I bought that 1967 144S and have been going through things with it within the last week since it has been sitting for 20+ years at the previous owners garage. It does turn over easily by hand with a 13/16" wrench at the crank but doesn't even click when you engage the key. The oil/amp idiot lights dim slightly when you engage the key but that's it. not a peep.
The battery is fully charged cleaned all the connections for battery and grounds. Tried rapping on the starter solenoid....nothing.
This has the BW35 automatic trans.so it could it be the neutral safety switch? or Could it be that ignition switch behind the key that has all the wires going to it ? For some there is a loose green wire there with no spade connector to go to near the ignition switch Strange ! Electrical problems are always soooo fun !

Hi Duck,

After making sure the solenoid connection is clean and tight, It believe you can by-pass both the ignition switch and NSS by running a small jumper from the solenoid terminal to the battery +. It should crank the engine with or without the key on.

If not, I think I would pull the starter and bench test it.

Peter

Correct. Applying + 12 v to the solenoid terminal should cause the starter motor to engage and crank.

First thing to do is measure the voltage of the battery when you attempt to start the motor with the ignition switch or turn on the headlights. If the voltage at the battery terminal drops below 10 volts your battery is likely shot (high internal resistance).

Assuming the battery tests out fine then:

If the starter motor cranks using the 'hot wire' test, then the first place I would look would be the ignition switch. This is supported by the fact that you report that the dash lights are dim indicating a poor electrical connection. Replacement 140 ignition switches are out of production; but, you may be able to rehabilitate the existing switch by removing the back cover, cleaning the contacts and applying something like Deoxit to the contacts.

If the starter motor does not crank, make absolutely sure that the motor chassis ground strap is in good condition (it should be down in the starter area; but, not connected to the starter) and that the battery ground and Pos cables are good. If the connections are all good, then its time to check out your starter motor.

Those are just a couple of suggestions. There are a whole bunch of things that could cause your symptoms including your neutral safety switch. Getting a Haynes service manual with a wiring diagram for your car should be high on your priority list. You are likely going to need it for a car that has been immobile for 20 years.

Yeah, I went over all the grounds last week at the body from the battery and also the at the BW35. I believe it is at the ignition switch itself as you suggested.
There is a loose green wire that comes off the starter wire harness and also a green loose wire behind the ignition switch were the directional stalk is located.
I did have the car running a little bit today by using trusty Cal-Van remote starter switch

So tomorrow I will try to figure out this wiring mess the previous owner left me.
I needed to change out the distributor today also since there was "no spark"...so I got a lot of things to diagnose .
Where is that neutral safety switch located anyhow ? I have always have had 4-speeds not automatics.

The safety switch is screwed into the side of the gearbox. It will probably have 4 wires on it. It also switches the reversing lights. Straight terminals 1&3 for the inhibitor circuit and slanted terminals 2&4 for reverse switch.

Thanks Derek. I believe that's on the drivers side and it had lots of oil on the wiring....maybe that's the problem.
Duck

The dilemma has been solved !! I recalled the wiring to me starter on a old 164E that had a while back. It had 2 spade connectors with a blue and green wire to single pigtail spade at the starter. Well, somebody folded back the green wire to that starter so the blue was the only one connected. And also like I mentioned before there was green loose behind the ignition switch connection within the steering wheel column. But they had the green wires there ass-backwards so when you shut off the key it was actually trying to start then.
Weird scenario but I got it with a little Yankee ingenuity.
Went over all the valve clearances installed a different JFUR4 distributor from me collection of parts, checked compression average 145# and put on a set of SU HS6 carbs . that i had on the shelf. Got it running with gas coming from a yogurt container since the gas tank is shot and so is the 5/16" gas line all the way back to the tank. The B18 is still alive & well !! After sitting 25 years.

Now all I need is a plastic reservoir for my new Centric 13039002 master cylinder. This has the 3 3/8" center to center bolt distance. The original Girling master has 2 separate plastic containers and it doesn't appear that they will work on the Centric master. In fact that new Centric master doesn't even come with the rubber grommets . The O.E. Volvo master cylinder part is 1212406

Well done. The first year, one year only with B18, 140's are pretty rare now. Can't be many left World wide.

In the US the B18 was still the motor in the 140 series--with a pair of HS6 SU's, `10:1 compression, 115hp from the 108 cu.in. I purchased a '68 in '78, drove it 10 years till it got rear ended -- replaced it with a '69 w/B20 in '89 and still have it on the road - with nearly 40 Time Trial track days to its credit. - Dave

Yes, the success of the 140 in the USA was the main reason Volvo decided to stop importing the Amazon with the change to B20. A friend of mine found a 1967 142 here in the UK. The 2 doors are rare in the UK. Same with the 242. I don't even know if they made RHD versions of those. I've not seen one. It needed lots of love and engine work. We swapped in a 123GT engine into it from a rusted out Amazon. Basically the same engine. It went well.

did you clean both ground cables ? the one from the frame to the motor also.