1997 850 Alternator/Radio Question

dcunited122 · Post by **dcunited122** » 12 Jul 2009, 20:19

Hello,

My car battery has been dying for a while now and finally was diagnosed by a third mechanic who had a high-tec testing machine (Goodyear) that it was the alternator. Apparently it has bad contacts. So my question is about the radio in my car. It has 8 speakers and 2 of them work. Could this in any way be related to a bad alternator? The speakers stopped working about a year ago when I went over a bump, then went back on, then stopped for good. If not related to the alternator, what are your thoughts on it?

Thank you in advance

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Jul 2009, 06:51

Chances are the radio problem is with the amplifier. All of the speakers except the tweeters in the dash are routed through the amp. Since it went out after you hit a bump it might be as simple as cleaning up the connectors going to the amplifier. It is located behind / below the radio.

...Lee

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 13 Jul 2009, 15:20

I could see a bad amp killing your battery.
Amplifiers die in many strange ways,
and that could be the culprit.

IF you have your radio security code,
pull fuse 11 and see if your problem goes away.

As for a bad alternator...Could be.
But those whiz bang diagnostic machines are only
as smart as the guy using them...

dcunited122 · Post by **dcunited122** » 13 Jul 2009, 17:36

where exactly is the amplifier? Is it part of the receiver assembly?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Jul 2009, 18:11

where exactly is the amplifier? Is it part of the receiver assembly?

It is its own part. If you remove the radio it is mounted on brackets around the center console behind and below the radio. As I recall the pipes that go to the rear seat heat need to be unplugged to get to it. Follow the wires from the back of the radio and it will be obvious. The connection from the amplifier to the speakers is buried in some foam covered tape.

...Lee

dcunited122 · Post by **dcunited122** » 13 Jul 2009, 20:06

Are you sure for a 97 base 850? I have 8 speakers so it would make sense that there is one, but there just isn't one there. I took it all apart and looked behind the tubes. The wires from the receiver seem to go up and behind the the dash. There is an 'amp' jack on the receiver that didn't have anything connected to it in the first place. I might call volvo tomorrow to see if its any different for my model.
Any thoughts?

Thanks

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 13 Jul 2009, 21:17

OK - It sounds like you haven't got the premium package with the bigger, external amp.
But I'd still take a shot at getting the toasted internal amp out of the picture.
Either pull fuse seven or just unplug the entire radio.

You may still have a sickly alternator, but elimination = troubleshooting.

dcunited122 · Post by **dcunited122** » 14 Jul 2009, 16:58

well, I'd like to fix my radio, but I just can't find the amplifier. I found on another website that the base model doesn't have an amplifier. Is this true? There seems to be very little information on the subject

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 14 Jul 2009, 17:25

If you don't have a DIN plug laying loose behind the radio and there are a lot of wires on the larger plug coming out of the back of the radio then you don't have the external amplifier.

Most of the base models didn't unless it was ordered that way but you never know what previous owners have added.

What radio do you have? If it is something like an SC-813 or an SC-810 you can pick a new radio up on eBay for $25.00 to $35.00. SC-816 / SC815 models normally fetch around $125.00.

One other common problem is that the environmentally friendly glue that Volvo used on the speaker magnets doesn't really work and the magnets tend to fall off of the speakers.

...Lee

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 14 Jul 2009, 17:30

BEJinFbk wrote:OK - It sounds like you haven't got the premium package with the bigger, external amp.
But I'd still take a shot at getting the toasted internal amp out of the picture.
Either pull fuse seven or just unplug the entire radio.

You may still have a sickly alternator, but elimination = troubleshooting.

When I say INTERNAL amp, I mean it's IN THE RADIO.
UNPLUG THE RADIO. Take it out...Put it in the garage...
See if that solves your battery drain issue.