is under and behind the radio. Sometimes thye leak shows up in the winter because the heat is on and there is more flow. The core seems to be susceptible to leaking. I have this issue ging on. Its 5 degrees outside so its going to go on for a while longer until it warms up a bit. Antifreeze is cheap enough to wait. Just keep an eye on the level.

3) I thought relays hung from that?

4 and 5) Sounds like a battery cable issue. The chassis is where the battery grounds too which is why you can connect to the chassis without touching the battery. Sounds like the negative cable is corroded - the rust thing you mentioned. Clean that up and problem should go away. The reason you are not supposed to jump to the battery is to avoid an explosion. If the clampo screw is that bad you can get a new clamp from a parts house and install that.

 

1. I really do not know, Google may be your friend.

2. Likely a heater core leak or the seals at the bottom of the core. It usually leaks under the carpet near the gas pedal.

3. If you are talking about the panel under the car, no big deal.

4. Take the battery to an auto parts store for a free charge. If it is bad, they will let you know.

5. If you can, replace the end or the cable.

 

 

Thanks guys! I actually did replace the heater core last winter. One thing I forgot was the foam strip that goes around the core itself. Could it be that coolant is leaking out of the sides? When I pull back the carpet I'm not seeing any dripping and the cabin doesn't smell like coolant. I'll turn the car on and see if any of the hoses are leaking.

Re: the immobilizer/antenna, I did try Googling and wasn't able to find a definitive answer. I had been told before by a mechanic that one or the other was going bad, but they said it was too expensive of a part to replace. That doesn't seem like it's accurate, but for some reason I'm having a hard time finding info on it.

 

As a piece of advice...

Provide as much information you can when posting. If you have different topics seperate them in threads. Example: My breakes are squealing, the engine is overheating and the radio doesn't work; should be 3 sepatate threads. It helps separate the content.

So with all that said.....

The immobilizer is really designed more to prevent the car from turning over, but not necessarily and i don't know how the Volvo immobilizer is designed. I know some cars can turn over and not start; My Lexus is like that. If I use the glove box key it will not start but it will turn over. However, if it turns over and starts but stalls it could be a host of problems. Does it start and run for a few seocnds and stall? Does is run for a few minutes stall? Does it idle fine but the second you touch the gas pedal it stalls? It's possible it has some messed up electrical connection that is causing that to happen.

Regarding the heater core. The only fluid leak will come from the core body or the connections (as RSPI referenced). The foam is to 1) prevent the core from touching the sides and 2) separate the cold air side from the hot air side so you have efficient heating of the air. It may have been banging around in there and now leak. I personally have had an o-ring break on a coolant pipe (different car) and leak after a period of time. It happened when the temperature got really cold one night and in the morning I had a drip on the driveway which got ugly quickly.

I think if you fix the battery cable the electrical problem will go away. But RSPI's advice to have the battery tested is good. They load test and recharge the battery for free. All you have to do is drop it off (Make sure you have the radio code). I swore up and down it was the battery, when I had an issue, and after testing it was found to be fine. The alternator clutch was slipping which prevented the car from charging.

 

It's a start followed by an immediate stall. The RPM goes up over 2k then drops down to 0 and the up arrow turns on on the dash. If I restart it from position 2 the RPM goes up over 2k then drops to about 300, it almost stalls, but it rebounds. If I turn the car completely off then restart, the RPM doesn't drop to 300. This is consistently reproduced.

Could be a fuel pressure problem? I replaced the fuel pump relay but it seems now that this may not have been the issue.

 

I would read for codes. These cars like showing you codes.

As for loosing coolant, if it's not the heater core, then you likely have a radiator or hose leak. You may have to add some leak detector to the system and get a black light. These radiators usually last about 12 years so, it could be the radiator or a hose connection. The crazy thing that I recently learned is that hot coolant dries real fast. So it could be hard to find.

As for the core, you might want to pull it out and install the foam. It will prevent air from getting around the core and prevent the core from chafing the casing which may cause wear failure.

And I totally agree on making a different thread for different problems. I see it all the time, 5 problems listed, 3 problems addressed.

 

Are you in an area where it's very cold right now and is this a new problem?

The fact that it starts, jumps to 2K and stalls, then a repeat makes it behave similar but it stays running is making me think you have a fuel delivery issue. If you are in a very cold area the fuel may be thick/slushy. try some dry gas in the tank. I think your MAF may need cleaning as well, but I don't think that is what is causing the problem. I think the MAF causes it to hunt when it gets dirty.