'04 XC70 - Won't start then...

[ibulib]

I've been a regular on this site since '04 but have never found a reason to create an account until today :o

My wife and I purchased an '04 XC70 in 2003. As of today it has close to 80k miles and we've loved every mile. We've had several minor issues but it's never left us stranded. Last week, my wife went for a latte run and to her surprise it did not start. When I got home, I assumed the battery was bad since we haven't replaced it yet. Attempting to troubleshooting the issue, I replaced the battery but it still wouldn't start.

I've spent numerous hours researching this issue. I gave up today and decided to have our beloved Volvo sent to the dealership for repairs. Well, a funny thing happened before the flatbed trailer showed -- it started :eek:

Has anyone experienced this issue with their XC70? Driving it now is like playing a game of Russian Roulette -- we have no idea when it will die on us again.

Thanks in advance!

[dpaton]

Wouldn't turn over or wouldn't start?

Did the starter make a "click" but nothing else?


Disclaimer - I have not been inside of my Volvo starter - but I'm sure other's here have. There is usually a starter relay and solenoid to kick the starter into the ring gear then an armature within the motor to turn that gear.


If no click:
Then it's likely the key fob battery, immobilizer, ignition switch, starter relay or the solenoid.

If it made a click:
And it wouldn't turn over but did on another try there are usually brushes in a starter that can stick as they wear down and then cannot touch the commutator to make it turn. Look to Vadis for the exploded pictures.
Or you may have a dead (shorted) pair on the commutator that may be easy to identify (with an ohm meter). Sometimes the brush material bridges can be scraped away.

[Maineman]

We just had this issue with my wife's 02. Turned out to be a defective fuel pump covered under warranty. Seems that the intermittent starting issue with some of these pumps is a common problem. It took awhile to find the root cause of the intermittent starting issue but since it has been replaced, we have had no issue.