S70 1998 non-turbo, 131k, Dead Battery

[krom]

Hi to all,

I have read some of the post regarding dead batteries during the cold winter months. Great stuff. However, none seem to fit the symptoms of my car. Thus, I hope someone with experience can help. Currently, my car won't start and I suspected a dead (bad) battery because all of the electrical system was gone including the electric odometer and the internal lights . Hence, I borrowed a friends' car and used jumper cables to charge the battery. It worked and I thought the problem was over; I immediately drove the car (from the first charge) for several miles and it handled and sounded the same. I got home and turned the car off. waited about 5 to 10 min and turned the ignition swithch and got nothing. The battery apparently had very little power (the dash board light were very dim ). I charged the same battery again which again had my car running. I then turned the engine off and the engine failed to turn back on. No noises were heard coming from the hood when turning the ignition key. Thus, my question is do I have a bad battery, alternator, B-cable, starter, or all of the above? My car is due for an oil changeand spark plugs probably need to be replaced. Thank you for your time (current average temperature outside this week is -2 to 4F).

krom

[ignatz]

It would help if you could check the voltage across the battery terminals while its running. Anything under 12 volts while running would indicate a charging problem. If its around 13 volts and up, then its charging and would point to a bad battery. $20 digital voltmeters from Sears (Craftsman) are handy to have around.

[BEJinFbk]

Is your battery OK? Sounds like a good place to get started.
Have a friend with cables follow you to a place that checks batteries.
A near gone battery may work OK when it's warm and then
finally bite the big one when it gets cold out.

[matthew1]

How old is the battery? If it's 4+ years old, it's the battery.

Always work from simple -> complex when solving car problems.