A couple weeks ago I went to get a spare key made for my 240. Long story short they kept messing up the key and I ended up not getting one. But after this event I started experiencing a delayed start. I would turn the key and it would be a solid 1-3 second pause and then she would start right up. I'm thinking neutral safety switch or ignition switch. Is there a test I can perform to check before ordering parts?

Update:
So I found a forum and followed these steps...

There are two wires on the starter solenoid, one is the heavy battery cable and the other is the small (push-on connector) one coming from the neutral safety sw'itch...Connect the positve lead from your voltmeter to this small wire and the voltmeter negative lead to engine ground...Turn the ignition key to "start" and you should see 12 volts...If you do see 12 volts, then the starter solenoid is bad...If you do not, then it is either the neutral safety switch or the ignition switch...

I have 12 volts showing when I turn the key so bad starter? I am going to pop off the starter and get it tested at the auto parts store, but is there anything else I should check out before leaving? I have replaced the starter within the last couple years so it's a bit of a surprise that the starter is causing my issues.

I always take the NSS apart & clean the ccontacts,all kinds of hair & scrud from 4 dogs in the car seems to travel into weird places

Do you know where to find good instructions or pictures for this process?

Hi,

As others have said, if you have 12 volts at 50 then fooling with the NSS is a waste of time.

I had an intermittent no crank, no solenoid click that drove me nuts for a while. I also has power at all times at the solenoid.

It turned out to be the braided copper wire that connects the solenoid to the starter motor. It had broken and was rubbing against itself. It's easy to miss because there's only about 1/4 " visible outside the motor. This was on the older style motor but I think yours with permanent magnets should be the same.

A long shot but have a look.
regards, Peter

Quick update...

Car was having random no start problems that came and went for no apparent reason. I was thinking it was the ignition switch or neutral switch, but using a multi meter I am getting 12V on the small wire feeding the starter solenoid when I turn the key to start.

I have now replaced the starter but still nothing when I turn the key. What could it be?

I have quickly scanned each response.
Have not seen any confirmation that You Need a New Ignition Switch.

Simple...1987.. 5Speed(so no neut safe switch)---all the symptoms described...esp the LAG when turing the key.

I thot: Solenoid...replaced Starter with rebuilt....Turned Key nada.
Took ignition switch from spare Volvo and replaced existing switch. Turned Key...vaavaaavooom

Was the switch. Bought(Used Recycled $40 ) as NEW SWITCHES no longer made "OEM" cost $120 or more...


VoluParts, Atlanta Ga.

Hi,

I assume you got another starter new from a parts store.
You might should have had it checked at the store if it was a rebuilt.

With that part out of the way I will tell you a little story.

I once was playing around with a engine mounted on my engine stand that I got out of a junkyard.
I wanted to roll the engine over to do a compression test with a free standing battery beside it.
I put the main positive cable on the big nut of the solenoid and grounded the engine block.
I then put on another separate positive wire to one small terminal of the solenoid with a switch.
This was to simulate the cars ignition switch.

There was Another empty terminal with no wire going to it. But there was one from the frame of the starter so I just stuck it on the solenoid.

When I flipped the switch on nothing happened. Looking at this twice or three time I wondered if I got snookered with a bad starter. Bosch starters are really reliable and last a long time!
Then I got to thinking about why was the wire off?

I reversed the connections of the solenoid and it turned right over.
So I will say, it must be possible to put those small wires on backwards. Maybe it is the direction of current flow affects the magnetism.
This shows terminal 50 being important. Look for a number on the solenoid.
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams/Volvo%20240%201989.pdf

The next thing you might have a flaky wire or connection or even like you are thinking, a cut out switch.

Try switching wire before pulling out the starter again!

Phil

Machine man wrote--"There was Another empty terminal with no wire going to it". Since d-jet was used on Volvos the starter motor may have a small terminal other than the one which activates the solenoid. This other terminal gets power when the solenoid is activated and it provides 12v to the cold start valve. -- Dave

There are three terminals in this solenoid. I tried the small wire on all tree and turned the wire around on each one. Nothing. I am pulling it off now and testing it myself.

The small wire goes only on the terminal marked 50. The one marked 16 is not used in your car.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"They don't write 'em like that anymore" The Break Up Song

I pulled the new/rebuilt starter off and tested it with my car battery, jumper cables, and screw driver. Spun beautifully! Put it back on and tried to start... Nothing. I went back and tested the voltage on the small solenoid wire and noticed it was a little lower than my battery voltage so I checked the 25 fuse and wires running to and from it and noticed a not so great connection so I cleaned it up and put a new tip on the wire and connected everything back up, still nothing. But I am back up to full battery voltage.
Looking at the wiring diagram posted previously in this thread I am seeing a few switches, but they would all affect the voltage at the solenoid wire correct? Of I'm not mistaken the only thing left is the 30 running directly from the battery to the starter right?

Hi,

Since you got the starter running on the bench you are definitely losing something somewhere!

The red cables are always hot and go to number 30. The alternator feeds back on its too!

You also have to have a blue ground wire on the engine block and the cars body metal work.
If you touch #30 to the #50 solenoid terminal, for the ignition circuit, the starter will roll over the engine. Screwdrivers are not such a good idea.
There is a bypass wire for that!
It is an override wire to make the starter turn if you apply a jumper wire straight from the battery positive post. This wire is in the engine bay on the firewall. Right behind the dip stick area.
It's an insulated female spade sticking out only a few inches to nothing.

I went back and looked into the diagram you mention in the thread. I sent that link to it and now I see that it is to generic to show you everything clearly.
While doing a more deliberate search I found a picture of that diagram and it said it was for a Chevy.
Electrically the contacts inside the solenoid are on the left end of the starters drawing. They power up the motor.
The blue wire is the ground on the engine block but it looks like a starter motor and housing. It is not a wire going there to the ground symbol on the right. Rather vague and miss leading, if you aren't savvy or looking for terminal dots it's messed up!

Interesting that it shows the starter servicing connector.
Volvos have been called, " A foreign Chevy" before! The Clutch design is very close. The automatic transmissions are associated with Toyotas and zillions of them have been made.
I think or fiqure someone got lazy and put it under the Volvo heading. In actuality, they are electrically the same in their operation as so for many cars.


Anyhow, I put in a search for a "1982 volvo starter wiring diagram" and got another better schematic.
The photo does not make direct link so you have to put "....." into another browser opening.
It will take you to a picture of a diagram for your year car. You will see the separate items drawn out better.
It's in the second row right down and square dab in the middle.

Expand it open and look to the left side of the picture.
Follow the blue wires down to a connector the turns to the center and you will see a socket and a jumper in it. This section is for manual transmissions and "If" an automatic was there a switch like illustration would have be like the Chevy diagram showing the two.

You will also see a short blue wire coming off of it. This is the bypass wire I spoke of.
If you use this wire .... you have to have the cars transmission in neutral if it a manual or the automatic in park or neutral to use it!!!! Otherwise it might move the car!!!! If the safety switches are screwed up and closed.
This will bypass the ignition switch side of the car circuits like a screwdriver but you are up top.

So ... if the bypass works, by running a positive post jumper from the battery you have isolated the problem.
You need to work backwards on the diagram for the breaks from the fuse panel through any switches or connectors that may cause the circuit to be open. That bypass should show power if and when you try to start the car. It must not be happening at all?

Phil

--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

If you have any trouble sounding condescending, find a UNIX user to show you how it's done. -Scott Adams

Please correct me if I am wrong, but from what I am seeing I can test my ignition switch by using the sevice socket to jump the starter. If it starts then I need to replace the ignition switch. If it doesn't start then I am looking at a start inhibitor switch. Can I bypass the inhibitor switch to test it to make sure my problem isn't an open or short circuit?

You've got that right; the service socket is what we use to crank the engine from under the hood. But the neutral safety switch needs to work too. Usually wiggling the shifter will get a balky neutral safety switch to work, and then, when you replace it and it still doesn't work you find out your shifter bushings underneath the car are gone, so it doesn't align with the detents.

But you said you were getting battery voltage at terminal 50 in KP-III. I think you said that.

You can bypass it for a test, but you've got to dig under the carpet about 6" northwest of the shifter. Wire colors will identify the connector.



http://cleanflametrap.com/neutsw.html
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” -Socrates

So after replacing a bad starter, a bad battery, and the neutral position sensor I have her turning over. I tried to use the service socket under the hood to jump the starter and got nothing so I put in a cleaned neutral position sensor and cranked her right up.
Thank you everyone for the help and guidance!

Hi,

You could go ahead and remove the starter so you can check the solenoid on the workbench.

I have found that the solenoid develops a too short of stroke inside. The plunger body bottoms out each time but the pull two rods inside cannot push the spring loaded contact bar far enough to touch the terminals down tightly. This causes a delay and random no crank situations. The contact bar inside has to bridge the two wire terminals to complete the circuit to run the starter motor.

You can pull off the solenoid unit and check the stroke distance with an ohmmeter. You want to push the plunger towards the bottom of the well in the solenoid housing. Using the meter attached across the terminals until you hear a tone or a resistance show up across the contacts.

As this happens you want to be able to push the plunger in farther and deeper past that contact sound point about 1/8 of an inch extra. This is so you know that it will seat the contact bar down tight against the terminals and float the bar to get maximum contact to its faces.

I modify the pushing rod deeper into the solid plunger body by about .060 or 1/16 of an inch.
I do this by cutting away the small tab of weld and then squeezing the whole core body in a vise.
All is a light press fit.

This causes the other end of the rod to stick out the back a tiny bit more.
That rear end of the rod, touches another separate rod inside the solenoid, that is needed to seat the contact bar deeper back towards the terminals.
Reweld on a tack like before or impinge the rod with a punch so it cannot be pull out of the body since it does “pull out” the starters Bendix gear unit to engage the engines flywheel.

You want movement of the plunger body to be about 1/8 inch past in the first contact point thus creating a zone. This zone space allows for float and future wear.

If you see this much upon first inspection then there is nothing wrong with the solenoid stroke wise.
Just push it many times to confirm repetitive closing, with a zone or the solenoid may be defective in another way or the starter motor! (:-(

Phil

IF you are going to take the starter out you should replace it if it has many miles on it,,,Its really a pain in the ass to get at!

I can not get to that top bolt. How can I get more space in there?

"I can not get to that top bolt. How can I get more space in there?"

Two ways I know work:

1) Notes on Starter Replacement

2) Move the wiring out of the way and try from above:




--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." -as retold by Monte Leister

Hi,
Original equipment!

Oh, You mean that bolt tightened by “Sven.” The Big Armed Gorilla of the Swedes.

You need a long 1/2 inch extension or extensions to get back farther and use an impact driver or breaker bar with a cheater bar slipped on the end.
One good universal joint may help give you some angle too!

You do not want to use too many extensions either, as the looseness in the joints reduce the effectiveness of the impact driver.
I got back about 18 to 24 inches!

Do not worry about getting it that tight again, it’s not necessary!

Phil

If Slaw0526 is getting 12 volts at the starter solenoid then there's no need to take the ign. switch or neutral safety switch apart--especially if the 12 volts shows there immediately on turning the switch to START.
Having replaced the starter in the recent past is no guarantee of a long life. I would only trust a BOSCH brand REMANUFACTURED unit. Certainly many independent rebuilders do a good job -- many do not. Parts stores have a high rate of returns for starters and alternators using local rebuilders.

you couldtry taking that switch apart & cleaning it out,,,it may be that its gummed up,,