'01 V70 XC sometimes will not crank when hot

We just got back from a road trip through New England. The first day
out I parked in front of the motel and went into register and drop off
the bags. When I came out the car would not turn over. The battery was
OK. There was something like a relay or immobilizer that was not
letting the car turn over. There were no messages, no check engine
light, no nothing. When I turned the key something would click like a
relay, but nothing happened. It was the same in P and N. It didn't
matter if the brake pedal was depressed. It didn't matter if the gas
cap was removed. It didn't matter if the steering wheel was moved. It
didn't help to jiggle the keys. Finally when it did start, about 10
minutes later, I had the key turned to the start position and was
holding it there for several seconds. Finally it started cranking and
started immediately.

Here is what I found:

It always turned over and started when we got gas (4 times). I left the
key in the ignition and didn't lock the doors. I would start it
immediately after finishing pumping gas.

If I shut off the ignition and then immediately restarted it, it would
always start immediately.

It usually would restart if was stopped for more than 15 minutes.

It usually would not crank if it was stopped for more than 5 minutes and
less than 15 minutes.

It would always start within 10 minutes of failing to turn over.

One time after stopping for 35 minutes with the doors locked, it would
not restart until 10 minutes after unlocking the doors and fiddling with
it.

Usually if we stopped for more than 15 minutes with the doors locked, we
could count on it to turn over and start immediately.

Sometimes when it would not turn over, it would turn over if I left the
key turned to the start position for several seconds.

I say the battery is good because no lights dim when it fails to turn
over. No relays chatter.

This car has had the software update for the Electronic Throttle Module.

Any ideas?

I have an appointment with my dealer for Oct. 26, but would like an idea
of what to look for. It is also getting the 82,500 mile service.

 

Most likely there is a code set & the technician should be able to read
the code's out & determine what is faulty my 1st guess would be the
antenna ring for the Immobilizer which do go bad but without a code it
is hard to try to pinpoint for you
Glenn

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.

 

I would connect a test light to the solenoid wire on the starter motor
to see if it lit when the car doesn't start. It's not uncommon for
starters to fail this way. I think your problem is probably with the
antenna ring as Glenn says, but this is a cheap ($0) and easy test.
--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Not quite the same car but in a '98 UK V70 fwd Auto with 148k miles on the
clock.

Identical symptoms, apart from the door lock problem was fixed by
installing a new ignition lock barrel.

I was told, by both the recovery driver and the garage that this was not an
uncommon problem with V70's. The recovery driver got it started by hitting
the end of the key (to get the pins in the barrel to drop), but that was
only as an experiment and he wouldn't leave me with a hammer.

Cost 138 ukp for parts + 97.50 ukp for labour + a 3 day wait while they
got a barrel to take my old key.

Richard
Web pages: http://www.caravanningnow.co.uk/ for caravanning,
http://www.rcole.org/ for my personal web site and
http://www.homeindorset.co.uk because I love the email address.

 

It finally would not crank even after waiting 2 hours and after a 45
mile trip to the garage on a roll-back truck. Hopefully the dealer will
have an easy time if it continues to not start. The idea of the starter
solenoid and antenna ring on the immobilizer were at the top of my list
of suggestions, but the service writers are not very much interested in
owner supplied suggestions. It is the main problem with this dealership
and the one I went to previously. Are they all like this?

While we were in Connecticut we stopped at a dealership there and the
service person seemed very knowledgeable and had good ideas but said
they would need the car for an extended period to troubleshoot it.

 

Steve
I've seen several of your emails and saw before that you bring your
Volvo to the dealer in Allentown for service. If you're uncomfortable
with them, suggest you consider coming to Easton (about 20 more miles
further east). I take my '99 V70 to a little independent Volvo shop
here called Diversified Auto Services. Guy seems pretty good. He keeps
some of the more common parts in stock and has some parts cars out
back. I've used him for a mass airflow sensor, radio code, strut
bushing & an A-frame, battery hold down clamp and a couple of odd nuts
and bolts (for MAF sensor & radio codes he used his dealer connections)
.. Dealer I bought it from used also had him change a couple of seatbelt
retractors (that's how I found out about him).
Eric