Greetings!! Also needing help with rough idle/limp mode!

BabyTurbo · Post by **BabyTurbo** » 20 Oct 2018, 14:22

Hi everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself before hopefully getting some insight on car troubles

Owner of a 2004 S60 2.5t AWD with super limited knowledge of car inner-workings (the internet sure helps though!). Car has ~112k miles and is spiffy!

Having issues right now where car idles roughly and is in limp mode. Very limited acceleration and window messages are:
"DECREASED ENGINE PERFORMANCE"
"ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE REQD"
"EL SYSTEM SERVICE REQD"
"LOW BATTERY"
and my fave "DRIVER DOOR OPEN" (when it's clearly not).

Previous repairs:
Replaced battery 06/2018 at dealership and "DRIVER DOOR OPEN" message popped up right away. Have been driving around with the dinging and cabin lights on since then, and I'm thinking thats why the "LOW BATTERY" message showed up. The car has had issues here and there with starting since the lovely dinging began.

07/2018 Car started driving all jerky and had awkward acceleration. Replaced a coil (not the whole coil pack because the mechanic said only one needed chucking) and car drove fine.

Flashforward to yesterday: the car was showing the previously mentioned warnings upon start-up so I drove it straight to the dealership, luckily a mile away.

Left my car overnight, they just called today saying it's gonna need a new throttle body valve, new battery and some bulbs. I told the gentleman I'd call him back and proceeded to read a ton of stuff online.

Called him back and explained the battery is brand new and already low, and whether or not the throttle/drivability issues are due to the battery being drained already. Said I would like for him to check with a fully charged battery on-hand to see if the issues go away. Will find out this coming Monday as they're closed tomorrow.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

tldr: Could decreased engine performance/rough idle/limp mode be due to a drained battery?

Thank you!!

Post by **matthew1** » 20 Oct 2018, 14:28

Welcome to MVS.

All kinds of weirdness can happen when your Volvo has a weak battery. You're on the right track diagnosing this first because it's the lowest hanging fruit.

BabyTurbo · Post by **BabyTurbo** » 20 Oct 2018, 14:34

@Matthew1
Thanks for your reply!

Fingers crossed that's all it is! I've been reading about how to clean the throttle body DYI-style and thinking it might be the next course of action... Was quoted $1360 for throttle body replacement... Eeek.

Post by **abscate** » 20 Oct 2018, 17:39

Throttle body replacement at only 112k on an 2004 model is a rare occurrence. Definitely get that battery full charged.

If you are game to take on the cleaning yourself, look at the 'help near you forum' and see if you can find a partner in crime to walk through this.

BabyTurbo · Post by **BabyTurbo** » 20 Oct 2018, 17:52

@abscate

Appreciate the reply!

Will def make sure the battery gets fully charged. Hoping the battery is the culprit in all this.

Going to look at the forum you suggested as well-- sounds like a good place to get some pointers on the throttle body cleanse as well as the delightful "door open even though it's not" ding

EngineeringBloke · Post by **EngineeringBloke** » 21 Oct 2018, 09:52

It seems odd that the door problem started when the battery was replaced - it might be a computer module issue with the Drivers Door Module (DDM). But it could be that they slammed the door closed harder than you do.

It seems likely that the other issues are caused by the battery being drained due to the car appearing to have the door open.

The door issue could be the DDM module, the wiring between it (perhaps a single loose wire) and the latch, or the switch in the latch.

- Do you have other driver door related issues? Can you control the mirrors, windows, locks from the control panel in the driver's door? Additional issues here would point to the DDM rather than the switch in the latch.

It appears that it is tricky to replace the switch within the latch, and so it may be hard to try to repair just that switch rather than the whole latch. There are replacement latches available second hand on Ebay for a lot less than a new one from the dealer. And I would inspect the wiring first before ordering any parts.

I would get the replacement bulbs and install them yourself, although they can be aggravating to get at. The dealer install costs tend to be surprisingly high, get a quote.

BabyTurbo · Post by **BabyTurbo** » 21 Oct 2018, 10:28

@engineeringbloke

Thank you for your reply!

I agree-- for background, the car had a battery read of "6% battery health" at the dealership before being replaced. The door issues could have been something latent or maybe they really are slamming doors at that garage, haha!

The power options still work on the driver's side door, which is awesome. The windows function at the normal speed, door lock works when I push the button but if I manually push the actual lock down it pops right back up.

I've learned to deal with the dinging but the battery drain is the part that seriously bugs me the most. The cabin lights have been disconnected (just the driver/passenger-side ones under the dash), and I just have to remember to shut off the door open/reading lights up front when the come on. Read some posts about the possibility of disconnecting the fuse for the door chime. Hopefully that will temporarily help with the battery issues until the door can be looked at in further detail.

Thank you for the tips about the door latch switch and bulbs as well! I will for sure be trying to replace the bulbs at home to save a couple of bucks

bulagab · Post by **bulagab** » 04 Dec 2023, 10:14

Hi - first post, bear with me...had R rear tail light/housing replaced by Saab mechanic and ever since the driver door (windows, mirrors, also passenger seat control) have suddenly stopped working. They believe it is the drivers door module needing replacement but wanted some Volvo opinions

This is 2010 XC 70 THANKS!

bulagab · Post by **bulagab** » 04 Dec 2023, 10:19

Year and Model: 2010 xc 70
Location: colorado
Post by bulagab » less than a minute ago

Hi - first post, bear with me...had R rear tail light/housing replaced by Saab mechanic and ever since the driver door (windows, mirrors, also passenger seat control) have suddenly stopped working. They believe it is the drivers door module needing replacement but wanted some Volvo opinions

This is 2010 XC 70 THANKS!
Top

Post by **jonesg** » 04 Dec 2023, 19:03

BabyTurbo wrote: ↑20 Oct 2018, 14:22 Hi everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself before hopefully getting some insight on car troubles

Owner of a 2004 S60 2.5t AWD with super limited knowledge of car inner-workings (the internet sure helps though!). Car has ~112k miles and is spiffy!

Having issues right now where car idles roughly and is in limp mode. Very limited acceleration and window messages are:
"DECREASED ENGINE PERFORMANCE"
"ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE REQD"
"EL SYSTEM SERVICE REQD"
"LOW BATTERY"
and my fave "DRIVER DOOR OPEN" (when it's clearly not).

Previous repairs:
Replaced battery 06/2018 at dealership and "DRIVER DOOR OPEN" message popped up right away. Have been driving around with the dinging and cabin lights on since then, and I'm thinking thats why the "LOW BATTERY" message showed up. The car has had issues here and there with starting since the lovely dinging began.

07/2018 Car started driving all jerky and had awkward acceleration. Replaced a coil (not the whole coil pack because the mechanic said only one needed chucking) and car drove fine.

Flashforward to yesterday: the car was showing the previously mentioned warnings upon start-up so I drove it straight to the dealership, luckily a mile away.

Left my car overnight, they just called today saying it's gonna need a new throttle body valve, new battery and some bulbs. I told the gentleman I'd call him back and proceeded to read a ton of stuff online.

Called him back and explained the battery is brand new and already low, and whether or not the throttle/drivability issues are due to the battery being drained already. Said I would like for him to check with a fully charged battery on-hand to see if the issues go away. Will find out this coming Monday as they're closed tomorrow.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

tldr: Could decreased engine performance/rough idle/limp mode be due to a drained battery?

Thank you!!

#1, get the car out of the dealership.

but you say the battery was bought in 2018, thats not brand new....typo?

anyway, if the battery is new...
put a meter across the battery terminals, you should see 14v with engine at idle.
If the battery is not charging but you don't get a red warning battery light in the cluster ?,
its likely either the v regulator or corrosion on the small signal wire to the regulator,
just pull it off and look for green gremlins, its just a blade plug.

once you have the charging problem fixed , if the door still has problems go to Hollands "pick and pull" in N billerica, just off I 93.
They have lots of volvos, find your door module there, try to match numbers. Probably cost you a whole $25.

you need to buy tools, one repair bill at the dealer will just about pay for all the tools you'd need to fix almost anything.
Thats why we're here....cos' we ain't all there.