Take apart the connector at the brake cylinder and see if you get current into that wire when you turn the key - a test light should light make it pretty obvious.
If you don't get anything there, you'll need to start tracing things back. You can see where that big bundle goes through the firewall, basically right above the fusebox. It's just a matter of trying to find the right wire in there. At least you can narrow it down to the dozen or so big heavy gauge wires.

I don't know exactly where the connections are on the fuse board, but you should be able to unscrew it and move it down enough to see all of the wires going in and out of the back. That should also give you a better view of the wires comming through the firewall. It ould be as simple as a connector that came out of it's holder and just needs to be pushed back in.

When I described the path for that lead, that came straight out of the wiring diagrams in the shop manuals. Get a hold of Karsten and take him up on his offer.

 

Okay, found the wire under the dash. It goes to a spot in the fusebox all the way to left. I really can't get to the wire or reach the ignition. Its a real mess under there. Looks like 2 different aftermarket alarms were "installed" with lots of scotch tape etc...

i don't have a 2nd person w/ me at hte moment to turn the key so I can see if my homemade test light works, but all sectinos of the wire from the starter to the plug to the hole in the firewall look good..

 

Looking at the circuit diagrams is hard to follow. I get this on page 89 of the pdf manuals (wiring 97) that the red wire is .5m goes to location "e 17" which means plug e (rear lid??) terminal 17. Only thing is I only have 15 terminals at the most on the fuse boards. and then I get "III 4" in a box which means contintion off of part 3 track 4. I don't under stand any of this. help?


okay, now looking at wiring diagram part 3, track 4 I find the red and black wire again. Why does it go through the radio relay??

thanks
mike

 

I think you have the wrong wire. It really helps to print these pages out and tape them together in pairs (side by side)

Here's how to follow that circuit in the wiring diagram:

Starting at the ignition switch, wiring part IV, page 97-27, up near the top on the left side page, the wire its coming out of the ignition switch at terminal 50.
The big grey box across the top of the diagram represents the fuse/relay board, so the 4mm wire goes in to the fuse block at terminal e17. If you follow that line up and to the left (in the gey box) you eventually see it's labeled as trace 50.
Now, go back to page 97-25 (Part III) and follow line 50 across, you see it just keeps going across to the left. It also goes all the way across part II on page 97-23. Keep on going back to part I, page 97-21.
There you see line 50 goes down to the starter as the same type of 4mm red/black wire. It comes out of the fuse block at terminal A10. Also, you see it goes to terminal C10, but that doesn't lead anywhere. Keep following it down, and to see a terminal where a 1mm red/black wire goes off to the right, into terminal 4 on the DME. A connector is indicated, T2i pin2 which is a 2 terminal connector, and according to the guide on page 97-19, it's near the "additional turn signal right" which totally doesn't make any sense, so that's where you give up and crack open another beer.

I'm not sure what to suggest at this point. If one of these alarms had a starter kill, then this wire would have been cut somewhere and fed into a relay or alarm box. I would consider doing the following:

Find the wire coming out of the ignition switch, cut it there (go back as far as you can toward the fuse block), cut it again on the inside of the firewall, and splice in a length of 10 gage wire in between. That wire doesn't do anything inside the fuse block except probably get included into some of the wiring looms.

The only catch is, you want to trace back from the firewall far enough to find where that 1 mm wire taps off to give a cranking signal to the DME. If you don't get that, the car may crank, but it might not start - I don't think the fuel pump will run.

 

first off I REALLY appriecate all the help, thanks a ton.
2nd, I just came from underneath the car, I am getting power at the female connector at the brake booster, but nothing from the male side (where it runs down to the starter. I took off most of the shield and the wire looks perfect.)

The car started and ran before I replaced the clutch/torque tube/trans and I haven't touched any of the alarm wiring. I really don't get this. The alarm also has a switch for "on/off" flipping the switch does..nothing!

to be perfectly honest, the extent of my wiring knowledge is installing decks and misc things like injector clips. really nothing and this all makes very little sense to me. Why does this wire have to go everywhere? Would a wire straight from the starter to the ignition switch work??

I'm going back to the car and am going to try and do what you said, thank you again

 

OK traced the 4mm red/blk wire to the block of 15 bus fuses (furthest to the driver side) I cannot see /get to exactly where it is (i wish i could find my 24mm socket to remove the steering wheel..tight fit) but it appears a relay belongs on the other side of the bundle of wires that the red/blk is in. Does a relay belong there? The manual shows (on page 8 of 301 in Vol.4 electrical manual) "PLUG BRIDGE (term. 56-56b) and again, I don't know what the heck that is. The picture does not show a relay in that location, but the rest of the locations in the same pic have relays.

Do I cut where I found the wire (right before it goes into the fuseblock coming from the firewall) and then again somewhere before the 1mm wire cranks off (any idea where that is?)

thanks!
mike

 

You're getting voltage from teh female side, then it has to be the wire from that plug to the starter, or the connection there where you are checking. The other side isn't going to get voltage if it's disconnected. You can run a wire straight from that plug to the starter.

 

What I don't get is why I'm not getting power at the red/blk wire at the starter. The wire is in very good shape, the terminal is clean ( I always clean them with contact cleaner and emery boards ) and is on there solidly.

Running a 10ga. wire from the female side on the connector to the starter popped in my head, but I'd like to do this right..worse comes to worse I can do that then..

OK, if i were to just run a new wire, I would put a new spade connector to fit the one in the male side of the plug, put a round terminal on the other side run it where the red/blk went to the starter and im done??

btw: devon are you parting your black car or are you driving it??

 

ummm i'm still on my year and a half job of having the engine out.. hehe. I just put the engine in the car yesterday, trying to figureo ut how to hook everything up now. it's close though!!! Haven't been night and day 24 hour working on it.. been enjoying the 13/14 psi i have the volvo at right now...


I would try just putting a spade connector on some wire (doesnt even need to be 10 gauge, that wire isn't taking much current) and shoving it in that connector up at the firewall, fish it down to the starter, just fray an end and shove it under the bolt and see if it starts. That'll at least make sure that is the issue.

I would suspect your connection at that plug at the firewall though because you said you had it unplugged. Did you spray terminal cleaner in there and wiggle the plug on and off some? If you have a pointy end of your voltage tester, push it in the back of the side of the plug that goes down to the starter when its plugged in,,, see if you get voltage there, if you don't it has to be that connector.

Do you have an ohmeter? check continuity between the end at the starter and the end up near the firewall.

 

OK, just put a new wire on at the firewall connector to the starter.

Nothing.

Why am I getting power at the connector, but not past it??? Its a new wire, new spade connector...

 

must be that plug.. if it were me i'd cut teh plug off and try just twisting the wires together.. but not sure if you are worried about bastardizing your wiring a little. if it works put in a real plug or spade connectors of your own, of course... don't just leave them twisted.

 

OK, cut the plug off, ran the wire to the starter. With my homemade test light I get power at the end of the new wire now, but still nothing when the key is turned.

don't know what to do now... maybe its my starter solenoid??

 

Mike, the solenoid shouldn't be the problem, because as another member stated before, the solenoid also moves a fork out to engage the teeth on the starter motor to the teeth on the ring gear on the flywheel. IIRC, you said that the starter turned the motor over when you jumped the terminals with a wrench or screwdriver, making the rear wheels turn, right? That would leave out the solenoid.

I'd suggest doing a voltage drop test on some of the wires leading to everything involved. If you don't know how to do that, I have some notes on it from BOCES I can copy and mail to you or something.

 

The gear that the solenoid is supposed to push out that engages the flywheel now rests in the "out" position... I'm not positive if it retracts once the engine is started...If its already out and just gets juice I don't know if the solenoid is working...

espically since i get electricity at the end of the new wire (which connects to the solenoid, its the ignition lead..)

 

I'd say try some lubrication on it to temporarily fix it. If it goes in with that, or if it goes in with some force, than it will be good for a couple starts, I would hope.

That fork is supposed to retract when you turn the starter motor off. (I saw a freakin awesome demonstration at BOCES....that sucker is FAST!)

If you're feeling a little brave, take the starter apart and clean the shaft the fork slides out on. (Sandpaper, medium to a fine grit.) Especially if it has rust on it. Your car hasn't been active for a while, right?