Battery keeps loosing its charge...at times.

[erikv11]

I replaced the starter cable on my 96 NA, actually what I did was add a second one they are both in place. No doubt about conductivity now.

I think you indeed must remove the intake manifold for this job, or at least the fan. I did it with the manifold out, it was still something of a pain because you need to trace the original cable routing and make sure things mount up nice at the starter. I secured the new cable with zip ties There is only an aftermarket replacement available, because Volvo considers it part of the engine wiring harness. So you can buy from Volvo or from FCP you will get the same thing, but it is cheaper from FCP: battery cable at fcp $65.

I inspected the alternator cable/wire on my car and it was sparkly clean at the end so I did not replace it. I don't know where to source that one, you could make one I suppose, many people do that.

Another thing to look at is grounds. I added a second ground from the negative terminal to a bolt hole in the body, left behind when I eliminated the air pump. Just got a short cable from Advance Auto for that.

[jmmxc]

Another thing to look at is grounds

As for the grounds location. Is there specific location(s) that you would recommend?
I am thinking I could use a heavy gauge cable from the negative pole of the batterie.

I think you indeed must remove the intake manifold for this job, or at least the fan

Yes, removing the intake manifold is going to be challenging as there is no other way to get to the alt.
OK.
jmmxc

[jmmxc]

I have found an answer to my battery problem..finally.
I did all the test suggested, voltage drop etc...alternator... everything turns out OK.
Although the battery would get charge from the alternator (13.5V) with car idling at 2K RPM I, realized it was somewhat below the spec according to what I read. I decided to open up the battery vent ports to take a look. The electrolyte level was less than halfway. There was no sign of boil over.
So I got a bottle of distilled water and filled all the battery compartments with some space to let the liquid expand just in case. Right of the bat, the battery started charging up to 13.89V !
I compared the charging voltage level to my Honda accord under the same RPM condition and the battery voltage readings are now the same. It has been a month and everything is going well, no problem starting in the morning during these cold days.
The guy I talked to at Sears told me that would not work....it looks like he has been wrong so far.
jmmxc

[JRL]

Do yourself a favor, if they're original, replace the starter cable and possibly the B+ cable
Most are going bad now,....they're just old

[BEJinFbk]

A simple way to test your alternator is to start the car and unhook your positive battery terminal. If the car stays running and everything seems normal then your alternator is doing it's job. If the car shuts off then it's time for a new one. Sound like it might be your starter cable to me, I've heard of that problem several times now with many different vehicles. Good luck.

Not to the OP, but just a general reminder:

This is not a good idea for modern cars. It was fine for older tech in the
60's and 70's, but with newer cars, including the Volvo's we're talking
about here, severe and expensive damage to electronics can result.

If you're having charging system problems, get down to a parts store for
an in car alternator check. Have them check the battery at the same time.
You can test the cables with a simple meter. Search "Voltage Drop" for details.

Merry Christmas to All !

[jmmxc]

I do not dispute the fact that parts are getting old, and need to be updtated.
But the simple replenishing the electrolyte level in the battery help boost the voltage, that is now sitting higher than 13.5V.
Besides, my voltage drop test shows that I am about 150mV between battery and alternator, and ground chassis to battery negative (per test highly recommended by Pauloil and others...).
If anything, the fix earlier described has so far been working. In any case, I do intend to go for an in circuit test of the alternator and charging system.
The fellow at Autozone suggests to take the alternator out of the car for better result. That will require some work of me and the weather has not be too good lately.
OK, will keep in touch.
jmmxc.

[BEJinFbk]

Sounds like you have things pretty well sorted.
It's amazing what a little distilled water will do!
( The battery salespeople hate that... )
Glad to hear your fix is proving out.

[Pauloil]

I do not dispute the fact that parts are getting old, and need to be updtated.
But the simple replenishing the electrolyte level in the battery help boost the voltage, that is now sitting higher than 13.5V.
Besides, my voltage drop test shows that I am about 150mV between battery and alternator, and ground chassis to battery negative (per test highly recommended by Pauloil and others...).
If anything, the fix earlier described has so far been working. In any case, I do intend to go for an in circuit test of the alternator and charging system.
The fellow at Autozone suggests to take the alternator out of the car for better result. That will require some work of me and the weather has not be too good lately.
OK, will keep in touch.
jmmxc.

0.15V in close to the limit for good cable. did you check it under load at 2K rpm with fan on high, rear defrost and headlights on?

http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

[Jot]

There are more than two ground straps that can cause the problem. one attaches to the firewall another near the bottom of the engine near the radiator. poor grounding are the cause of many problems

[jmmxc]

0.15V in close to the limit for good cable. did you check it under load at 2K rpm with fan on high, rear defrost and headlights on?

Full load. I read and re read the spec and remeasured, the voltage drop was between 145~150 mV.
Also,

. poor grounding are the cause of many problems

Just to be thorough, prior to replenishing the battery, I did not check the cable as I did about 3 weeks ago. This time, I just went straight at the battery and decided to refill. Battery voltage measured at the pole under same load conditions before and after. Unless I have an intermittent ground situation with the ground straps (which I doubt), so far the battery has been getting full charge up to 14V at 2K RPM, and full load then it would be sitting at about 13.85V at idle (head lights on), unlike before where max charge was barely 13.5V. Thus far, it has been 3 weeks or so and the battery is keeping its charge despite the weather getting colder...

I agree that my battery and starter cable assembly may need changing (after about 150000miles). However I think I may have been experiencing a bad situation with this Diehard battery. It was pretty obvious that the electrolyte level was significantly low. And it may just be that the lead plates were not fully immersed and therefore the electro-chemical reaction that would generate the expected chemical energy (to voltage) was deficient_ (internal impedance build-up). Recall that the battery does not store electricity. It stores chemicals and through this chemical process, electricity is produced when the loop is closed.
I am sure that you guys with your vast experience have seen pretty tricky situations with batteries behaving badly.
I will keep informing as I go through as some members may be interested.
keep in touch.
jmmxc