upgrade charging system?

[BEJinFbk]

If you drive in a lot of salt,
definitely check ALL positive
cables, ground straps and
their connections.

[xHeart]

It is a Midwest car with extreme cold and salted road indeed. The cables are original 23+ years.
Mulling over buy or build?

Unless you say otherwise, I'll take cables off, clean and restore connectors, and reinstall.

Following device connected to lighter port was reading 13.3v during the 30-min test drive.

[misha]

No cleaning is possible because they are burnt under insulation.
They must be replaced.
Cig.lighter output will allways show less than real.
Battery terminals should be used for checking.

[BEJinFbk]

I have one of those for each rig.
They aren’t a DVM on the alt output,
but they give you a quick snap shot
of the voltage from the distribution block.
And ya need to charge stuff anyway...

AFA the cabling, with heavy salt, there can
absolutely be a lot of nasty business going on
under the insulation. You can take a whack at
cleaning, but you may very well have to replace.

[xHeart]

You're correct Misha, the reading at battery cable while idling is 13.5-13.6v, so yes, it is higher than the reading at the cig.lighter.

Unless otherwise, ordering this item https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... 70-9456836

[misha]

That's what you need.
But you can build your own for about 10-15$...i guess.

[xHeart]

Is this FcpEURO cable long enough?
There are 2 more connectors fastened on at the positive red battery connector, assuming one goes to starter.

FROM VIDA:`
Removing the existing cable terminals
Remove the splash guard over the starter motor connections.
Detach the connection at the starter motor/generator.
Cut off the cable terminals on the cable to be replaced. WHAT?
Insulate the ends of the cables with electrical insulation tape. WHAT?

[abscate]

The positive battery cable on these cars is buried inside the main electrical loom so you can’t really remove th sold one without major surgery. You just leave it in, and it is considered good electrical practice to insulate the ends of dead, unused wires,

Route the new one along the bus, and secure with zip ties every 10-15 cm and when it bends

[xHeart]

That’s a big drop on the B+

Do you have an IR gauge you can check the temperature of the cable after 15 minutes running with all the lights on ?

While waiting on new cable, I do not have IR gauge but my multimeter can read temperature with the specialty probe. Where to place probe for temp read?

[xHeart]

It is known that VIDA DiCE doesn't read 1997 850 for diagnostic over OBD2, but the database matches VIN and provides Parts and Repairs under INFORMATION tab with useful instructions.