My 850 wagon recently had the starter motor replaced. And when I went to pick it up, it wouldn't start (starter motor turned over fine, and battery was strong). I checked at the coil, and it had no spark. When the car has had a chance to warm up, (sitting in the sun, or brought inside), it will start. When it does start, it runs well. It has been seasonably cold recently, 20s-30s.

My garage sent me to a Volvo dealer. The dealer mechanic claims he checked the crank sensor, the cam sensor, the fuel pump relay, replaced the cap, rotor, and ignition wire (from cap to coil). Pulled the starter motor and checked the fly wheel, and said it was okay. After more than a week, he experienced the same cold-no start, warm-start situation. After doing some wiring repairs, and still having problems, he now thinks it's the air mass meter. He tested this by disconnecting the AMM; and claims that it starts well without it.

My thinking is that the AMM wouldn't cause a no spark condition. Therefore, it seems odd that 3 things would go wrong simultaneously, the starter motor, a no spark condition, and the AMM.

Since the no-start problem was originally a no spark condition, I have my doubts about the AMM. I told them to try starting it without the AMM the next cold morning.

1. Can a faulty AMM cause a no spark condition?

2. Is the cam sensor necessary for running, or just starting?

3. My best guess is that the cam sensor has a bad connection caused by cold temperatures, this would explain why it runs fine once it's started, and starts only when relatively warm. Is this a likely cause?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.