ongoing fun with the v70

[mwilkerso]

if you got one from a junkyard, how would you go about testing it at the junkyard? i live in oregon where its always raining and that concerns me when getting parts from an outdoor junkyard where everything is constantly inundated by moisture.

[jblackburn]

You can't, but you can have it tested in the same way at an auto parts store and swap for another if it doesn't work.

I guess it comes down to how valuable your time is more than anything.

[mwilkerso]

Ordered alternator from oreilly today. I plan on installing it and doing the parasitic drain test on thursday. Will post updates.

[rspi]

My alternator puts out betwen 12.8 and 13.6 volts. I would also get one from a jy because they give a 30 to 180 warranty on them around here.

A lady I know was told that her alternator was bad and it was only that her battery was drained down from the light in the glove box and other things she left on all weekend.

Hope the O'Reiley's alternator outlast your ownership.

[EstVolvo]

As far as ABS - do it. Mine was bad without any warning lights.

[mwilkerso]

Well, I need help again. Here's the update.

Installed new alternator and did the parasitic drain test. I did the drain test at several points before and after the alternator installation, and the results were always good. So I test drove the volvo with the new alternator for about a half hour in all sorts of situations, i.e., stop signs, 25 mph streets, 70-80mph on highway. Everything was going well until after about a half hour, I decided to give it full throttle, and I got a series of dash lights, and I stalled out. I went home in limp mode, but it was a much better limp mode than I previously experienced. I could not rev over 2000 rpms, but at least I didn't feel like my car was a bucking horse like the last time I was in limp mode.

So my next solution was to totally overhaul the wires leading from the battery. We replaced all of these things with 4g wires from O'reilly auto parts ( the already assembled battery cables ):

New battery post terminal 4 gauge: post to starter
New 4 gauge with heavy ring terminals on both ends: battery terminal to fusebox
New 4 gauge with heavy ring terminals on both ends: alternator to starter
New battery post negative terminal 4 gauge: negative post to engine ground ( i moved this ground to a bolt on the top of the engine because at one point in my previous repairs I found it hanging loose )
New 4 gauge with heavy ring terminals on both ends: battery negative terminal to subframe ground

Now my car won't start. It started the first time then acted like it was starving of fuel and stalled out within 15 seconds. Further attempts to start would not turn over. This was last week.

This morning I went outside and pulled every fuse and inspected each from both fuse boxes. All fuses were in tact. I got in the car and tried to start it, and it turned over, but immediately stalled after about 5 seconds. I tried to pull the #4 immobilizer/abs fuse but that didnt work either. I removed the radiator fan assembly to check my connections to the alternator and starter, and they were fine.

Everything appears to be fine and I am stumped. When I turn the key, I do hear the fuel pump turn on, so I am doubting that. Also because it worked before. If you read this entire post, you will see a massive extent of repairs done, and I am not sure which direction to take now.

Help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt