My 84 turbo sedan won't start...when I turn the key nothing happens, no clicks, nothing. Warning lights, radio, headlights work fine, no dimming. Thought it was the battery, got a new one - car started once, I ran it for a little, shut it off and then it won't start again. Seems like a bad starter or wiring. Can anyone provide a helpful methodology to diagnose the culprit and in the cheapest manner? I'd like to fix it myself. Thanks in advance...

If you have a voltmeter take the blue/yellow wire off the starter and check for voltage when the key is in the start position. If there is power in this wire then it is probably your solenoid. If there is not power it could be your wiring harness (very likely if original) or your ignition switch. A more dangerous way to test the starter is to hook a jumper cable up to the solenoid terminal and touch the other end to the positive terminal on the battery.

Is it charging at all? Are any warning lights on? How much voltage is there across the battery terminals? Is there a short somewhere? Have you tried maybe tapping the starter a bit? The Bentley manual has some good fault tracing info. Off the bat you can eliminate a shift interlock of some sort (no 1984 Volvo had one) and the LH injection fuse (you've got a K-Jet powered brick). What does the underhood wiring look like?

- alex

Wierd - you mean you can start an '84 (w/auto) with the shifter in drive or reverse position? I meant the safety switch. The one which allows you to start the car only when the shifter is in either park or neutral - not the '91+up shift lock.

I've never tried to start an slush-o-matic brick that way. However I know (from experience... *grin*) that there's no clutch/starter interlock on the manual transmission powered bricks. Actually my owner's manual states (so far I've seen it mentioned once in 40 pages) that: "Select position P or N. (Engine cannot be started in any other position.)." Fancy that.

- alex

Actually, a friend had a similar problem - the start inhibitor switch on the shifter (automatic transmission) was out of adjustment. Re-positioning it solved the problem.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but I have to ask - you wouldn't happen to be THE Pete Nice who used to live in Boston would you? If not, I apologize for the mistaken identity, and good luck!

-Simon K

Pete - Hopefully someone with Volvo experience on this will contradict me if this info is not applicable, or if there's a more common fault, but in my experience with VW's, this behavior often happens when the starter has a bad ground strap. A quick way to check this is to run a jumper cable from the - terminal on the battery to the - terminal on the starter if you can get at it, then start the car. Just a thought... others may have better suggestions! Good luck!