Hi everyone, I have an ongoing issue.. Not so much a problem but definitely something strange..

A few months ago, I realised that I was having to crank the engine for almost twice as long as I remembered to get it fired up, particularly when it was cold on a morning.. First thought, test the starter and battery.. Went to 2 local auto parts places and the battery and starter came back with good results..

Then tried to test the alternator, but no matter how they tried they said that the machine was picking up electrical "noise" in my system , therefore wouldnt initiate the test.. ie. something was drawing power or they were getting inteference
ie. with everything off, something was draining power...
I trust the guy doing the tests as hes my old neighbor and he knows his sh*t (and doesnt work on commission)...

So, June 2010 I go out of town for 2 months and it appears that the people who I left my car with didn't start it often enough... Come back to a completely dead battery.. We jump it and I get it home, but is unable to start the car...
I jump again and drive to the parts place, battery tests as dead needing to be changed (funny since it was fine 3 months before)...

Fair enough, I had that battery about 4 yrs so it was probably due anyway.. So I buy a new AutoCraft Gold battery for about $135 after discount.... Car fires as it should etc, tests fine..

Strange part is this, the having to keep the key turned in the ignition hasnt really changed at all.. It still takes about 3 seconds of tumbling to get it fired up, during which time the engine sounds definitely anaemic, almost like if you were trying to crank without enough voltage.. In addition to this, sometimes the tach jumps up to 4000rpm and then drops back during the cranking...

So.. December 2010 now, I leave the car for about 1 month, the people I left it with told me they tried starting it once a week, and by the second week it didn't have enough juice to start.. By time I get back 2 weeks later, it didn't even have enough power to use power locks etc, I had to get it jumped again... Since then however the battery hasn't gone flat (1 month or so later) but I still have to tumble for the 3 or so seconds to get it started..

How can I have a supposedly good starter, supposedly good battery, presumably working alternator and still have this strange behavior?

Sorry for the super long post but I just worry that one day Im going to try starting and its going to decide not to let me....

Thanks

 

You probably need to shield and or re-route the main red cable the goes to the starter from the terminal under the hood. The EMF from the cable causes the tacho to jump while cranking. I re-routed mine and went from multiple cranks to get it going, to a moneyshot everytime in -17f

 

That theory makes sense, but considering that the red cable hasnt moved and that nothing really changed around it, why would I develop a problem that I didnt have say a year ago, 2 yrs ago etc..

 

I don't have an answer for you. All I can say is that its a known issue with them and there was a recall on it. Sometimes the S80 doesnt respond to reason LOL.

 

Any more info on the recall? I don't think I saw anything posted about it on the 2002 model like mine..
Only that possible fuel pump issue recall

 

I couldn't find it either for an '02. To be honest, I'd do it anyway because the symptoms are so specific, especially regarding the jumping of the tacho while cranking.

 

Are you saying to replace the red wire from the starter back to the battery in the trunk?

 

Nicolesias; my car did something similar this week, and then on friday my ETM went, jsut watch out. BTW you want your Fuel Filter back ? lol wish my life was that funny

 

Well.... this thing has been happening for some time now.. I'd say maybe even a year and no sign of ETM trouble thankfully..
Concerning fuel filter, it cant fit my particular model anyway so its of no use to me.. If you havent used it yet, you might eventually! Its Bosch too, good stuff..

Anyway, im still wondering about the supposed electrical noise that prevented them testing my alternator..

 

The wire coming out of the starter is probably bad/loose, battery may be bad. Mine did this and then I just punched the crap out of the starter and furiously giggled the wire. No problems since.

 

I'm talking about shielding and re-routing the red cable that goes to the starter from the red + terminal under the hood. I thought I took a pic of the new routing of mine, but I can find it. Basically I pulled it off the starter, cleaned the contacts, wrapped the cable in aluminum tape and then I re-routed it around the outside of the PCV pipes on the R/H side of the motor. Did the trick and resolved the same problem for me that I had had for about a year. (Hard starting and tacho jumping while cranking)

 

well, the s80 is at it again...

I left the car unstarted for 10 days and now it has a completely dead battery..
I have had the battery itself tested so I know that it works fine and holds charge..
Clearly, something on this vehicle is draining power even when it is off.. I can confirm that no lights were left on and that nothing was left running...

I have had problems with my alarm siren module for the past year or so, but recently if you listen carefully, I can hear the alarm siren going off very quietly even while driving..
I haven't been able to figure out the randomness of this occurence yet, but maybe its possible that it tripped off itself while I had the car parked and managed to drain the battery?

Can this all be connected to the hard start issue? Ie. when I am away from the car something is draining the battery either partially or fully, making it harder to start the vehicle?

 

Just to confirm, sometimes i unlock my car using the remote as usual, but after I start the car I can hear the alarm siren going off vary faintly.. Usually for a few minutes..

I suspect that if this happens often, its contributing to draining my battery which may explain the hard starts i'm experiencing maybe?

I could do with some more help or advice though, so bump

 

One way to find the short is to disconnect the negative lead from the battery and put a 12V test light in between the cable and the terminal and pull fuses individually until the light goes out, then you will know what circuit your draw is on. Just make sure to pull the trunk light out because that will be drawing power and make sure all else is off and closed.

 

It sounds like it could be alarm siren related. There is not much that stays on other then that. Next time you drive it shut it down but do not lock it with the fob or anything for that matter. Just close the door. Don't set the alarm. See if it drains with in a couple of hours.

The siren is buried in the front passenger fender (if its the same as a 2000). You need to remove the wheel well plastic mud guard to get at it.

There is also a remote possibility you have a malfunction in the cooling system. Is the engine fan staying on or going on? Volvo also has a feature which turns on the interior fan to circulate air on very hot days, is it goiing on? Yu would hear both.

Jim

 

First thing I thought of was the cooling fan actually but I have never come back to the car and found it on for longer than the normal few minutes.. So I discounted that option..

The main suspect now I think has to be that damned alarm siren module.. I really need to change it but most places besides the dealer seem skeptical to take on the job...

As soon as exams are done and I have time, I will try the pulling fuse method.. Sounds tedious but effective

 

Sounds like it maybe something with you alarm. If it is alerting while the car is parked and no one can hear it, it could drain the battery if it goes off several times because the alarm also make the lights flash.

The alarm should have a warning light. When the alarm is set, the light stays solid for about 30 seconds then flashes. If the alarm is triggered and resets itself, it will stay solid. Lock the car and when you check it the next day see if the light is solid. If it is, figure out what is tripping your alarm. Also, get your alarm horn fixed.

That would be a strange problem if it sounds the alarm while your driving. The alarm usually shuts the car off.

 

URGENT HELP NEEDED!

So, for the past 3 days its been getting harder and harder to crank up the car.. Had to hold the key in the start position for about 4 or 5 seconds to get it going...

Anyway, so this evening I decide to take the car to advance auto (who i bought my battery from) to test it.. The battery charge came back a little low at 710CCA instead of the 770 it should have shown. Alternator and started both tested out as good...
My next stop was the tool store about 2 miles away.. Car took about 6 seconds on tumble to start up...

After buying a new multimeter for the purpose of testing out the fuses to see what was the culprit, I just couldnt get the car to start.. At first it sounded like a very feeble attempt to crank, but after that I ended up simply getting the "click" noise when you turned the key..
I tried jumping the car from 2 different people and neither jump got it to start.. On the flipside however, the lights still seem very strong for what I was thinking was a dead battery..

THEN.. I saw a message come up on the screen along with the usual "alarm system service needed" ... But for the first time I got "Immobilizer , see manual"
I then check out the manual to see if it sheds any light on what the hell is going on, but nothing useful in there (of course)..
I take the key out and try again a few times but only sometimes does it throw the code about the immobilizer. On the other hand, sometimes I could actually hear my siren going off very faintly while trying to start..

Anyway, I tried pulling fuses, leaving the battery disconnected for a bit etc to no avail.. Just get "click" when I turn the key in the ignition..
Eventually got tired of trying and had the car towed home courtesy AAA...

Tomorrow the quest continues..

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So, what should I be looking at? Presumably the alarm siren needs to change regardless, but that doesnt explain why I cant start the car..

HELP


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Update, later on tonight I decided to go down to the car and disconnect the negative lead on the battery.. If something is draining it I definitely dont need to lose any more current. Also, im hoping if there are any electrical issues at play it can reset it...

 

All kinds of codes will come up one the battery is drained. I know this from experience. My car sat for months. The starter clicked, about every code you can think of popped up. The various functions require a certain voltage to operate, without that it throws codes.

By the sound of it its probably the battery or starter. If you have a full charged battery and its hard to start I would say its the starter. You really need to eliminate the battery as being the problem. On the other hand a bad starter will rapidly drain the battery.

The fact that it was hard to start when you boosted it tells me its likely the starter.

Jim

 

Thanks Jim, I have the battery charging at advance right now.. I will give that a try and see how it goes.. Hopefully I can get the car fired up..

What puzzles me though is that even when it was giving trouble to start and I had to tumble 4 or 5 seconds, it still came back good on the advance auto starter test..

So, im going to start with battery and then consider starter.. I am definitely changing the alarm siren module though, I cant risk it constantly draining the battery.. I ordered a used one with a lifetime warranty for $75 today