V50 Engine 2.0D : Engine won't start but battery seems ok - any idea's???

[Lion Heart]

Hi guys - quick update on this...

No, I have not tried a new battery as don't want to pay for that and then have to pay for a starter motor as well if the battery is good.

The battery tested exactly as it was said it would in the guide I put a link to. Reading over 12v when resting, dropping to mid 10v when starting engine.

This would suggest the battery is ok.

I have now also run the same test but on the alternator. Connecting multimeter to negative on battery and positive on the starter motor. The starter has two positives, one from the battery which reads over 12v when doing nothing (i.e. same as battery) and the second gets a 12v feed via the ignotion system.

So tried starting engine with multimeter on the starter positive ignition side. Went from 0 to mid 10v upon starting. Same voltage as the battery direct test i.e. mid 10v under load.

So the starter is getting the power to it. So this helps rule out ignition switch issues.

Remember, I also put a charger with engine start function on there as well to try and start which would have boosted the power to well over the mid 10v range and nothing.

It says in the guide that mid 10v is what you should get upon trying to start the engine, which is what I'm getting.

So, all in do the educated guess would point to the starter being duff rather than the battery, or ignotion troubles.

It's getting the power, but not doing anything.

So I have ordered a replacement starter motor (non genuine, £85 - around the same price as a battery no doubt) and will have a go at fitting that when it arrives and hopefully will resolve.

I'd be very surprised if it were a bad battery with the tests I have done, but of course anything is possible!

I'll post back the result as may be useful for people in the future with similar/same issue.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Lion Heart

Hi guys - quick update on this...

No, I have not tried a new battery as don't want to pay for that and then have to pay for a starter motor as well if the battery is good.

The battery tested exactly as it was said it would in the guide I put a link to. Reading over 12v when resting, dropping to mid 10v when starting engine.

This would suggest the battery is ok.

I have now also run the same test but on the alternator. Connecting multimeter to negative on battery and positive on the starter motor. The starter has two positives, one from the battery which reads over 12v when doing nothing (i.e. same as battery) and the second gets a 12v feed via the ignotion system.

So tried starting engine with multimeter on the starter positive ignition side. Went from 0 to mid 10v upon starting. Same voltage as the battery direct test i.e. mid 10v under load.

So the starter is getting the power to it. So this helps rule out ignition switch issues.

Remember, I also put a charger with engine start function on there as well to try and start which would have boosted the power to well over the mid 10v range and nothing.

It says in the guide that mid 10v is what you should get upon trying to start the engine, which is what I'm getting.

So, all in do the educated guess would point to the starter being duff rather than the battery, or ignotion troubles.

It's getting the power, but not doing anything.

So I have ordered a replacement starter motor (non genuine, £85 - around the same price as a battery no doubt) and will have a go at fitting that when it arrives and hopefully will resolve.

I'd be very surprised if it were a bad battery with the tests I have done, but of course anything is possible!

I'll post back the result as may be useful for people in the future with similar/same issue.

Seems sound logic to me - if the battery was the problem the voltage would drop to well below 10 when trying to start. Also starter motor failure on these 2.0D 4 cylinder engines is almost inevitable if you go med-high miles.

[padder1956]

so why not just take the battery off take it to a local motor factors
have it tested end of story

[Lion Heart]

Originally Posted by padder1956

so why not just take the battery off take it to a local motor factors
have it tested end of story

Yes, that would be an option if you live in/near the city (I'm rural so would be a mission TBH).

You could also buy a proper battery tester for £11:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-12V-100...UAAOSwr6RZpCIH

I'm pretty confident the battery is good in my case however :-)

[Lion Heart]

Hi guys

Just an update on this as promised...

Ok today I finally got around to a) having some time to fit this, and b) half decent (i.e. not raining) weather.

It's a bit of a PITA to change the starter motor TBH. Awkward to get at the bolts, so takes a little time. But could be a LOT worse!!!

Once I changed it I was a little concerned as car has been standing around 3 weeks, so thought the battery may have drained. Turned the key, fired straight up. Good old Volvo!

Looking at the old starter, I'd say likely the original as looks like it's approaching 10 years old. Not bad for 215,000 miles!

So, in this case the one click and won't start did indeed point to the starter motor. And I did the tests on the battery and starter motor with a multimeter to try and help make sure, then took the plunge and spent £85 for a non-genuine starter motor, and all sorted.

Glad I didn't replace the battery as a) I tested it already, b) it would not have solved the problem and I would still need a starter motor and so would have cost twice as much, and c) this puppy started on the button after 3 weeks standing - there's nothing wrong with this battery!!!

Hopefully that will be useful to someone in the future with the sam symtoms...

[Grifas]

Hi guys could it be the same egr problem that my car does not start? In past couple days it was bit harder so start her up you have to hold the key a bit longer for her to start. Now it does not start at all allthought before it stoped from starting completley, it did tried to fire it up but just for a second and from that on no signs of life just the starter spinning. I checked all the fuses tried to find the fuel pump but no success just the relay, it makes a strange buzzing sound when you turn ignition on [YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/lYMCrzMDITQ[/YOUTUBE]

Any ideas what to do or what to check else?
Fuel filter has been changed about couple months ago.
Volvo v50 1.6 2009

[Lion Heart]

It would certainly be worth testing the starter motor. Only takes 10 minutes and you just need a £5 generic multimeter. Do a Google search as lots of videos available .

[arressbee]

I bought a C30 - 2.0D with 200K which had a very good service history, any work needed the previous owner had done and gave me the bills with the car. So when I begun having starting problems I never thought of the starter motor until it went bad,(possibly due to it over working). It was only when I had removed it and started sourcing a new one I discovered the old one was half the rated power. After fitting the proper model the car starts in a heartbeat. Some 'trusted workshop' had fitted the wrong starter and this is possibly why the previous owner decided to sell the car. A joy to drive.

[Honda guy]

So my 2011 s40 was doing the same thing. It would click sometimes and would "half" crank other times but random and sporadic. Is this similar to what the op was experiencing?