Help. I just purchased a used 2002 S60. After a week, the ignition will not turn over at all when I try to start it.

I am happy to purchase a new battery, but I want to be sure that the problem is solved when I am done.

In addition to taking it to a mechanic, is there a way to determine if I have inadvertently left some switch in a position that drains power?

Thanks

Son had similar problem with '01 S60. His was intermittent non-start and battery was ok. Turned out to be loose connection on starter.
Marlin

To Martin Mangels

I wanted to e mail you and thank you for your comment. I am unable to do so.

It was a loose wire to the starter that caused the problem. My mechanic figured it out. That is what it was.

Thank you very much.

Lee Tilson

It is possible that you left a door open or something but usually everything shuts it self off after a few minutes. You can do a few easy checks to the battery and the electrical system to see if it is all working.

Start with checking the voltage of the battery. Use a voltmeter to measure across the battery terminals. If you don't have 12.5 volts, recharge the battery. Start the car and measure the voltage again. You should have 13.5+ volts with the engine running. If you don't, something is wrong with the charging system (possibly the alternator). Stop the engine.

If you do have 13.5+ volts with the engine running, you may have a bad battery. To check further you will need to measure the specific gravity of each of the battery cells. A each cell in a fully charged battery should have a specific gravity (SG) of 1.250. A word of caution - the cells contain sulpheric acid which can burn you and eat holes in your clothes. Be very careful not to get the acid in your eyes (think safety glasses and nitrile gloves) or on yourself.

If you find that the acid level is not up to the split ring you will have to refill the low cells to that level with distilled water. Then you have to recharge the battery before you measure the SG. If only one cell is low on acid, it is not a good sign and the battery may need to be replaced. Once the battery is recharged check the SG of all the cells.

If the SG varies by more than 0.050 between any cell the batery is on it's last legs. If it varies by more than 0.1, it is toast.

Alternatively, you can remove the battery, have it charged and tested at a garage or possibly an auto parts store.

Beyond the battery, you may have a problem in the charging system that is not recharging the battery (system voltage is below 13.5V with the engine running). If you have 12.5V when you measure the battery voltage in the first step you may have a loose connection (try wiggling the battery cables) or a bad starter.

Greg

Greg

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and detailed response. I appreciate it very much.

My mechanic found a loose starter wire that had caused the problem.

I hope that others who search this forum can find both of the responses to my question and save themselves a lot of trouble and a bit of money.

Thank you.

Lee