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Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

posted by  someone claiming to be Grant Goodes on  Mon Aug 15 03:26 CST 2005 [RELATED]

I bought my '95 855 GLT last August, and it came with the standard dodgy
ignition switch electrical part (ABS light on, no headlights, gear shift
stuck in park, etc). I replaced it a couple of months later, and all was
well until last week, when the symptoms re-appeared.

I've now confirmed that when the ABS light comes on (and the headlights
don't) that backing the key off the II (run) postion slightly restores
things to normal. It seems unreasonable to me that a 10-month old part
would already have failed (and no, I don't have anything but the alarm
remote on my keychain, so I'm not hanging a pound of keys off the ignition).
Is it possible that there's too much play in the mechanical part of my
ignition, or that the spring which should force it back from the 'start'
position to II (run) is too weak?

I can, of course, just put in another ignition switch electrical part,
but I'm trying to understand what went wrong here, so if anyone else
has had an experience like this, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks.








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    I had a simular issue... 850

    posted by  Oliver on  Fri Sep 23 00:50 CST 2005
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Tue Apr 24 15:09 CST 2012
    [RELATED]

    I purchashed a new ignition switch earlier this year for my 96 850GLT and within a week the electrical problems returned. Took the car to the dealer and they agreed that the new part had failed. A new switch was provided at no cost as genuine Volvo parts carry a one year warranty.

    If your's has failed within a year, and you purchased it from a dealer, take it back and you will receive a new one at no charge.

    Good luck.

    Oliver

    64 122S
    66 1800S
    86 245DL
    96 850GLT








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    Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

    posted by  someone claiming to be Grant Goodes on  Tue Aug 16 02:29 CST 2005 [RELATED]

    Well, it gets more interesting. Last night, my wife started the car and heard
    a tiny mechanical snapping noise. The key remained in the III (start) position
    and did not return to the II (run) position. It seems that the return spring
    is now broken.

    I realize that it is not a trivial job to take apart the mechanical part of the
    ignition, but is it even possible to get at this spring and replace it, or
    am I basically screwed?

    So, any tips on getting at that spring would be appreciated.








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      Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

      posted by  someone claiming to be Joe S. on  Wed Aug 17 03:05 CST 2005 [RELATED]

      Hello,

      The return spring is in the electrical part of the ignition switch (the part you have replaced already), not the actual lock cylinder. Remove the switch and the lock cylinder will not spring back (at all). If it has been less than a year or 12k miles, you can get a new switch under parts warranty. Anyway, there may or may not be anything wrong with your lock cylinder, but as for your symptoms, I would bet money on the ignition switch itself (usually if the lock cylinder goes south, it will either not let go of the key or will not turn at all; it doesn't cause these issues).

      I hope this helps...

      Joe S. - Volvo Master Technician







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        Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

        posted by  someone claiming to be Grant Goodes on  Thu Aug 18 06:35 CST 2005 [RELATED]

        I went into the Stealership today, with my less than 1-year old part,
        and they claim "No warrenty on electrical parts". Crap!

        I can kind of understand things like lightbulbs and relays not being
        warrentied (can fail due to problems with your electrical system), but
        this is the SPRING in the switch that has failed, and has nothing to
        do with my electrical system.

        I'm pretty pissed off. I've installed my old switch in the car, as it
        is less annoying to have to jiggle the key once in a while rather than
        having to explain to anyone who starts the car that they have to manually
        back it off the 'start' position or face horrible grinding noises.

        Shame on you, Volvo.








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          Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

          posted by  Oliver on  Fri Sep 23 01:00 CST 2005
          Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
          last visit: Tue Apr 24 15:09 CST 2012
          [RELATED]

          Ask for the name and phone number of the factory rep for your area, and follow up with him. The switch should be covered since it was a mechanical failure of the part!!!

          I know my dealer told me the switch was covered for one year.

          Good luck

          Oliver








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        Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

        posted by  someone claiming to be Grant Goodes on  Wed Aug 17 05:30 CST 2005 [RELATED]

        Thanks, Joe, that's very helpful! I will see if I can find my
        receipt and get the electrical part replaced.








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    Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850

    posted by  KlausC on  Mon Aug 15 10:01 CST 2005
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    The previous owner may have had a lead weight on his key chain. Pull the cylinder and inspect it for wear. You are probably right about the return spring, it should be almost impossible to turn the lever by hand.

    Klaus
    --
    98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)








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      Second Ignition (electrical part) Failure in less than a Year 850 1993

      posted by  andrew362 on  Thu Sep 22 15:57 CST 2005
      Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
      last visit: Sun Aug 19 14:54 CST 2007
      [RELATED]

      I have a question that's related to this topic. I'm pretty sure my ignition switch is starting to go bad (I'm seeing the periodic "ABS" flash and headlight failure). However, I did notice the other day that my car started funny. I went to start it and i cranked over once and then stopped. I let go of the key and tried again and it started fine. Would an ignition switch malfunction cause this or am I looking at yet another mechanical problem??


      Thanks, Andrew

      1988 Volvo 740 GLE, 1993 Volvo 850 GLT







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