Keyless Entry (Remote/Key Fob) Programming

If your 850 has the keyless entry feature which allows you to lock and unlock the doors from a short distance using a small transmitter on the key chain (fob), here is the procedure for programming the car to respond to the remote control.

This is valid for Volvo 850 in model years 1996 and 1997 that use the remote/key fob shown below.  I have seen one reference that it applies to 1995 cars as well, so you really need to make sure you know what you have.  For earlier 850s there is a different remote but the procedure seems to be the same.

Volvo 9442982 Transmitter

1.  Gather all the transmitters (key fobs) you want the car to recognize and keep them handy in the car with you.  You can program up to four remotes per car.  Make sure they have fresh batteries or are known to work.

2.  Start by sitting in the driver’s seat with doors closed (and from experience, tail gate closed and doors locked  on wagons.)  If it’s hot and uncomfortable inside, you can roll the windows down for some relief.

3.  Insert key into the ignition switch and quickly switch back and forth between positions 0 (off) and II (not III which will start engine) as quickly as you can five times.
    

4.  Red light on top of dash pad near windshield should blink on and off with key still in position II.

5.  Quickly push either button on each remote that you want the car to learn.  You have around 10 seconds per remote for this teaching input.  Light will glow steady for a couple of seconds when it recognizes a transmitter.

6.  Switch key back to 0 (off) and remove key.

7.  Test each remote function by unlocking and locking to verify they were all learned.

Repeat as needed if something doesn’t work quite right or if you were too slow.

Procedure from the 1997 Volvo 850 Owners Manual

Programming a transmitter

If you purchase additional transmitters (max. 4), they must be programmed to function with your alarm/remote keyless entry system. To do this:

• Make sure all doors, hood and trunk/tailgate are closed.
• Turn the ignition on and off 5 times within 10 seconds. On the fifth try, leave the ignition on.
• Press either button on the transmitter.
  NOTE: The first transmitter must be programmed within 15 seconds, the others within 10 second intervals. When the alarm system accepts the codes from each transmitter, the LED on the dash will glow steadily for several seconds.
• Switch the ignition off and test the transmitter(s).

Practical range of the remote transmitter is 10-15 feet (3-5 meters) per owners manual.  I have observed slightly greater range but it’s not a long distance.

Replacement transmitters are found on eBay in the $40-70 range used and $80-100 range for new.  Factory new part from volvopartswebstore is around $82.

If your 850 does not have this keyless entry feature but you’d like to have it, I posted an entry on retrofitting it quite easily at fairly low cost.

#90 Adding Keyless Entry, Part 1

I have been spoiled with my daily driver, an 850 sedan that has keyless entry.  This allows me to lock and unlock the doors from a short distance with a small transmitter that is attached to the key ring (remote key fob).  So when I drive this 850 wagon project car it’s a constant adjustment to think, “Oh, I have to put the key in the door lock and turn it–which way again?”

This made me wonder how easy (or hard) it would be to retrofit keyless entry to this car or any other 850 lacking the feature.  Turns out, it’s quite easy.  The wiring is all there, only a few components are missing.  At the very least, all you have to do is remove an immobilizer jumper relay and insert an alarm relay to make it work.

Looking at the difference between the cars, I see that this red wagon has a brown 210 relay while the white sedan has a gray double 210/211 relay.

Brown 210 single relay is just a jumper to bypass immobilizer when alarm relay is not installed.

Gray 210/211 double relay adds keyless entry and alarm feature.

To prove the theory, I removed the alarm relay from my sedan and installed it into the wagon.  Then tested the key fob remote control and the locks popped up and down like they should.  So then I knew it was just a matter of putting another one of these relays in the red wagon and programming it.

On 1997 models the relay is located under the (USA) driver’s side panel, tucked up above the hood (bonnet) release lever.  Three screws to remove and this panel drops out.

Remove access panel below steering wheel to locate alarm relay.

Pulled a couple of these 210/211 gray alarm relays from wrecks at a salvage yard months ago when we first started this project, thinking they would be useful some day.  That day has arrived.

Alarm relay is also the keyless entry receiver to activate door locks when the remote buttons are pushed.

Installed one in this project car by pulling the single brown 210 relay and inserting the double 210/211 relay.  The 211 side fills a socket that is empty without the alarm relay.

To retrofit keyless entry, simply unplug the brown 210 relay and install the gray 210/211 double relay in its place.

Plugging the relay in is awkward and somewhat difficult working up in that tight space and having to contort your body just to get your arms in the right position.  There is also a fat bundle of wires right in the way that you have to work around/through.  But with a little fussing and practice, it’s not so bad.

To program the new relay to the desired remote transmitter, you turn the ignition switch (key) from positions I to II five times rapidly, then press the lock button on the desired remotes (up to three), then turn key off.  Doors must be closed and locked for this to happen.  A more detailed post on this procedure is found in the next blog entry.

The remote/key fob transmitter is Volvo part number 9442982 and looks like this:

Volvo 9442982 Key Fob

For now I will use the two remotes we have that work on the sedan (both fobs will work on both cars) but may get one or two used on eBay for the girls to have for their own at a later date.

Part 2 of this retrofit will involve adding an alarm indicator to the dashboard and an alarm horn under the hood.  Neither are necessary for keyless entry but the red LED is nice to have for programming as well as a deterrent to would-be thieves.  The alarm siren is also nice to scare off somebody who breaks in and as an attention getter using the remote key fob panic feature.

Note: On older model 850s the receiver/alarm relay is a different box in a different location, I believe.  From what I gather, it’s a flat black package mounted behind the glove box liner to one side.  I don’t know if a retrofit is as simple for older models but I would not be surprised if it worked much the same, just different packaging and location.

$5 for alarm relay from salvage yard.

#89 Starter Replacement

Summary: Intermittent events where engine would not crank became more frequent and finally the starter quit working altogether.  Diagnosed by eliminating likely causes (battery, battery cables, neutral switch) and then tested by applying voltage directly to starter control terminal.  Finding the starter dead, it was removed and replaced.

Details:  Recently we experienced several instances where the engine would not start.  Turning the key to the start position resulted in just a clicking sound from under the hood but the starter would not turn.  Sometimes it would work and sometimes not so once again it’s a frustrating intermittent problem.

1st thing to check when the car won’t start is the battery condition because this is the main cause of starting problems.  Connected my analyzer and the battery checked out 100% perfect (voltage and capacity).

Then looked at battery terminal connections which were tight and clean.  This is the 2nd most common cause of starting problems.  Followed the fat red battery positive terminal wire down to the starter and it was tight and clean, as was the fat blue negative wire to the engine block.

The 3rd most likely cause of no-crank problems is a clutch switch (manual transmission) or Park-Neutral Position (PNP) switch (automatic transmission) being open.  850s do not have clutch switches from what I can tell; they were added to later model S70s, I believe.  This car has an automatic transmission so it does have a PNP switch which is known to fail with age.  Running the shifter up and down to freshen up the switch contacts did not help.  Besides, I could hear the starter solenoid clicking which indicates that it made it past these interlocks.

A 4th possibility is a defective ignition switch but that was replaced in the past year and as mentioned the solenoid was clicking, indicating that the circuit was working.

A 5th cause of starting problems is arguably more or less likely than the others.  This is the immobilizer or alarm relay which is an anti-theft feature that prevents the car from starting if the doors are not properly opened with a key or keyless remote.  It was not an issue here.

Once I got it to start more frequently I noticed that there was a delay from when I turned the key to when the starter would crank.  That indicates a sluggish starter solenoid, as if it was weak.  Then I noticed that after releasing the ignition key from start position the starter would stay engaged for a half second or so (that whirring sound you hear when  you are still cranking the starter after the engine starts running on its own).  That also suggested a lazy solenoid or weak return spring or sticky solenoid plunger, all of which are starter problems.

All these diagnoses point to the starter itself so I started testing it.  One nice thing Volvo did with the 850 (and likely other models) is include a handy starter diagnostic connector up near the brake master cylinder.  This female blade socket makes direct connection to the starter solenoid control terminal which receives +12V when the key is turned to the start position.

Starter test port 17/1 location.

Test port near ignition coil and LH strut tower.

Actually, not quite a direct path.  The test connector still goes through the PNP switch on cars with automatic transmission after this point so if you want direct connection to the starter solenoid, you’d have to connect at the solenoid.  Manual transmission does go directly there.  See wiring diagram for details.

Wiring Diagram

I made up a test wire by crimping some wire to a standard 1/4″ male blade terminal.  The male tab mates nicely with the test socket and gives us a handy connection to measure resistance (old starter solenoid measured high at 3.2Ω, new solenoid was 0.5Ω), voltage or apply voltage.  Instead of touching the other end of the wire to the battery positive terminal, I clipped a squeeze switch in line to get better control.

Test wire connected. Far end connected directly to battery + or through switch makes starter operate as if turning they key.

Using the switch allows me to work without an assistant to turn the key and with the first pair of quick switches the starter would crank but then the starter stopped turning and I would hear a metallic clunk when activating the switch.  After several of these, I could get just a small click from the solenoid.  So clearly the solenoid and/or the starter were failing quickly.

Access to the wiring terminals is made behind the snap-on cover.  Be very careful with metallic tools down there; a short to anything metal will give full battery energy spark.

Pull this cover off to access starter terminals. No tools needed; just snaps on/off.

Unplugged the control (start) terminal and measured voltage with respect to the engine block.  When energizing the test port I measured +12.5V so I know the starter is getting proper control voltage.  That clears up any doubt that the solenoid or motor were bad.

Measured control voltage at the disconnected wiring terminal. +12V here with no start means a bad starter or solenoid.

Tried tapping on the solenoid and starter to see if this would make it work again.  Don’t laugh, this often gets a failed starter to work one or two more times if something is stuck or if the motor is in a dead spot.  No good and so now the intermittent problem has become a permanent problem.  Clearly the solenoid or starter motor has issues and the whole thing needs to be replaced.

Replacing the starter is not difficult but you do have to remove several things to gain access.

First you disconnect the battery negative (-) terminal after verifying you have the radio code.  Then you remove the control module cooling pipe, air duct to air cleaner, fan shroud assembly and relays and vacuum valves mounted to it, which requires disconnecting various cables and hoses.  Finally remove throttle pulley cover and solenoid cover if not already done.

Various air ducts and throttle cover removed for access.

Fan assembly and associated wires and hoses removed for access to starter.

Now we can remove the starter itself.  Start by unbolting or unplugging all wires from the starter.

Cables disconnected from starter solenoid.

Then remove three bolts holding the starter to the engine block and lift the starter out. Shop manual and other procedures do not mention unfastening this harness clamp…

Harness clamp must be removed to get wrench on lower bolt.

…or removing the throttle body intake pipe, but both had to be done for access.

Upper bolt can’t be reached without removing the throttle body inlet pipe.

Once these three bolts are removed, the starter should just lift out.  If it’s really frozen in place it might take some careful prying but this one came free easily.

Starter should simply lift up and out once the three bolts are removed.

The mounting bracket on the left is separate from the starter so needs to be unbolted from the starter for use with the new part.

Bracket needs to be unbolted from the old starter…

…and transferred to the new starter.

Note the photos shown are for a 1997 model 850.  Older 850s may have a slightly different starter as noted in the factory manual.

Note also this locator pin which hopefully stays with the starter.  If it sticks to the engine you will want to pull it out; new starter should come with a pin.

Locator pin engages with hole in engine housing.

Rare peek at engine flywheel which engages with starter pinion gear to crank engine.

Tried to unscrew the solenoid from the starter to inspect the guts but could remove only one of three screws, even using an impact driver after spraying penetrating oil, so gave up on doing an autopsy.  Wish I knew what was going on inside there.

While many people insist on factory parts only, like several other tasks on this project I choose to save money by using a high-quality re-manufactured starter.

Shiny new starter.

I’m saving hundreds of dollars and I doubt that the quality difference will be noticeable in the short term.  Maybe 15 years out but I don’t think this car will still be around that long.  Besides, my experience with reman parts is that they often are factory parts that have been cleaned, renewed and tested so are as good as new.  This one had the Bosch ID stamps on it so is likely mostly factory parts.

As for the solenoid, I believe that there are two coils: one higher current (lower resistance) to pull the plunger in and one lower current (higher resistance) to hold the plunger in after disconnecting the high-current coil.  Since the old bad coil measured 3.2Ω and the new one measured 0.5Ω, I’m guessing that the high current coil was open or the disconnect switch was stuck open.  Either way, it would leave only the holding coil in the circuit which is not strong enough to pull the solenoid closed, at least reliably.

New starter is installed in reverse of the removal procedure.

New starter bolted in place…

…and wires attached.

Put all the ducts, fan, hoses, relays and covers back in place and ready to check after reconnecting the battery negative terminal.  Key in and it starts right up.  No surprise.

$140 for an remanufactured starter.

Technical Notes

The main parts of a starter are the motor and the solenoid which are combined in one assembly.  The motor is just a high-torque, high-current DC motor that is strong enough to spin the engine.

The solenoid does two important jobs and is often the culprit with a bad starter.  First it switches the battery connection to the motor winding, like a big high-current relay or contactor.  Second it pushes the pinion gear out to engage the engine flywheel teeth so that the spinning motor is coupled to the engine for starting and releases it once the engine is running.  These two things are accomplished in one linear motion by an electromagnetic field from the solenoid coil.

Fuel Pump Nut, Old/Non-Factory Gaskets and Petroleum Jelly

This is sort of an appendage to post #82 regarding fuel pump replacement.  There are three issues that I feel worth sharing with other DIYers.

First is that when you remove the fuel pump for replacement or rebuilding, it is important to thread the big plastic pump retaining nut back on the tank unless you quickly put the pump back in and secure it.  For whatever reason the male threads on the tank (Volvo calls it the collar) tend to expand or swell so that it’s hard to thread the locking ring back on if it has been off for some time.  I learned this the hard way when replacing the pump on this car in post #82 where I rebuilt the pump which took some time.  Since the nut was off the tank for some hours, I had a really difficult time getting it back on later.  The Volvo shop manual, Alldata DIY and the Haynes manual all have notes about doing this.

Second is to consider your fuel pump gasket when removing the fuel pump.  In one case where I replaced the fuel pump in my 850 sedan with a high-quality aftermarket pump, it came with a new gasket (rubber seal between the pump flange and tank). However, that aftermarket gasket was slightly under-sized so it would not stay in place on the tank rim and it would leak vapors because the sealing surfaces were not aligned.  Since then it has caused small–and sometimes large–evap leak codes.  When I installed a new Volvo factory gasket, it sealed properly and the leak went away.  I presume the same could happen with an old, dried gasket.  All the references indicate to use a fresh new gasket.

Third is that cheap petroleum jelly from a drug store is recommended to lubricate the new gasket to keep it pliable and give a better seal.  I had used plumber’s silicone grease which may be OK but petroleum jelly makes more sense.  I mean, hey– it’s petroleum based and we’re using petroleum fuel here.  Also recommended for the push-on fuel fittings for the fuel pump.  I dry swab the inside of the fittings and smear jelly on the metal connectors of the fuel tank.  This gives a better vapor seal, renews old dried O-rings and makes pushing the fittings on a little easier.  Now that I think about it, jelly would be good to apply to the fuel filter fittings as well since they have the same push-on O-ring seals.

#88 Coolant Temperature Sensor/Engine Stalling

Long post so I’ll give an executive summary first:  Occasional random events of engine quitting while driving caused me to narrow down possibilities.  Focused on coolant temperature sensor and learned that a loose connection here can cause surging and stalling.  Discovered that the sensor was aged and out of spec so needed to be replaced.  More importantly, the connector had major issues.  Replaced the temp sensor and replaced the connector contacts for reliability plus added a missing connector bracket.  Hoping this cures the engine stalling problem.

Now for the details:  For months now we have experienced the nuisance of having the engine just die while driving slowly.  It occurs infrequently and these intermittent problems are the worst kind to solve.  So far it seems to happen at half throttle; not at idle and not at highway speed.  No error codes on the ECU but when the engine quits the instrument cluster lights up with all those warning lights.  No real self-diagnostics to use here.  Car will usually start right up after these incidents.

Idle stalling problems are often caused by a dirty throttle body or a gummed up idle air controller but this is not a problem at idle.  In 850s stalls are frequently due to fuel delivery problems (fuel pump, fuel filter, pump relay.)  However, the pump was recently rebuilt, the filter is less than one year old and the relay was renewed so these are unlikely causes.  Ignition (spark) is also suspect although this is more likely to throw an error code which we are not seeing.

I was leaning towards an intermittent sensor to explain this problem.  Two sensors are used by the ECU to adjust fuel injection into the cylinders based on various conditions.  First is the mass air flow (MAF) sensor.  This one was new when we got the car and it seems to behave normally.  The other is the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor.  This one seems to be original and is turning colors with corrosion plus these are known to fail with age, coolant quality and overheating incidents.

The ECT sensor is sort of hiding under the upper radiator hose at the thermostat housing.

ECT sensor located at thermostat housing under upper radiator hose.

Looks a bit crusty now and has been there a long time.  Some people recommend they be replaced with the thermostat although I have never done so.  Flaky sensors are known to cause various problems from hard starts to poor fuel economy to mystery stalls such as we are experiencing now.  At any rate, since these are known to be problematic and this one is apparently old (likely factory original), I started investigating it.

There are resistance and voltage specifications for a proper functioning ECT sensor.  It is basically nothing more than a two-terminal resistor which changes value corresponding to temperature.  See tech notes below for details.  I unplugged it to check the cold resistance and was surprised to discover that the connector on the wiring harness side was broken and falling apart.  The two contacts were loose and not being retained in the connector housing.  The contacts were also fairly corroded.  I know that poor electrical contacts can cause all sorts of problems, particularly intermittent failures where they work most of the time but occasionally lose contact.  So this automatically became my main suspect for the stalling problem.

Socket contacts loose and corroded are a huge problem.

Sensor pin contacts properly retained in housing but also corroded.

I suspect that the sensor signal cuts out intermittently with vibration while driving, which is interpreted by the ECU as a cold engine, which responds by dumping more fuel into the intake to a warm engine.  That gush of fuel effectively chokes the engine and it dies.  This was confirmed experimentally by running the engine, then while pulling the connector apart, the engine would suddenly surge a few times.  When plugging back together again, the engine died, just like the problem we are experiencing (although this experiment was at idle).  So the theory that a bad ECT sensor can cause the engine to surge and/or stall is proven true.  No error codes occur so it may be that intermittent contact is short enough to cause a surge but not long enough to register an error.

Cold resistance was measured with a multimeter and showed about 5200Ω.  Compared against a new sensor which measured 2400Ω and the sensor in my 850 sedan which measured 3000Ω, this cold value is quite high.  Factory spec is 2800Ω at 68°F (it was slightly warmer than this so the new part was right on spec). Ran the engine up to stable temp on the instrument gauge and checked the resistance at this level.  Measured 300Ω compared to my sedan at 200Ω and subsequent reading of 212Ω with the new sensor installed.  Factory spec is 150Ω at boiling, which we are just under so the value should be in the 150-200 range.  This old sensor is about twice the resistance it should be at both hot and cold.

I also have a nice code reader which will display the real-time data stream of monitored parameters.  This old sensor runs hot and stable at 180°F compared to my sedan at 200°F; not too far off but seems a little low, which is consistent with its higher resistance.

Data stream coolant temp parameter stabilizes at 180°F.

All these diagnoses lead to two conclusions:  First, the ECT sensor is old and high in resistance and operating values.  Second, the bad connector is quite likely causing intermittent connections to the sensor due to corrosion and unsecure terminals.  This intermittent connection can cause surges and/or stalling engines so both the sensor and the connector need to be replaced.

To remove the old sensor requires that the radiator be partially drained of coolant, then the thermostat housing removed for access to the sensor itself.

Coolant partially drained and thermostat housing removed for access to ECT sensor.

Unscrewing the ECT is a pain because there is no room for a standard 19mm wrench.  Factory procedure is to release the pin contacts from the connector to allow the cable to pass through a box-end (ring) wrench.  Polarity of the wires does not matter so there is no need to orient them when finished if this is done.

Sensor connector removed to allow box end wrench to slide over wires. You could also just snip the wires if you’re throwing the sensor away.

A bit tricky to remove connector housing. Basically pry out on sides to release latch then flip end up. Hinged near middle of connector.

19mm box end wrench slips over wires to loosen/tighten sensor.

New sensor compared to old one.

Installed new sensor with fresh crush washer then secured the thermostat housing back in place and snapped the sensor connector back on the wires.  Polarity doesn’t matter (both wires are black).

New sensor installed with thermostat housing back and coolant refilled.

Then added fresh coolant back in.

To repair the loose connector with corroded sockets I gave up trying to identify a new part number to order so went to a Volvo junkyard to snip one off of a scrapped 850.  But after looking at several, they all had some degree of corrosion and loose contacts so this is obviously a common problem that all 850 owners should be aware of.  I took the best connector I could find; the contacts were crusty but they were secure in the housing.

Old contacts are corroded and plastic bushing is hard and cracked so contacts are not secure.

Found a website where a guy sells Volvo wire harnesses and connectors and relays and other interesting things.  Nothing specific to 850s but he sells connector bullet terminals with new bushings that are pre-crimped on 24″ wires.  Ordered a couple of these to try out and they fit fine in the old connector housing so I basically repaired the connector with new contacts by splicing them into the engine wiring harness.

Here are the female bullet contacts I ordered from Dave’s Volvo Page. Choice of colors.

Pre-crimped terminals fit perfectly in connector housing.

Verified good connection with sensor before installing either parts.

Solder spliced each wire into engine harness, then covered splice with heat shrink tubing before slipping wires back into split loom tubing.

Spliced new connector wires with solder joints covered by heat shrink tubing.

Covered new wires with split loom tubing secured with cable ties.

This gives us a clean and secure connector to the sensor. This repair method can be used for many other connectors in the car.

Also installed a new retainer clip salvaged at the scrapyard to replace the one that was missing from this car.  Now this connector will be secured instead of swimming around on its own.

Installed missing connector retainer.

Plugged connectors together and secured on “new” retaining clip.

Sprayed contact cleaner on new sockets before plugging connectors together to fight off corrosion.

Ran the the engine to normal operating temperatures and verified that the sensor is behaving. Checked ECT with new sensor at normal running temp and it now reads 196°.

New sensor reads hot stable temperature of 196°F.  Was too low with old sensor.

Time will tell on this fix but I’m optimistic.  Assume it solved the problem unless I report otherwise.

$37.88 for a cheap after-market ECT sensor.  $10 for a sensor connector and retaining clip from a scrapped Volvo.

Technical Notes

The ECT sensor is a simple negative temperature coefficient thermistor.  That means its resistance decreases with temperature.

The Volvo 850 uses the known resistance curve to determine temperature proportional to this resistance based on the voltage across this sensor.  A pull-up resistor reference to +5V forms a voltage divider with the thermistor being the variable device.

ECT sensors are very important in the Volvo 850 (and most modern cars) because it is used for fuel trim, idle air, ignition timing and cooling fan operation.

ECT sensor resistance table per factory specs:

Resistance

7300 ohms at 32 deg F

2800 ohms at 68 deg F

1200 ohms at 104 deg F

300 ohms at 176 deg F

150 ohms at 212 deg F

From the factory functional description:

The Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT ) Sensor supplies the Engine Control Module (ECM ) with a signal describing the temperature of the engine coolant. This gives the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor a measurement of engine temperature and influences the control of:

• Injection period
• Idling speed
• Engine Cooling Fan (FC )
• Ignition timing
• On-Board Diagnostic (OBD ) functions.

The sensor incorporates a temperature-sensitive resistance with a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC ). The sensor is supplied with a stabilized voltage of 5 V from the engine control module (ECM).

The voltage across the sensor is a function of the engine temperature and, therefore, of sensor resistance. Voltage can vary between 0 V and 5 V .

The engine control module (ECM) uses substitute values if the signal from the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor is missing or faulty, however, substitute values can cause starting problems in very cold weather.

The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor is mounted in the thermostat housing.