2001 V70 2.4T voltage/power issues

Post by **prwood** » 13 Jun 2016, 05:37

difflock54 wrote:Not certain if your V70 has one but the link below seems to indicate your year/model would have.
...

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/vie ... php?t=3400

Peeling steering wheel cover?

difflock54 · Post by **difflock54** » 13 Jun 2016, 05:52

sorry first link seems wrong. have re pasted.

https://www.gatestechzone.com/en/proble ... tion-tests

difflock54 · Post by **difflock54** » 13 Jun 2016, 06:08

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =9&t=76208

difflock54 · Post by **difflock54** » 13 Jun 2016, 06:25

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=34002

Grrrrr. 3rd time lucky? copy/pasting problems.

Post by **prwood** » 13 Jun 2016, 09:38

Update:

I took the old alternator to Auto Zone and had them test it in their in-store machine. They said it failed "all three tests" - diode, regulator, and I forget what the third one was. I tried to take the junkyard alternator to AutoZone, but when I came back there was a different person and they said they couldn't test that alternator in their machine, only in the car, because it did not have the right connector. Clearly the other person earlier in the day was able to test it (I watched them hook it up and run the tests), so I'm not sure what the deal is. In any case, I've reinstalled the junkyard alternator, cleaning all of the connections and making double sure that everything is tight and lined up correctly. Even still, I'm now experiencing the same symptoms with my junkyard replacement alternator as I was with the original, so I'm fairly certain that it is bad as well.

So, onward and upward. I'm looking at buying a new/rebuilt alternator as opposed to one from the junkyard. From the articles folks have linked above, and to the best of my research ability, it does seem like I would want a model with a clutch pulley. Other than that choice, the sites I'm looking at, when I specify my year/make/model/engine, offer 120, 140, and 160 amp models. My assumption is that 120 amps is the minimum needed for this model and that 140 and 160 are optional higher powered alternators if you need them for power-hungry aftermarket equipment. Is that correct?

Post by **vtl** » 13 Jun 2016, 11:02

You have correct one mentioned in your car's book.

Post by **prwood** » 16 Jun 2016, 12:21

Just wanted to update everyone on this. I ended up buying a remanufactured alternator from Advance Auto Parts. 120 amp, with clutch pulley. I was able to install it and everything seems to be up and running smoothly, putting out 14+ volts measured at the battery while car is running and all accessories active. w00t.

One thing I did notice - I'm honestly not sure if it was like this before, but the tensioner pulley looks to have a slight side-to-side wobble while the engine is running. I'm wondering if perhaps I treated it too roughly when I was levering it forward to remove and reinstall the belt (something which I had to do four times in the course of this adventure)... in any case, all of the other pulleys (crankcase, alternator, compressor, power steering pump) look to be running normally and the belt travel doesn't seem to be affected. And the tensioner unit as a whole seems to be functioning correctly, moving backwards and forwards automatically as dictated by engine conditions. Nonetheless, I'm assuming that such a wobble isn't acceptable behavior for a pulley and that it should be replaced sooner rather than later... correct?

Post by **vtl** » 16 Jun 2016, 12:27

How old is your tensioner? They don't live for too long, in my experience bearing (INA) starts to fail within 30-40k miles.

Post by **prwood** » 16 Jun 2016, 12:41

vtl wrote:How old is your tensioner? They don't live for too long, in my experience bearing (INA) starts to fail within 30-40k miles.

We bought the car used in October 2015 and had 186k miles on it at that point. Since I haven't replaced it myself, and there were no service records with the vehicle, I have no idea how old the tensioner is. If it's the original, then it's over 15 years old...

Post by **vtl** » 16 Jun 2016, 12:43

Likely was replaced with the belt, otherwise it would fail at this time.