Hello Volvo Enthusiasts,
Recently I have gone on two long trips, one roundtrip from NYC to Buffalo and the other roundtrip from NYC to Kentucky. After both journeys, my 1994 Volvo 960 continued to start and drive well for about three days. But on the third day the car won't turn over. It sounds like it is on the absolute verge of starting properly and in fact we got it started and running for about 4 seconds yesterday after I pushed up and down on the rear fender and my girlfriend pounded down by the relay box.

The first time the engine failed to turn over we took the car to an unknown local mechanic who told us the timing belt and water pump needed to be replaced. We had the work done and the car worked alright. Even before our car began giving us trouble this time, we knew he had scammed us since our mechanic who is too far for towing eventually inspected the old parts and was 95% sure the timing belt and pump were fine.

This time we decided to look online for diagnosis tips etc. and we found the brickboard. Many posts have mentioned the Fuel Pump relay and the Radio Suppression relay. Does this seem like a possible cause? How could the two long trips relate to the problem? Does the fact that we started the car for about 4 seconds eliminate any possibilities?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. So far this site has been terrific in leading us towards fixing this problem ourselves. Thanks in advance.

Best,

Jesse Dillon
1994 Volvo 960

Do you know who Rumpole is?
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Warren Bain - '86 744Ti M46 >290Kmi, '99 V70Glt > 45K mi, '96 965 >100Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

This really sounds like a poor grounding point in the crank/start circuit. Measure the voltage drop on both positive and negative between the battery and the starter and relays.

If greater than 100mv voltage drop is observed anywhere in the circuit, you have a problem.

These cars are notorius for degraded ground paths and rotted wiring harnesses. there is a tremendous amount of information available in the archives and the FAQ. I encourage you to read up. Intermittent electrical complaints are a nightmare to most technicians. Some will even bullshit you if they can't grasp the problem or know how to conduct logical fault tracing.

You will need a DVOM (digital volt ohm meter). A very common tool. If you don't already have one, they can be had for ~$20.

Keep us posted.

... Intermittent electrical complaints are a nightmare to most technicians. Some will even bullshit you if they can't grasp the problem or know how to conduct logical fault tracing.

Yep, like changing the timing belt in Portia's case! That'll keept it from dying on you.
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John Shatzer, '92 965 @100K; one of a few still in captivity.

heh heh hehe.. yep, I noticed. Didn't want to rub salt in the wound tho. Best to leave that to others.

Got this from the FAQ, check Coil Pack Connectors part;

960 Engine Stalls and Won’t Restart: Wiring Harness. These brief notes are in honor of Tom Irwin, who has suffered more grief from the engine wiring harnesses and connectors on his 1995 960 than any one person should bear! All of us 940 owners salute you, Tom, for extraordinary patience and hard diagnostic work, much done late at night. [Query from Tom Irwin:] I stranded in 100 degree heat. Got the car 4 blocks to home (thanks Triple A). Ran the codes and came up with DTC's 113 and 115. This points to Injector groups 1 and 2. Twice before, only 113 came up. I've done everything I reasonably can. Checking all connections and ohm specs. I greased the 55pin connector at the ECM. [Responses: Abe Crombie, Tom Irwin, Rafael Riverol]
Wiring Bundle Chaffing at Manifold: Check the wiring harness on engine where it comes up through intake between the # 4 and 5 intake runners. It may have rubbed through and grounded to engine. About a .750"d loom. I had just enough clearance to sneak in a bentnose plier and move it around. The loom cracked away like egg shells. I could not see the rub point on the wires, but right at the head casting extrusion was a bright, shiny, rub spot. I pulled the loom/harness away from the head. And BOOM! Christine sprang to life. This makes total sense. It has always died upon acceleration. The torsional moment of the engine would tend to bite into anything against it. I lost only group one the first time because only one wire was worn through. With time, two wires, thus both groups lost.

Tie Points: This is where all 6 GRN/RED wires join together. It occurs once up on top of the engine and again down the side of the block, under the intake manifold. Both can rot. Both can cause ghost problems in the EFI and ignition. The secondary tie point is buried inder the intake manifold. Must remove for access. The wires were stripped, twisted, crimped and ultrasonically welded. The welds APPEAR to be solid, but microscopic corrosion occurs between the individual wire strands, you know, where the SHOULD BE solder. No easy fix. I literally cut out the whole joint, re-stripped the wires clean. Braided the wires in between with copper rope, twisted tight into a mass. Then I silver soldered the living hell out of it! Heated it thoroughly and just flowed a couple ounces of high grade solder into the joint. I wrapped it in that stretchy, silicone, self-fusing stuff used on Hi -voltage wires, then tape and loom.

Motor Mount Ground Point: While you are down there do NOT miss the chance to clean and tighten the left motor mount ground point, that nasty little ring terminal that bolts on the lower left motor mount. This is ANOTHER source of impossible electrical problems.

Coil Pack Connectors: [Tip from Rafael Riverol] If you have a 960, I please take off the plastic cover atop the engine that reads "24 valves" and examine the female connectors at each of the six coils. I suspect you will likely find crumbling insulation, brittle barrels and poor connections. I can tell you these can fail you anytime. You will also likely find crumbling wire sleeves that will allow wire chaffing againt the engine head. Parts Source: [John Randstrom] Borton Volvo gave me this part #3523813(List $6.10ea, net $2.76) as the replacement ignition coil female terminals for my '93 960. These have the rubber isolators on them. Experience with Radio Shack and other sources is not good: the female connectors de-tension and fail to maintain contact.

Cam Carrier Ground Leads: De-ox and dress the two ground leads atop the cam carrier edge. Both, if corroded or broken, will kill an EFI system right quick. I cut mine off and soldered in some solid copper lugs.

MORAL: If you own a 960, watch your engine wiring harness, connectors, leads and all other electrical components very carefully. If you suffer from unexplained driveability problems, start with a careful check of every bit of harness and every connector near the engine. If the wiring is failing, you may want to consider a new engine harness.
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1996 964 125,240

Ug, can't spell today.

The fuel pump and radio supression relays are for the 700 and 940's. You won't have a problems with the 960. How old is the battery? Is it the original? Maybe it's time for a replacement. You could go to seats for a charging system check, where they load the alternator and the battery to see if they are functioning properly.

My wife called me this morning to tell me she had trouble starting out 960. The radio now displays CODE. I'll clean the battery, make sure it's full of water. If starting problems persist, I'll get a new battery.

5 years is about the max for batteries.
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Warren Bain - '86 744Ti M46 >290Kmi, '99 V70Glt > 45K mi, '96 965 >100Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.

Try the Optima or Orbital batteries. They are ideal for that car.


Out here in the brutal heat, my batteries are retired at 3 years. No exceptions.

Mine is at just over the 5 year mark. Advance Auto has the Orbital... I've been intrigued with them ever since we had a thread about these.
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John Shatzer, '92 965 @100K; one of a few still in captivity.

With this battery, I can guarantee you it will outlast the car. HA!

Seriously, I salvaged the Orbital from my 960 before I let it go. It now is the energy core for a wheeled Ground Power Unit that can jump start a dead car or power several floodlights for 6 hours. All this without an electrical outlet for miles. A 10 amp charger and thermal circuit breaker are built in.

The cart and wheeled chassis were salvged from a professional charger system. It died so I gutted it and built this GPU. Then I blew isocyanate doped polyurethane into the cavity until it formed a rigid mass. So this machine can be thrown in a trunk, dropped or whatever and still provide 1,100 amps on demand.

Quite a haul in the name of recycling huh?

Cool...you mean I can finally enter the Baja motorcrossing with a full bank of Hella lights across the roof and bumper? ...and some to spare for illuminating where I've been?

"With this battery, I can guarantee you it will outlast the car."

...er, would ya' mind writting this down on a handy napkin?
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John Shatzer, '92 965 @100K; one of a few still in captivity.

Pretty darned good. One of my neighbors just moved to Detroit. He left a bettery for the trash men. They wouldn't take it. So I checked it out. A marine deep charge battery. Even if it's boarderline, it sould be good for some emergency power around the house.
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Warren Bain - '86 744Ti M46 >290Kmi, '99 V70Glt > 45K mi, '96 965 >100Kmi Wifemobile near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu.