Let's start off by saying this is my first post here.. and I don't own a Volvo. My girlfriend owns a 98 V70, and I consider myself to be pretty knowledgable when it comes to troubleshooting cars.

Anyway, I went out this morning to start up the V70 so we could take it to work instead of using my car.. I turn the key, and get no crank. Headlights, dashlights, interior lights, etc. all come on bright as can be. I try cranking again, and all I hear is a short, faint electrical hum or whirring noise, like the sound of the fuel pump I would imagine. The lights briefly dim while I attempt to crank.

To my knowledge this is the first time this has happened. Unfortunately we were pressed for time to get to work, so we took my car and won't have the time until this evening to look at it. But the things that I want to look at when I go home are 1) Battery voltage 2) Battery cable condition 3) Wiring to and from the starter 4) Fusebox 5) Shift lever

Would spark plugs cause the same sort of starting situation, or would it crank but not turn over?

If there is anything else that I missed, feel free to let me know.

Thanks in advance

 

You're on the right track "1) Battery voltage 2) Battery cable condition 3) Wiring to and from the starter 4) Fusebox 5) Shift lever"

But something tells me, it will start when you get home.

 

I am almost positive that it will.. that's the nature of the beast.

I think I will be checking the shifter first though... after mentioning it to the girlfriend, she remembered that the exact same thing had happened before, and moving the shifter around was the solution.

I'll update tonight. Thanks again.

 

Check for power to the small wire at the starter when it won't start.

 

Aren't crank and turn over the same thing? I notice quite a few people saying that and it confuses me every time. When you turn the key and hear the engine turning over and the belts and pulleys are moving that is cranking or turning over. If it's clicking and/or turning over very slow it's the battery is low or a bad connection. The first thing I would try is to jump it.

 

Well it is taken care of; I got home and we immediately tried the shift lever, no luck. Popped the hood, battery read 11.8v. I figured that should be enough to power the starter. After she attempted to start it a couple more times the voltage dropped quickly down to 7v. At that point I decided to jump it. I wiggled the battery terminals around, which were as tight as could be, and then it fired right up after jumping it.

Yeah, I confuse myself with the terms.. Basically I was getting nothing but a pump sound when it wasn't starting. Not even the clicking that I am used to hearing with a dead battery, and then the 11.8v reading pushed me away from trying to jump it... who knows at this point. I do need to clean up the terminals though, they were a little messy.

It fired up again this morning without a problem, so hopefully we're ok now.

Thank you all again.

 

Glad to hear it. I'm usually happy when all I need is a new battery. Just having dirty terminals would be even better.

 

Well its not starting again..

I'm going to jump it again and clean up the terminals tonight. At this point, is it safe to eliminate the starter as the cause?... if it started up after a jump last night, and then again on its own this morning, I would lean more towards the battery.

But I don't get how it held a charge for ~10 hours overnight, but couldn't hold a charge today for 5 hours. The alternator seems ok; after the jump last night, the voltage went up to at least 13v.

 

Sounds like a bad battery.

 

I would just replace the battery.

 

Yeah, that is the next step. I jumped it when we left work, and it drove fine for 45-60 minutes, even turning it off twice before we got home. I cleaned up the terminals and cables, and tightened it all up last night, only to find it dead again this morning.

I hope that's all it will need.

 

This is a cool one and shared (it seems) by many owners.

I have had a similar issue (just posted) but will share the following for what it's worth for those who think the battery may be dead!

Mine had a new battery in when purchased (second hand) and, when I first experienced low voltage, the battery (one of the new sealed types) showed a full red indicator which means (usually) a bad battery. I tried a slow charge and still got the red indicator on the battery and was about to give up when I checked the voltage at a quite healthy 13.8 so I dropped the battery in my mid 60's Massey-Ferguson 65 diesel tractor and it started first time! After a couple of short runs at low revs, lo and behold, the indicator on the battery showed green and healthy! It's been so ever since so don't throw out the battery until you've fully tested it. It just may not be the problem.