car acting VERY strange

[daltar08]

Hello, i have a volvo 850 turbo 1996 runs like a dream anyway this morning i had a bit of trouble starting the car, and noticed the clock display was dim and all other icons temp mpg where not being displayed finally got it to start and things seemed fine. After running an erramd i got back into the car to find this time i couldnt get it to stay on, also the brake indicator light was on even though the parking brake was down as well as a few other indicators also i couldnt turn off the rear wipers. I disconnected the battery pushed the brake in and reconnected the battery and it started up just fone. What could be going on????

[jblackburn]

Clean your battery terminals with a wire brush and make sure ground connections have good contact. There's a blue wire by the battery tray, as well as a major ground at the bottom of the oil pan.

[daltar08]

Thank you i will check it out

[ONV70XC]

Check alternator that is probably about to die. Read voltmeter on 12.7V minimum

[jblackburn]

This sounds more like a connection issue than an alternator.

[misha]

...Read voltmeter on 12.7V minimum

You will get that voltage on the battery terminals ONLY when engine is off.
12.7v on battery terminals when engine is off means that battery is a 100% charged.
12.2v=50%
11.9v=discharged

When engine is running you need at least 13.5v up to 14.4v at idle with headlights,rear defroster & blower ON.Everything below 13.5v is not enough to properly recharge the battery and to keep it charged.

[daltar08]

the problem is NOT the alternator and more likely some connection issue (alternator replaced almost a year ago), yesterday the car seemed to be running A-OK will report back later today after a few drives and startups if i find a problem