850 won't start

Jun 17, 2007 1 Replies
A

I got 1995 volvo 850 glt wagon and was cleaning it on Saturday. It was on for a while in key turned to position II (engine not running, just the radio and so on) when I was vacuuming the car inside. Later at night I tried to start it and it would just do a "click' somewhere in the engine compartment and then the clock would reset and it would not start.



Should I suspect a discharged battery or is it something more serious? I know that I should check with a multimeter but I do not have one right now.



Thanks,



Anatoli



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M

My first thought is for dirty battery terminals. Not having a multimeter is a setback. You can test for bad battery connection (not a sophisticated test, but usually good enough) by turning on the headlights and twisting the edge of a coin in the crack between the battery post and the clamp. Sparks and a crackling sound are a sure sign of bad connection. Side terminal batteries are harder to check that way and usually less prone to bad connection.

Otherwise I think the battery is discharged and perhaps defective.

Mike

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