I've been reading through this site for the past week or so, doing searches on starting problems, lawnmower syndrome, cam sensors, etc., and I think I see why I'm having troubles with this car and the problems. Please bear in mind, this car's fairly new to me and I'm not familiar with it, so I may not be doing all the things a seasoned 850 owner would.

Last night I did a few things. The service manager at our Volvo dealership told me about the three "J" relays behind the fuse box, so I rotated them all to see if one was bad and nothing changed. I checked the system relay on the rad support, and it clicks on and off like it should, but I haven't actually checked inside as it's all gooped up.

Then I checked the diagnostic center behind the passenger headlight, and read all the codes. I got 3-1-4, 1-2-2, 4-1-8, and a bunch more. I doubt they've ever been cleared by the P.O., so after recording them all I cleared them, or rather I tried to. B3 would not clear for some reason - I pressed the button for 6-7 seconds and waited for the LED to flash, but it never came. I tried 6 or 7 times. Some of the other codes I recorded I probably put there by screwing around - I set off a check engine light earlier by unplugging the AIC valve with the engine running, but I cleared that with an OBDII reader.

When I cleared A2 (who's only code was 3-1-4), I heard a whirring and then a click from somewhere towards the fuse box from where I was standing (R.F. corner of the car.) Nothing like that happened upon clearing any of the other codes.

After I had cleared all the codes I tried starting it and it fired up first try. I tried it again a couple of times until it again refused to start, and read A2 again - 3-1-4. Cleared it again, whirr-click again, car started right up. Started 4 or 5 times after that, and for the final one I went for a bit of a drive.

This morning it won't start again, and A2 shows 3-1-4. I thought I had 'er licked, so I tried clearing the code... and it won't clear. Press the button for 6-7 seconds and wait for the LED, and nothing happens. Same as B3.

First of all, I'm going to start checking plugs, grounds, and wiring harnesses. I don't want to tear up the harness right from the cam sensor to the ECU, and for that matter the short might be somewhere else seemingly unrelated! In several of the other posts, problems have been described but no follow-ups have been posted to tell others what happened, and the thread is locked so I can't ask that person directly. Please, anyone reading this - if you've got a similar experience, share the result!

And second, what does it mean when you can't clear the code? I assume it means it's a fairly permanent fault, and it's still faulty while you're trying to clear it, so it won't let you.

Thanks everyone so far for your help. There are a few things I'm fairly confident of: it's not Lawnmower Disease; it's not fuel pressure or fuel related; and it's a pain in the butt.