My '01 S60 2.5 T just quit

Tom McFarland · Post by **Tom McFarland** » 20 Jun 2010, 10:13

I was driving on a highway in the middle lane and the car suddenly just quit running. Got to the side of the road. it started again but did not take any gas and none of the electronics worked. had car towed to driveway but now it is dead completely. my mechanic says it's because the alternator is not holding a charge. But the car restarted, although none of the electronics worked. I had a local jerk put in a new remote starter during the winter. Could this be related to that? Any advice would be welcomed.

Post by **JDS60R** » 20 Jun 2010, 12:02

The remote start does take a little draw but is designed not to be an issue. With the overide of security module thats needed it could casue a drain if its hooked up wrong.( constant power instead of just when starting) .

As the alternator provides the charge and the battery holds it - the best thing for you to do is charge up that battery or put in another one you have lying around and start the car with a meter on it. If it is holding over 13 volts while running then drive it to a local autozone or Advance and have them test the entire charging system . Bring a friend and some jumper cables . Try to keep the car running when you go in to ask for the check and explain if you shut it off it may die.

If its the alternator or alt and bat then repalce as needed. Once you are running again we can look at what is drawing power while the car is off. Normally ,for the car to die while driving down the road points to a bad alternator. For it to restart again is what makes diagnosis tricky (bad batt vs bad security overide module).

If I had to guess I would bet the security overide module is not connected or performing correctly and the system is shutting down to protect from theft. It could be that or a battery with a bad cell will give the same results.

Sorry thats so long
To Sum up
1. Charge or jump the battery
2. Get the alt and batt checked out
3. Replace as needed
4. Disconnect aftermarket security module (call installer and ask which fuse to pull )
4. Use meter to see if any large draw is on the batt while the car is off.

Let us know waht you found. I have not seen this on an S60.

Tom McFarland · Post by **Tom McFarland** » 20 Jun 2010, 17:17

Thank you for posting. Your comments are about the same as others I have asked about this. maybe you can answer another question. With the car now sitting dead in my driveway, do I have it towed to the mechanic who does my work (and said that it is likely an alternator not holding a charge) or to a place where I can have the remote starter taken out and the wiring put back where it was. Seems that if the starter might be the villain (I think the guy is a crook), would it make sense to get that out of the equation? or is it too late for that, and the reality is that the alternator is done for?

Tom

Fendar · Post by **Fendar** » 20 Jun 2010, 20:11

Try to jump it and let us know what happens. Get ur voltmeter out. If alternator is working you will get 13+ volts.

Retired MVS Contributor · Post by **Retired MVS Contributor** » 21 Jun 2010, 08:36

Alternators do not "hold" a charge, they CREATE a charge, and only when the engine is running...Only the battery can store and "hold" a charge...When a mechanic tells you the alternator is not "holding" a charge, it is a sure sign that he does not know what he is talking about...

It is possible that the voltage regulator is bad...It is built into the alternator and is replaceable without disassembling the alternator, but the alternator has to be removed to do it...If the car can be run, a quick check of the alternator and battery can be done with a simple voltmeter connected directly to the battery...The voltage should be at least 13.5 volts while the alternator is putting out and will drop to a little over 12 volts when the engine is shut off...If it is considerable higher, say 16 or 18 volts,the voltage regulator is toast...

The battery is 12 volts...In order to "push" a charge into the battery, the alternator's output voltage has to exceed the battery's voltage a little bit and 13.5 volts or thereabouts is normal...Reading the voltage on the battery cable terminals will not always tell the story because you are reading the car's system voltage being generated by the alternator...To get a true battery voltage the reading needs to be taken right on top of the round battery terminal...Clip the voltmeter's leads to a couple of ice-picks or small screw drivers and press them onto the center of the battery post...If you see 12 volts or less, move the meter probes onto the cable terminals, and if you see an increase in voltage, the terminals are corroded...

This sounds to me like a case of corroded battery terminals...The terminals do not need to have hair growing on them to be corroded...Removing the battery connections and cleaning up the battery posts and the cables to a shine is the right way...With this car let it sit idle for at least 15 minutes before disconnecting the battery to allow the electronic modules to stabilize...I am not sure, but it seems that I have red the the ignition key should be in position II when reconnecting the battery...