Volvo 480 Club Europe

jamescarruthers wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:20 pm

I don’t really know but based on it being an automatic you have an extra “start inhibitor” which stops you starting the car in anything but Park or Neutral. If you are in these positions, try wiggling the gear selector around a bit while keeping the key turned to the start position. This would prove of the inhibitor switch needs adjusted a bit.

dcwalker wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 09, 2022 4:23 pm

I may be wrong, but my initial thought is that the alarm is a red herring. There is no immobiliser on these cars, just an alarm, so no reason why the alarm being on should actually stop it starting.

I discovered long ago that if you have unlocked just the passenger door, or opened on central locking, then removed the battery and then locked or unlocked doors individually it can confuse the CEM. Often you need to lock and unlock on the central locking to allow the 2 doors to get back into proper coordination, and sometimes they don't and the alarm goes off.

Switching the alarm off by "unlocking" the door works on the micro-switch, hence it can control the alarm even though from a mechanical perspective the door is unlocked.

I chased a similar problem of random non-starting in the previous 440. I changed starter-motor, battery leads, ignition pack...all to no avail.

I would suggest first checking that the battery is holding sufficient voltage to actually start the car. Also are the connections to it sound? And are the other earth strap connections (inner wing and gearbox) sound?

If all ok there, then check the two relays under the dashboard on drivers side - one on a white base, one on a black. One is the main ignition system relay, the other is the fuel pump relay. If they are loose or failing you can get this problem. When you turn to ignition position II but the car doesn't start, can you hear the fuel pump buzz? You will find a couple of identical relays in the relay box that serve other functions - you can "borrow" these to use as test alternatives if you don't have any spares.

Another weak spot is the connection to the back of the ignition switch. Does wiggling the ignition key about a bit make a difference? If you remove the cowling, you'll find a black multi-plug on the white plastic end of the ignition barrel. Usually held firm by a cable tie (!!). Check it isn't loose; cut the cable tie, remove and clean the connections, and replace (complete with new ties to ensure it is firmly home).

James's suggestion about the start inhibitor is also a good one; wiggling the gear stick ought to show if this is the problem - also worth seeing if the starting problem occurs only in P, or in N, or both.

Let us know how you get on and we can go from there...

Good luck!

David

2660 wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 15, 2022 11:31 am

David / James
It looks like it's the auto box start inhibitor after all. It didn't solve the issue initially but I found that deoressing the button in the handle did enable the car to start. (Un)fortunately it hasn't failed to start since then so not be able to prove it by repeating the process! AS it happens the car was serviced in Nottingham and there were a couple of advisories on the last MOT; so I've visited the garage (independent Volvo specialist) and booked it in for the advisories and asked them to check / adjust the start inhibitor on the box. I'm gathering a list of job that will need to be done over the summer, from a new window regulator (supplied with the car) for the passenger door to info centre checks - apparently I have a perpetual range of 620 miles and an average and nstant fuel consumption of 99.9 miles / gallon.....

2660 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:51 pm

According to the history file there was an investigation on battery drain in Dec 21 which resulted in a new battery (this was one of the plus points when I bought the car at the beginning of April!). According to the invoice the replacement battery was an 027 and that's what the ID label on the battery also says. It's just finished charging so will be going back on the car tomorrow so i can start the checks for drain. Also on that invoice was 'remove and clean D+ and B+ connections on alternator'. There's an earlier note that a reconditioned alternator was fitted in Feb 2017. When running the dash voltmeter appears to run at around 15V. Typical scenario is charge battery / refit /start /go to work / start /go home (trip of around 8 miles each way)/leave overnight/ 2nd day repeat of 1st day / 3rd morning won't start. There may have been odd shopping trips on day1 or day2 so a couple of extra stop /start occasions are also possible. This isn't a daily user so I might not use it for several days after a charge and 'day 1' run to confirm it's OK.
So faulty battery is also a possibility. There is an isolator on the battery so I plan to use that over the days it will take me to check all the obvious possible drain issues. I have a possible visit from an autoelectrician in the next couple of weeks as he's coming to my neighnour to work on one of his vehicles, so I'm only looking for the obvious issues myself and I'll leave fuller checks (unless I manage to find something!) for that visit if necessary.

2660 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 09, 2022 11:49 am

Hi Alan Thanks for that. I'll recheck the voltage reading later. I've put the battery back on earlier today and it started 1st turn. So I moved it to get access to the boot. On opening the boot and releasing the luggage cover the light was on, as expected. So test 1 was leave the cover open, close the boot and see what happened. Light stayed on. Over several open / close boot attempts it refused to go off. So I've removed the bulb...About 2 hrs later I started it again 1st turn, and I moved it back to its parking spot. I'm planning to leave it alone until tomorrow evening to see if this simple issue is the culprit!

2660 wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 5:32 pm

So it's looking like the defective regulator may have had a major part in draining the battery (I thought it had been removed, but it appears it wasn't - I hadn't takrn the door card off to check! )

2660 wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 19, 2022 3:42 pm

I'd have thought the same Allan, but the window can be operated to close when the ignition is off, I think? If that's the case then presumably the circuit remains live for a time after ignition off and if the motor was faulty it maybe didn't time off? No idea really, much prefer to leave electrics to someone who knows them better than me . Haven't tried to start it since last Friday, planning to try and get to work in it tomorrow, so hope it starts this time!